Yay! I passed my driving test. I have to wait three weeks to get the license apparently, but I'm not planning on using it in the meantime anyway. You are allowed 15 minor faults on your driving test, and I got just 1. It was a fault for being in the wrong lane at a roundabout, and I remembered which one he was talking about, so at least I recognised it. The driving instructor asked if I had a license in the US, since I was such a good driver. I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement!

Two big things have happened this week. The first is that I started driving lessons with a two hour lesson on Thursday. It went pretty well, in that I didn't drive the wrong way down the road. Chris, my instructor, said that I drive very confidently, but I will need to watch out for certain things that the examiners wouldn't like (you can't go over the limit at all he said for instance, which is not the way most people actually drive). Also, they expect you to do some strange steering method that nobody does anymore and seems to be from the days before power steering. So I will have to relearn how to steer. Near the end of the lesson I think I was getting tired, because I let the car get too close to the curve and the side of the wheel hit the curb. It is more exhausting driving here as you have to think about it more. I kept looking to the right for the rear view mirror and once I grabbed the door handle to try to change the gears (luckily the door did not open). My next lesson is Wednesday, so I just need to internalize his suggestions into my regular driving, and get used to the wrong side of the road. The large amount of roundabouts will take some getting used to as well.

The other thing is that at work they have introduced a new pay modernization scheme, which is based upon a national framework system of evaluating job roles at work. The theory is to ensure equal pay for equal work across the jobs at the university, and doing this nationwide. However, the result here has left many people disgruntled. About 24% of staff got a pay increase as a result of this. 14% have gotten a pay cut, though the pay cut won't happen for 4 years as part of the bargain. Then another group is not having their pay changed (I am in this group), though the number of advancement points on the pay scale may have changed positively or negatively. Some people, particularly those in IT jobs have gotten significant pay cuts (8,000 pounds one person said they were cut). That must be at least 25% of their current pay. I can't see how many people will stick around too long if their pay is going to drop that significantly. My department was particularly badly hit with something like 40% being negatively affected in some way. It will be interesting to see what happens with all of this. I am just thankful my pay is fine.

At the Sheffield Fayre thing I went to I ran into a driving instructor who seemed really nice and had the best rates I have seen so far. So I have now arranged with him to have some lessons, starting with a two hour lesson on Thursday. I am hoping to set a date to take my test soon, as it must be scheduled in advance, and it can take a couple months to get an appointment. If I could have it before Christmas that might be ideal.

Thought you might be curious as to what some of the test questions were like, so I've got some of my test questions for you to try.

This is the one I missed on my test:
Signals are normally given by direction indicators and:
a) brake lights
b) side lights
c) fog lights
d) interior lights

Not particularly tough:
Which of the following should you NOT do at the scene of an accident?
a) Warn other traffic by switching on your hazard warning lights
b) Call the emergency services immediately
c) Offer someone a cigarette to calm them down
d) Ask drivers to switch off their engines

My personal favorite:
You are following a learner driver who stalls at a junction. You should:
a) be patient as you expect them to make mistakes
b) stay very close behind and flash your headlights
c) start to rev your engine if they take too long to restart
d) immediately steer around them and drive on

I'll post the answers as a comment, including why I missed the first one.

Mission Accomplished! Today I passed the first part of the driving test in England. It was the written theory test, and the hazard perception. The theory test was not too bad as I had read the entire book of questions beforehand. I did miss one though, as the terminology sometimes throws me for a loop. The theory test is 35 multiple choice questions, and you have to score 30 to pass.

The second part was also on the computer, and it is a series of 15 1-minute video clips from the driver's perspective in a car. You are supposed to click every time you see a hazard, but you are really scored by how quickly you first notice the one hazard in the clip that turns into something serious which requires you to brake or steer. You are judged by how quickly you notice it. If you click early it is 5 points, then goes down to 0 if you miss it. The pass mark is 44 of 75. I got a 64, which I thought was really good. I got about half 5s, and only a few 3s, with nothing below that. The hardest part about it is that the video quality is pretty low. So sometimes you are supposed to notice a turn signal on a car, but you can barely see that there is one. In real life, you don't normally have that problem, so I didn't think it was a good simulation. I was more worried about this part of the test because there was only one practice test you could take for it. I took practice theory tests about 20 times, so I felt confident I could pass as I passed all the practice ones. If you fail one part, you must take the whole test again (and pay another 21 pounds). I've already paid 38 pounds for my learner permit (which you can get without taking any tests), and I will have to pay more for a go at the practical test sometime.

I can take the practical test anytime in the next two years. I hope to go down to Victoria's parents' place to practice one weekend then do it on a Monday or something. I don't really want to buy a car now, but I would like to be able to rent one sometime, especially at times when train prices can be astronomical.