Taking these 10 decision-making steps will give you the comfort level needed in choosing the best Pilates Teacher Training Certification that’s right for you.
A critical part is meeting in the studio with the Program Director and having all of your questions answered about the education you will be receiving. Here’s what you need to ask and find out in that meeting:
Ask about the teaching methods and the type of success you can expect from the Program. Also ask if there will be other teacher trainers that will be assisting and how much experience they have as teacher trainers.
Review the Mat and Equipment Program Manual curriculum in detail with the Teacher Training Program Director. This is the education you will be receiving so it’s critical that you know what you will be learning. (Keep in mind every Teacher Training Program offers a different kind of education).
Ask about the number of live in-studio course lecture hours that you will be taught and what those hours include. For example, how many hours are specifically devoted to anatomy? How to modify exercises? Teachingclients with medical conditions?
Ask if you will be supervised when you are doing your practice teaching hours. This should be included in your tuition. Supervised teaching is a very important part of becoming an excellent teacher.
Confirm all tuition costs included to complete the Program. Know exactly what the tuition includes and ask if there are any “pre-requisite” costs. For example, does the studio require you to purchase private sessions or classes as part of the tuition for the Certification Program.
Confirm that the studio will be available for you to do all of your practice time needed to complete your Certification requirements. Also ask when the studio is open for you to do practice time. Make sure that they do not charge for this time. It should be included in your tuition.
Confirm the amount of time you will have to complete the Program. You should be given at least one year to complete both the Mat and Equipment Teacher Training Program.
Ask about the type of tests you will need to pass, (written, practical), and what kind of assessments you will be given during the training.
Ask about their cancellation and refund policy.
Ask to speak with both current students and graduates of the Program.
Do you want to teach Mat Classes? Reformer or full equipment Classes? Private Sessions? Clients with Medical Conditions? Both Classes and Privates? Would you like to open up your very own studio? The bottom line is that the more comprehensive Pilates Certification education you receive, the more choices and more success you will have in your Pilates teaching career. The more highly regarded Pilates studios that offer comprehensive Pilates Certification education, like The Pilates Certification School at Gramercy Pilates NYC, will go well beyond just teaching exercises. They will thoroughly prepare you for any type of Pilates teaching career, including opening up your own studio. They offer many hours of specialized lecture sections on Anatomy, Kinesiology, Advanced Teaching Techniques, and Clients with Medical Conditions. They will also include in their tuition supervised teaching hours where their Teacher Trainers will personally supervise your practice teaching in the studio as well as guide you through how to teach various Pilates classes. You'll also learn the Classical Pilates work as well as Contemporary modifications that are science-based. Graduating from this type of Program can elevate you to an Expert Pilates Teacher status. If you’re not looking for this type of high-end education, then there are other less comprehensive studios that offer forms of Pilates Teacher Training available in both Pilates studios, fitness studios and gyms. These places will basically teach you the exercises with very little or any reference to anatomy or kinesiolgy which are critical to learn before learning and teaching the exercises.
If you've decided to become a Certified Pilates Teacher, you're probably spinning your head over how many studios are out there that offer a "Pilates Certification Program. The truth is that since Pilates is not a regulated industry, Pilates Teacher Programs that offer a Certification are very, very different.
Most importantly, your Pilates Certification, (the certificate you receive after completing the Teacher Training Program), is only as good as the education you receive during the Program.
Further, any Pilates Teacher Certification that you are working towards must include both written and practical testing. The Certification offered by the Pilates Method Alliance, (PMA), after a student completes a studio Teacher Training Program, is deemed by many industry experts as incomplete because it lacks a practical test. Further, the same Pilates Method Alliance, (PMA) written test is given to every student regardless of which Pilates Teacher Training Program they have taken. This is inconsistent because every Pilates studio offers very different Teacher Training Programs. While there is a "study guide" to review before taking the PMA’s written test, industry experts recommend that both a written and practical tests are needed to ensure a student has the skills required to safely teach the Pilates method of exercise.
To become a fully certified teacher and have an opportunity to work in a legitimate Pilates studio, you'll need to complete a Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program that includes both Mat and full Apparatus Training. Typically, an entire Comprehensive Program will amount to between 400 and 600 hours..
The total tuition cost to enroll in a reputable Comprehensive Pilates Program that includes both Mat and Equipment Teacher Training will range from a low of $5,000 to a high of $8,000. The Program should include everything needed to complete both the Mat and Equipment Certification Programs. Be careful of hidden costs such as having to purchase private sessions or classes as a prerequisite to taking the Program.
Individually, Mat Certification Programs can cost as low as $300 for just learning exercises to a high of $2,000 for a comprehensive Mat Program that focuses heavily on anatomy and kinesiology which will educate you on how and why Pilates exercises really work.
Equipment Certification Programs can cost as low as $3,000 to just learn exercises on the Reformer and maybe the other apparatus’ with very little supervision and no learning of how to teach clients with medical conditions. More expensive Equipment Programs will teach all of the Pilates apparatus, provide many hours of expert supervision and spend many hours of lecture on teaching you how to work with clients with an array of medical injuries.
Each studio offers very different Pilate Certification Programs and the costs will vary greatly. Keep in mind that the more you learn, the more you will earn as a Pilates Teacher.
Review the Curriculum in the Program Manual
When meeting the Director, make sure that you review the entire Program curriculum so you know exactly what you will be learning. This means having the Director go through the Mat and Equipment Manuals page by page so you are sure about what you will be learning. Every Program is different so this is very important!
Review the Programs Policies. (Transparency is critical!)
Every studio that has a Pilates Teacher Training Certification Program should have specific policies and even better, a catalog.
It's total tuition costs, cancellation policies, use of studio, testing, assessments, supervised teaching and how long you will have to finish the Program should be clearly documented in their policies section. (Some studios will charge more for you to finish their Program so make sure to ask about this).
