Foreign-trained driving school managers outnumber Flemish graduates
More managers joining driving schools in Flanders in recent years have obtained their qualifications abroad rather than locally, according to figures provided by Flemish Mobility minister Annick De Ridder.
Flanders currently has 149 recognised driving schools, spread across 427 locations. The managers of these schools are increasingly trained in the Netherlands. Between 2019 and 2025, 40 driving school managers with a Flemish qualification were recognised in Flanders, compared with 59 trained in the Netherlands and one in Bulgaria.
This discrepancy may be explained by differences in qualification requirements. In Flanders, candidates must have held certifications to teach both theoretical and practical driving lessons for at least three years. They must also pass written and oral examinations, complete an internship of 225 to 300 hours and take a practical test.
Safety risks
In the Netherlands, the process is more flexible. An internship lasts around 40 hours, and under European legislation, candidates who have run a driving school there for one year can become eligible to work in Flanders. This means someone can qualify as a driving school manager in about one and a half years through the Dutch system, compared with around four years in Flanders.
According to Federdrive, the federation of recognised Belgian driving schools, the significant difference in training requirements is bound to have an impact on road safety. "Do these foreign instructors know our road code and language? The quality of teaching is not assessed in any way," Thomas Van Coillie of Federdrive told Het Laatste Nieuws.
De Ridder said she intended to review and reform driving instruction legislation during the current parliamentary term. "This reform is essential to ensure the effective implementation of digitalisation in driver training," she said. She did not specify when the process would begin.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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