I think everyone knows that Driving Camp is cheaper than a commuting license. However, during summer and spring vacations, the fees are often more than 300,000 yen.
Even in such a situation, you can keep costs down by carefully adjusting the timing of your enrollment and devising the plan you use! In this article, we will introduce four factors to reduce the cost of such Driving Camp. By the time you finish reading, I think you will have a clear idea of which school you want to attend, when and with what plan.

[1] Prices vary greatly depending on the season!

First of all, please take a look at this chart that shows the annual price trends for Driving Camp.

This is based on the price setting of Matsuki Driving School Yamagata School, and shows the yearly price trends for Regular Automatic with a shared room and three meals plan for men.

1.The cheapest time of the year is the low season.

In the diagram above, the orange area is the so-called "low season", which is the cheapest time of the year.
Compared to the most expensive summer vacation price of 300,000 yen, you can get your license for more than 100,000 yen.
I think it may be difficult for university students and other students to enroll at a time like this because they have classes, but such a low price is very attractive, so if you can easily take a chunk of time for about 2 weeks. We highly recommend that you enroll during this period!

2. Winter vacation is the cheapest among long vacations for students!

In the diagram above, the brown part is the long vacation period for students, and this is the seasonality of training camps nationwide.
First, take a look at this chart that compares the average tuition fees for spring, summer, winter, and long holidays.

Needless to say, there is a rush of applications during the spring and summer long vacations, and fees soar, but even during the long vacations, during the winter vacation, you can enroll at a low price that is close to that of the off-season.
There are some points to keep in mind when attending a license training camp during winter vacation, such as the enrollment date if a student wants to graduate during winter vacation.
This enrollment date is very limited each year due to reasons such as the closing of the license center at the end of the year, and in the case of 2019-2020, it is as follows.

For AT

Enrollment: December 21st (Saturday) → Graduation: January 4th (Saturday)

For MT

Enrollment: December 19th (Thursday) → Graduation: January 4th (Saturday)

Reservations will be available from around mid-September, but since there are only a limited number of admission dates, reservations will naturally be inundated and will fill up quickly, so we strongly recommend making reservations early.

This article has detailed information about the winter license training camp, so if you are thinking about going, please check it out!
“A must-see for students! Absolutely advantageous winter vacation Driving Camp! [2019-2020]”

3.Aim for the cheapest times during spring break and summer vacation!

In conclusion, the training camp fees during long vacations are in a heap as shown in the figure below, so it would be best to aim for the beginning or end of the vacation.

Here, we have selected spring and summer vacations for university students, where prices are the most expensive.
As you can see, there are differences in fees depending on when you enroll even during the busy season.
There is a difference of about 30,000 yen between each price, such as top price > shoulder price > off price, and you can see that the off price is about 60,000 yen cheaper than the top price.

top rates from Shoulder fee At the border of changing to Shoulder fee the first day of school,
off rate from Shoulder fee At the border of changing to off rate last school day of
If you are aiming for a school, we recommend that you apply early because reservations will be flooded on the cheaper admission date at the border.

Here are my recommended starting dates!

Off-price periods do not overlap with students' long vacations, so prices are low even during the busy season.
If your classes (tests) end early or your new semester classes start late, try enrolling at the boundary between off-price and shoulder-rate!

Even during the busy summer and spring vacation seasons, you can save as much as 30,000 yen by shifting your enrollment by one day.

When should I make a reservation?

During the busy season, there is a rush of reservations, and cheap driving schools and driving schools with good facilities fill up quickly, so if you are thinking about a license training camp during a long vacation, please count backwards from the date you want to enroll and apply at least 4 months in advance. Let's!
If you apply early, you will not only be able to secure a cheap plan and school, but also receive an "early bird discount" that will reduce your plan fee by about 5,000 yen.
*Please be sure to check as some schools may not have it.

2. Choose the cheapest plan from car type, meals, and room!

The self-catering shared room plan, which I will explain below, is about 70,000 to 80,000 yen more expensive than the most expensive hotel single plan with three meals included, depending on the school.
The shared room Self Cook is very popular due to its low price and fills up quickly, so if you apply just before entering the school, you may find that only a single hotel room is available and end up paying a high price unnecessarily, so those who want to keep costs low. We recommend making reservations as early as possible!
As an example, based on the pricing of Matsuki Driving School Nagai Campus, let's compare the single 3-board plan and shared room Self Cook when acquiring Regular Automatic.

In this way, the shared room Self Cook is 75,000 yen cheaper.

1. Rates are different for AT and MT

Due to the differences in the structure of AT and MT cars, the training time for MT cars is generally longer and the fee will be about 15,000 yen higher.
In other words, if you want to get your license cheaply, definitely go for AT! about it.
By the way, in the Japanese market, 99% of new car sales are AT.
In normal life, you won't have to worry about just having an AT license.

2. Prices vary depending on accommodation and meal selection.

meal plan

Self-catering < 30,000 to 30,000 yen cheaper with three meals included!
*In many cases, even Self Cook include lunch.

In the case of Self Cook, you will have to buy ingredients at a convenience store or supermarket, or eat out, so if you do not plan your food expenses carefully, it may end up costing more than a full board plan, so be careful. In terms of price, it's nearly 30,000 yen cheaper just because of the difference in meal plans.
The license training camp lasts about two weeks, so it might be a good idea to take this opportunity to get into the habit of cooking for yourself.

Accommodation/room type

Accommodations: Affiliated facilities < Directly managed facilities approximately 30,000 to 50,000 cheaper!

There are two types of lodging: (1) those operated directly by the driving school, and (2) those affiliated with hotels and inns.
① is close to the driving school and cheap
②Facilities are often good, and meals and hot springs are also available.
There are advantages such as:

Room type

Single < Twin < Triple < Shared room will be about 30,000 to 50,000 cheaper!

Shared rooms are usually large rooms for 3 to 4 people, and you may feel nervous at first because you are sharing the same room with strangers, but if you look at it positively, it can be an opportunity to create a whole new community.
I think sharing a room with strangers is the biggest attraction of a license training camp!

3. Check the warranty details as well.

Guaranteed until graduation <Limited time guarantee: Approximately 20,000 yen cheaper!

What is the guarantee at the license training camp?

If you fail an exam or certification, you may not be able to graduate even after the scheduled number of training days.
Generally, a fee will be charged for each period (once) for ``repair of Driving Lessons'' and ``retake of the certification'', and if ``extended stay at accommodation'' is required, the fee will be charged for each night. If you are worried about the training, we recommend that you get a guarantee.
A guarantee until graduation is a little more expensive than a limited time guarantee, but it gives you a great sense of security that there will be no additional charges even if you end up staying longer.

[3] Even cheaper with group discounts, early bird discounts, and student discounts!

There is an "early bird discount" that applies to early applications, a "group discount" that applies to groups of two or more people, and a "student discount" that is limited to students.If you use all three together, it will cost you ¥15,000. It's about 1,000 yen cheaper.
The number of people to whom group discounts apply and whether they can be used together vary depending on the school, so please confirm this in advance.

[4] Services and benefits vary depending on the application window

There are two ways to apply for Driving Camp: you can apply directly to the driving school, or you can apply through a website affiliated with the driving school or through a counter such as a co-op.
The benefits of applying through this window include the lowest price guarantee and various benefits and services depending on the window.

What is the lowest price guarantee?

For example, if you make a reservation from site A, which has the lowest price guarantee, and there is site B, which has the same plan as the driver's license plan, but allows you to make a reservation at a lower price. The payment price booked on A and the lower price on B's site
The difference will be discounted or refunded.

[5] Summary

How was that?
In order to go for Driving Camp at the lowest price, it is important to choose the time and devise a plan, but if you do not use the guarantee contents and meal plan in a planned manner, it may end up being more expensive than other plans. So please be careful!