In reply to kbow265:
I did an intensive course and personally think it's by far the best way to learn. I suspect you'd develop confidence much more slowly if you're only driving a couple of hours a week than if you're doing 8 hours every day for a week. I did a 40 hour course with absolutely 0 experience beforehand; within an hour of getting in the driver's seat I was driving around on real roads with actual traffic, and in the end my instructor reckoned I could have easily done it with just 30 hours.
The theory test is a complete non-event, and likewise the hazard perception if you have any road sense about you.
