M’sian Claims Driving Instructor Shouted Profanities & Spent Paid Lesson Time Eating Nasi Kandar

Learning to drive is a major milestone for many young Malaysians. But imagine paying for lessons only to endure an instructor’s constant swearing, watch them eat during your paid lesson, and drive a car with 290,000km on the odometer and no working air-conditioning.

That was the experience shared by Ian, a 21-year-old Malaysian student known online as 444yonce, who recently took to Threads to recount his unpleasant experience with a driving agent at a prominent driving centre. His post has since sparked public outrage and discussions about the treatment learners receive during driving lessons.

16+ hours of verbal abuse, breakfast stops, and no air-con

According to Ian, he was referred to a freelance agent after being promised a competitive package of RM2,100 for a manual license and faster test slot bookings. However, the reality of the lessons turned out to be a nightmare.

Across his four 4-hour lessons and one extra class, the student experienced extreme unprofessionalism:

• Paid Breakfast & Cigarette Runs: On his second lesson, the instructor spent the first 45 minutes driving somewhere so he could eat Nasi Kandar on the student’s paid time. Similar patterns repeated where he had to drive the instructor to buy cigarettes.

• Suffocating Heat: The instructor never turned on the car’s air-conditioning during circuit lessons. The student later discovered it was because the car was so old that running the AC placed heavy strain on the engine.

• Deplorable Car Conditions: The training car was in an abysmal state, featuring a peeling steering wheel, stringy seatbelts, torn seat covers, a mileage count of 290,000km, and filthy floors.

“When he would go on a loud tangent about how I was an idiot, I’d just calmly breathe through my nose and realised if I was stuck in a job I hated with only one skill to my name, I’d be bitter and miserable too,” Ian shared with World of Buzz.

Over-controlling, screaming, and public humiliation

The teaching methods were equally counterproductive. When teaching circuit components, the instructor provided rigid formulas, but berated the student regardless of how he applied them.

Furthermore, the instructor would physically lean his sweaty body across the driver’s seat to turn the steering wheel and change gears himself, doing the maneuvers for the student, only to claim it as a “teaching success”. When the student attempted to drive independently, his mistakes were met with ear-splitting, vulgar outbursts loud enough to turn heads across the driving centre.

“Even my dad witnessed his behavior when he visited. Sometimes, his driving instructor friends would walk up to him to chat, and he’d openly talk badly about me in front of me,” the student recalled.

Viral backlash leads to contract termination

After the student’s detailed expose went viral across Reddit, Threads, and local media platforms, it opened the floodgates for dozens of other past students to share similar trauma. Many netizens pointed out a generational divide in how harsh, old-school teaching methods are perceived, with older generations often dismissing verbal abuse as “tough love,” while younger drivers emphasise that mental abuse hinders proper learning.

Following the massive online uproar and testimonies, Ian revealed to WORLD OF BUZZ that a student who spoke directly with the operations manager at driving centre confirmed that the agent’s teaching contract has officially been terminated.

Ian hopes his experience serves as both a warning to prospective learners choosing agents at driving schools and a reminder that driving education should prioritise safety, patience, and professional guidance over bullying.

Have you ever encountered toxic or unprofessional instructors during your driving lessons? Share your stories in the comments below!

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