Name: Leah Lister.

Job title: Driving instructor.

Employer: LLL Driving School.

Age: 49.

Where are you from? Birmingham originally but I have lived here for over 26 years – I moved up to the Lakes for a job at the Bridge Hotel in Buttermere.

Being a city girl, I had vaguely heard of the Lake District and I thought when I applied for the assistant manager’s job at the Bridge that it might be a nice place to live for a while.

I looked at the map before travelling to my interview, in the days before sat nav and decided that the best route to get to it would be over Honister Pass.

Not sure it was the best decision I ever made – the rain was pouring down, sheep milled across the road and there wasn’t another vehicle or human in sight. I wondered what on earth I was doing.

The welcome at the hotel was lovely, though, and I got the job, so I made the move from city to country.

I didn’t think it would be forever, but after a few months I met a local lad Patrick and decided to make Cockermouth my home.

Where do you work? My base is my car, so potentially I could work all over North and West Cumbria, but it is mainly Cockermouth and Workington, as the test centre is in Workington.

How long have you done this job? Nearly a year.

Take us through a typical day: The day before I will know who I am taking out, every day can start at a different time depending the students.

I can take people out before they start work so could be on the road by 7.15am.

I will know what my students need to practise, which might involve sat nav driving (the new test means students have to follow a sat nav for 20 minutes).

We might also practise some manoeuvres such as bay parking or reverse parking.

Some days students will be on test and this is as nerve-wracking for me as it is for them.

I really want them to pass and we will both agree when they are ready to take the test, so they will have the best chance, but nerves do play a big part and I am not always sure how that will work out on the day.

All I can hope is that they put into practice everything they have learnt with me.

What do you like most about the job? Meeting lots of interesting people – I have students from all walks of life and different parts of the world. I have had students from America and China who have recently passed their test here, as although they can drive in their own country they need to do our UK driving test if they want to drive here.

Foreign licences are good for about 12 months then they must take a UK driving test to continue to drive here.

Recently I have done my Advanced Driving with the IAM, a voluntary organisation that promotes safe driving and riding, and their aim is to make everyone a better driver or rider.

I am currently training to become an observer for the organisation and will give my time freely to help other qualified drivers to be better drivers.

What do you like least? I am still really enjoying it. I am quite new to the profession so every day feels fresh and exciting.

Why did you want to do this job? I have two children who will nearly be learning to drive so I wanted to help them, I love driving and like people so thought it would be a great job to do. I am my own boss and can work the hours that suit me.

What jobs have you done previously? I was a marketing manager at Cumberland Pencils for 17 years, then before that worked at the Sands Centre and previously as a manager in hotels, so I have always enjoyed working with people.

What qualifications or experience do you need? You must have a full, clean driving licence and have driven for at least three years and be over the age of 21.

You need to train to become a qualified ADI (Approved Driving Instructor). You have to pass three tests set by the DVLA, theory and hazard perception test, your driving test and an instructor test.

You then have to be registered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency before you can charge for your services.

It took me about a year to become qualified. I had to do much of my training outside Cumbria. I took my theory test in Carlisle, my driving test in Newcastle, my instructor training in Glasgow, my part three instructor test in Preston, my rescue training in Birmingham and finally passed my part three test in Preston.

So you could say I have travelled a fair distance and driven in many different places before passing all my exams.

What is a typical salary for this job? It depends on how many hours you work.

Any advice for people wanting to get into your profession? It took me longer than I thought to get qualified, so allow a year for training.

But if you like people and enjoy driving then this could be the job for you. You do need to have some business skills too and be organised.