Shauna has had a busy few years since returning from London, working for Medtronic before becoming one of the first 20 people in Ireland to qualify as a driving instructor under the RSA.

"I started training last September and learned very fast. A lot of more experienced instructors think they are better qualified but, to be honest, I think it's more important to be passionate about your job. I love what I do and I am good at it. A lot of older instructors have been doing it so long that they are jaded and don't have the same dedication. I also think women are better instructors, as they are better at multi-tasking and verbalising what they want to put across. Up until now it has been a very male-dominated industry but more and more women are coming on board now which is great.

"People have been speculating about it being easier to pass the test now but I wouldn't like to think that standards are slipping following the introduction of privatised testing. Certainly the pass rates in Galway wouldn't reflect that they are, so I would hope that this is the case."

Shauna now has two children aged four and five and says that most of her free time is spent with them. She still likes to travel and says her trips away allow her to catch up on two of her favourite hobbies: cycling and reading.

"I do like to travel as much as possible. My perfect holiday is just getting away from it all. I bring about four or five books because I don't get a chance to read usually. I love to cycle as much as possible too because you can't really do it here. The roads are so busy and it's too dangerous. There is no infrastructure for cyclists in Galway. So give me a nice stretch of scenery and a bike and that's me happy!"

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