Looking to launch your dream career in Pilates? Pilates is a rewarding career, allowing you to work with a diverse range of clients to help achieve their personal goals, from rehabilitation through to improving general health and well-being. Turning your passion for Pilates into a profession can often be one of the most rewarding opportunities for many enthusiasts.
Pilates has become a very popular exercise form and as a result, there is a big demand for highly qualified instructors. There are lots of exciting opportunities as a teacher allowing you to share your passion with a wider audience, however, it is important to be aware of what to expect when looking to become a Pilates instructor.
What are the timescales to become a Pilates Teacher?
Unfortunately, there’s no set answer when it comes to knowing how long it will take you to qualify as a Pilates teacher, it all depends on your pre-existing knowledge and experience and how you take in and process the information shared with you. Every student, every studio, every teacher, every Pilates training school approaches things differently. At Modern Pilates, we prefer to have contact with our students to help develop confidence and teaching skills, which we personally believe is the best way to learn
You can acquire a Pilates qualification after approximately 40–50 hours of training. However, to be fully trained and certified as a Modern Pilates teacher it typically takes over 500 hours of coursework, home study, observation and teaching practice to confidently and successfully achieve this.
At PFE Training we provide The Modern Pilates Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates (YMCA) which adopts a clinical and contemporary approach. This course starts with your home study pack on anatomy and physiology, allowing you to study at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. We help and support you with this study and you have access to your tutor for questions and help. This follows with attending the course over 10 days set over 5 weekends, plus, there is 1 additional day for your practical assessment. The course is spread out over a 6-month period allowing you time to study at home and to complete homework assignments throughout the course. Modern Pilates is unique as it offers time with our tutors and physiotherapists to ensure you get the hands-on experience you require, plus additional time to take home, digest and interpret all of the knowledge and skills information we have passed on. Once you are qualified, we also offer additional workshops on focused elements of Pilates that you may find beneficial to your training and constant development.
Do certificates and diplomas differ in length?
A qualification at the Diploma level is the more in-depth in both content and time required to complete the coursework and associated hours. This is one of the most time-consuming options available, however, it provides a full range of knowledge and teaching capability. The Modern Pilates Diploma takes on average 6-8 months to complete from start to finish. The level 3 Diploma in Pilates is recognised and highly respected within the health and fitness industry.
How much time do I need to allocate each month?
Most Pilates training programs are accommodating and allow you to intertwine them comfortably into your busy lifestyle. Every Pilates training course varies based on the knowledge, level and hands-on training that is required.
Typically, you can see a timetable of essential training dates and exams before agreeing to any course, it is just a case of finding a course that works for your lifestyle. Most companies are happy to chat with you about the Pilates courses before you enroll.
What do I need to consider before becoming a Pilates teacher?
It is important to consider whether you have a love for Pilates or whether you have a passion to share your knowledge with others. Ask yourself whether you enjoy teaching, are you interested in the science behind the exercises and are you comfortable speaking in front of a large group of people. You need also need to be a caring and compassionate person as a lot of people who come to Pilates classes come because of a referral from a physiotherapist or because they have postural or back problems.
As a Pilates teacher, you won’t be actively doing the Pilates yourself, you will be teaching and helping others. You need to make sure that you are confident in delivering the class in front of large groups and on a one to one basis as essentially you put yourself and your knowledge on display.
There’s no right and wrong answer when it comes to knowing how long it takes to become a Pilates teacher, It all depends on your current knowledge base, the time available to complete the course and what you want to achieve from it.
If you’re looking for any further information or guidance on becoming a Modern Pilates teacher our team will be more than happy to help!