I went again to high school to change into a cabbie, Life-style Information

When I left my final full-time job in October 2025, I did not even have any concrete plans as to what I wished to do subsequent.

The concept was to take a while out to recalibrate myself, and consider my choices as to what my potential subsequent profession step may very well be.

As the 12 months got here to an in depth although, I used to be fascinated with how I might put my SkillsFuture credit to good use. After all, there was $500 price of credit expiring on the finish of December, and I did not really need it to go to waste.

I came upon that you could possibly use it to take the Taxi Driver Vocational Licence (TDVL) course, and it appeared like an intriguing prospect to me. Not that I had the intention of driving a taxi full-time, however I figured that having the TDVL at the least gave me the choice to take action if I wished to.

I signed up for the course on the ComfortDelgro (CDG) coaching hub in Sin Ming. CDG is among the two permitted operators to manage the course in Singapore, the opposite being NTUC Learning Hub. I went with CDG as a result of it’s, in spite of everything, a taxi operator, and the trainers there would most likely know a factor or two about coaching taxi drivers.

The course usually takes place over two days, however as a result of I wanted to make use of up my SkillsFuture credit earlier than they expired on Dec 31, I used to be put into an “accelerated” course that squeezed the curriculum right into a single day. And so, two days earlier than the top of the 12 months, I discovered myself in CDG’s classroom from 8am to 10pm.

There are three assessments you must cross earlier than you will get your TDVL.

The first check covers quite a lot of normal information subjects — starting from business details, customer support ethics, and even a gentle refresher on Traffic Police rules.

The second check focuses on the principles for vocational drivers, that are apparently fully completely different from the principles which can be utilized to common drivers. As vocational drivers (those that drive buses, taxis, and personal rent automobiles) are thought-about public service employees, they’re held to a better motoring normal than common drivers, and face stiffer penalties with decrease thresholds for licence suspension or disqualification.

The third check, which solely applies for taxi drivers and never non-public rent drivers, includes navigation. Basically, it assessments you on discovering the shortest routes between locations, and figuring out native landmarks utilizing navigation apps.

To be sincere, it was the second paper which I used to be most careworn about, as a result of it required memorising an all-new set of legal guidelines and their respective penalties. After the full-day CDG crash course, I spent a complete week cramming into my reminiscence the related fines and demerit factors for a complete bunch of offences earlier than my check date.

I should not have fearful an excessive amount of although, as a result of I ultimately handed the examination with just one fallacious reply out of 90 questions in complete throughout the three papers.

It felt bizarre to be learning for an examination so a few years after graduating from faculty, however now that I’ve handed the massive check and gotten my Taxi Driver Vocational Licence, I suppose it opens up a complete new profession selection for me.

I simply need to resolve whether or not I need my subsequent journey to be blue or yellow.

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This article was first printed in Motorist.