How to Become A Pilates Teacher: A Guide
Jul 28
/
Neil Dimmock
Are you thinking about becoming a Pilates instructor? There’s a reason teaching Pilates is a popular career choice. It's flexible, rewarding and social. Additionally, with the recent boom in the Pilates industry, there is more demand than ever for new teachers.
Here's a breakdown of why teaching pilates could be a good option for you, who the job is suited to, and how you can actually become a Pilates Instructor
Here's a breakdown of why teaching pilates could be a good option for you, who the job is suited to, and how you can actually become a Pilates Instructor
How to Become a Pilates Teacher: A Guide
Are you thinking about becoming a Pilates instructor?
There’s a reason teaching Pilates is a popular career choice. It's flexible, rewarding and social. Additionally, with the recent boom in the Pilates industry, there is more demand than ever for new teachers.
Here's a breakdown of why teaching pilates could be a good option for you, who the job is suited to, and how you can actually become a Pilates Instructor
Why Become a Pilates Instructor?
Pilates is becoming an increasingly popular career choice, and it’s easy to see why:
Flexible, self-directed income: you can build a schedule that fits your life, and decide how much or how little you work.
- Fulfilling work: helping people move better and get stronger is rewarding.
- Rising demand: the Pilates industry is continuing to grow, and therefore so are the opportunities within it.
- Improve your own practice: teaching enables you to develop your own practice and continue to learn
Who Should Train as an Instructor?
It’s important to clarify that there is no single "type" of person who becomes a great Pilates instructor.
However, at LPA we tend to see three main groups start training:
Current practitioners: physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and massage therapists, think people already working with the body.
Career changers: people bringing over transferable skills like public speaking, client-facing experience, and customer service, but want to do something else with their professional careers.
Fitness professionals: people who are already working in the fitness space, such as personal trainers, gym instructors, yoga teachers, and exercise-to-music instructors expanding their offering.
Beyond your background, the best instructors tend to share a few traits: they're good communicators, empathetic, critical thinkers, and team players.
So regardless of your career journey so far, if you think that sounds like you, teaching Pilates might be a great fit.
Your Journey to Certification
Most Pilates teachers who we train follow five steps in their certifying journey.
Shop Around
Exploration
You're enjoying Pilates, trying different studios, and becoming more interested in developing your own practice. You may have spoken to your instructors about where they trained and what their journey looked like. At this stage, you're likely researching what it takes to become a Pilates instructor and whether it's the right career path for you.
Shop Around
Once you've decided that teaching could be the right fit, you'll probably begin comparing different training providers. Consider factors such as cost, accreditation, course format (online, in person, or blended), and the level of support offered. Read reviews, check certifications and industry endorsements, and take your time choosing the education provider that's the best fit for your goals.
Begin the Process
Once you've enrolled, you'll work your way through the course content. Depending on the provider, your training may be fully online or delivered through a blended learning approach. The length of the course will vary depending on the qualification and whether you're studying full-time or alongside work and other commitments.
Assessment
A quality training course should include an assessment before you qualify. Once you've completed your learning, you'll be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and teaching skills through an online or in-person assessment. This ensures you're a safe, confident, and competent instructor before you begin teaching clients.
Qualified and Teaching
Congratulations, you've qualified! But your learning doesn't stop there. One of the biggest steps in your journey is transitioning from the classroom into a real studio environment. Continuing your professional development, gaining teaching experience, and learning from every class you teach will help you grow into a confident and successful Pilates instructor.
Choosing Your Qualification
Mat Pilates
The foundation of Pilates teaching and the starting point for most instructors. Mat Pilates qualifications should provide a strong understanding of the Pilates principles, and the fundamental movement patterns that are key to the method.
As you continue your education, this foundation becomes even more valuable. You'll recognise many of the exercises and movement concepts introduced in Mat training as they carry through into equipment-based Pilates, making it an essential building block for your development as an instructor.
Reformer Certification
The Reformer is one of the most versatile pieces of Pilates equipment and is often the next qualification instructors pursue after Mat. As demand for Reformer classes continues to grow, it has become one of the most sought-after certifications in the industry.
Many instructors choose to add a Reformer qualification because it can open up more teaching opportunities and often offers higher earning potential than Mat classes alone.
Specialist Certifications
Once qualified in Mat and/or Reformer, you become one of many Pilates teachers in a growing marketplace, which is exactly why specialisms matter. They become your differentiators.
Popular directions include:
Pilates apparatus: expanding into one-to-one and rehab-focused work using equipment such as the Barrel, Chair and Tower.
Long-Term Conditions: Support clients with conditions such as lower back pain, cardiac conditions, osteoporosis, or osteoarthritis. More and more clients with long-term health conditions are coming into our studios, but as a Pilates teacher, your scope of practice may not cover working with clients who have complex comorbidities. Completing a Long-Term Conditions workshop can give you the knowledge and confidence to safely support a wider range of clients within your scope of practice.
Perinatal Certification: Becoming increasingly popular, a perinatal certification enables you to offer safe movement alternatives within open classes or to run dedicated prenatal and postnatal classes, helping you confidently support clients throughout their pregnancy and postnatal journey.
Getting Your First Clients
Once you're qualified, the real work of building a career begins:
- Get insured: find the right insurance for how and where you'll be teaching.
- Find your style: define the teaching style and ethos that represents you, what do you enjoy and can teach authentically? Is it classical or contemporary? How do you like to cue? What is your identity as an instructor?
- Start covering: pick up cover classes and find a studio or brand that matches your style. You may be teaching in gyms, or at off-peak hours when you first start covering, but you will learn a lot from your time covering.
- Build: diversify and grow your offering as your confidence and client base grow.
Growing A Sustainable Career
To create a sustainable career as an instructor focus on three key actions:
Keep learning: stay curious and keep an open mind about new techniques and approaches.
- Add specialisms: differentiate yourself with specialist certifications and stand out from the crowd.
- Build a reputation: being reliable, diligent, professional, and a good team player goes a long way.
If teaching Pilates sounds like the right move for you, you can talk to our team about course options, and what might be right for your Pilates teacher journey.
Explore courses at londonpilatesacademy.com