Have you added regular Pilates into your life and discovered that you love it with a deep passion?
Do you frequently contemplate this form of movement and have a strong desire to share with others the joy that Pilates brings you?
Do you want to encourage people to become healthier, move better, feel more confident and happier?
If the answer to any of those questions is a yes, becoming a Pilates Instructor could be a super fulfilling side hustle or full-time gig for you!
Here are my three simple steps on how to become a Pilates instructor in Brisbane:
Step 1: Is becoming a Pilates professional for me?
Some people will say that you cannot make a career out of a hobby you love. I say, why the hell not? I did just that over twelve years ago and I’ve never looked back. I strongly believe that the best careers come from a deep passion.
Firstly, let’s chat about what the role of a Pilates instructor is.
What is the role of a Pilates Instructor?
We cannot answer this question without firstly defining Pilates. Pilates is a low impact form of exercise that focuses on core strength, muscle endurance, balance, and the engagement of stabilising muscles.
Pilates instructors are highly trained fitness professionals who improve peoples’ physical and mental health through movement. A Pilates instructor teaches people how to move correctly when performing Pilates exercises, as well as educating people to move efficiently in everyday life, by using these principles daily. A Pilates instructor breaks down each Pilates exercise by teaching good movement patterns and modifying their clients’ technique so that each exercise is felt in the correct muscles. A Pilates instructor can teach one on one, small groups or a group class setting.
If the above job description sounds great, here’s a few questions for you to answer:
- Do you love helping people?
- Is movement important to you?
- Do you value health and exercise?
- Do you love how Pilates makes you feel?
- Do you have a thirst to learn more about Pilates?
- Are you interested in how the anatomy of the body works?
- Do you talk to anyone who will listen about how much you love Pilates?
- Are you interested in a job where you don’t sit down much?
- Do you consider yourself a creative person and like the idea of creating choreography?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, keep reading, as a career in Pilates sounds like a good match for you!
Step 2: How do I pick a Pilates instructor training program?
If you google ‘Pilates instructor training Brisbane’, you’ll find pages and pages of training providers and may find yourself very overwhelmed! There are many Pilates education providers out there. Here’s a few tips to help you find the best Pilates instructor training for you:
Tip 1: A Pilates instructor needs a solid understanding of Anatomy; more specifically, how the bones, joints, and muscles of our bodies work. This Anatomy training is the first building block to becoming a Pilates instructor. Find a comprehensive Pilates instructor training program that offers their own Anatomy course, as you can then do all your training with this provider and ensure consistency.
- Premium Pilates Instructor Training offers a 100% online, self-paced Anatomy course that will provide you with all the knowledge you need to start your instructor journey!
Tip 2: To be considered a hireable Pilates instructor in Brisbane, most Pilates studios require you to be trained in both Matwork and Reformer disciplines. Therefore, pick a Pilates instructor training that is comprehensive and teaches you both. However, steer away from only learning Reformer Pilates. Like any job, you need to learn the fundamentals first and in Pilates, this means Matwork. Without these essential building blocks, your foundations will not be strong, and this will become apparent in your teaching, as there will be many gaps in your knowledge and understanding of Pilates.
- Only look at Pilates Instructor Training courses which have the prerequisite that you must learn Pilates on the Mat prior to learning Reformer Pilates. At Premium Pilates, I’ve had past students only want to study Reformer and to ‘skip’ learning Matwork and I explain why this is not a good option for their job prospects and for their own learning. After these students complete the Matwork training they always tell me the same thing; that they are so glad they didn’t jump straight into Reformer training at another training organisation, as they learn so much through the Mat course.
Tip 3: Find a Pilates training course that involves practical assessments. Whilst talking in front of other students may seem extremely daunting, you desperately need this element in your training, as it is a huge part of a Pilates instructors’ job! The more you practice teaching Pilates during your course, the less scary you will find this.
- The Premium Pilates Matwork and Reformer Instructor Training involve several practical opportunities throughout the course contact days, as well as post course work (see Tip 5). Gaining practical instructing experience in a supportive environment and receiving feedback to better your teaching is what our training is all about!
- Find out more about the Premium Pilates Matwork and Reformer Instructor training courses here
Tip 4: Choose a Pilates training course that has an observation element in the post course work. What this means: a student must observe a certain number of classes or hours prior to receiving their certification. You learn so much by observing Pilates instructors teach, such as how to adjust clients’ technique in a safe and precise way, how to create a class program that flows well, what instructions work for clients and what cues they do not respond to and much, much more. By observing several different instructors teach you will be equipped with so much knowledge that you can apply to your own teachings! You will feel more confident after observing classes and will be itching to try out what you have learnt and instruct!
- At Premium Pilates, Mat and Reformer students must all complete post course observation hours.
Tip 5: Find a training with post course work – you don’t want to get certified in 3-5 days!
As inciting as getting certified with a whole new set of skills in a weekend is, you cannot become good at any new discipline in only a few days! Ignore those training programs that promise you a certificate as a Matwork and Reformer instructor in 4 days; you can’t possibly become a good instructor in this short a time frame!
As mentioned in Tip 4, Premium Pilates Instructor Training involves a post-course observation element. Our post-course work also includes practical classes; that is, a student must attend a certain number of classes or hours as a participant prior to receiving their certification. Doing these classes yourself, you feel how each Pilates exercise feels in your body and you apply all your new Pilates knowledge to your workouts.
In addition to observing and participating in classes, it is also essential to pick a training which has one, if not more, post course practical assessments in the form of post course instructing exam/s. You cannot become certified as a Pilates instructor over a weekend; you need to spend hours practising, that is, instructing out loud, getting your words to flow, working with different bodies and different fitness levels. You need to be able to instruct several Pilates exercises confidently and safely before you are certified. Your instructing must be marked and passed by a Pilates instructor trainer before you are permitted to teach the public. This is because we have a duty of care as fitness professionals to provide safe and effective workouts to our clients.
- At Premium Pilates, our Matwork and Reformer students must complete apprentice teaching post their course contact days. This apprentice teaching involves instructing small segments of Mat and Reformer classes to real clients, so you can get valuable real life instructing practice! (Note: all our Pilates training students are welcome to complete this apprentice teaching at one of our studios).
- The Premium Pilates Matwork and Reformer Instructor Training requires all students to submit a Matwork and Reformer instructing video as the last post course step. This video is marked against detailed criteria and very valuable feedback is provided by a Premium Pilates instructor trainer. Once a student passes this video, then they are certified!
It may seem like a decent amount of post course work, but it is very needed to become a confident, knowledgeable, and experienced Pilates instructor!
Tip 6: Find a training provider that fit your vibes, as you may want to work for them, it also makes training much more enjoyable. Learn a bit more about Premium Pilates Instructor Training.
Tip 7: In person training. A small online component in a course is fine, however, pick a training that offers course contact days. You learn so much from these days; the Pilates trainer/trainers adjust your technique, and you make long term friendships with like-minded students. Not to mention that your brain absorbs information much better from in person training.
Tip 8: Get a referral! Speak to someone who has done the Pilates Instructor training you are looking into. They will be very happy to share their experience with you. How to find them? Put a call out on social media and tag the Pilates training program; they will have access to all their past students and can easily put you in touch with someone.
Tip 9: Talk to someone within the training program. Have a phone chat with one of the course trainers prior to booking into a course! Most Pilates training providers will offer this on their website. To book a call with a Premium Pilates trainer, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. We would love to answer all your burning questions!
Step 3: After doing all your research, take the leap!
I’ve taught hundreds of students to become Pilates instructors over the years and one of the things they all have in common is that they wish they had taken the leap to do their Pilates training earlier!
Now that you've gathered all the information you need, take the next step and enrol in a Pilates instructor training program to kick-start your rewarding journey.
