Advice for Becoming a Pilates Instructor
Are you thinking about becoming a Pilates instructor? That’s amazing. Here at Sheppard Method Pilates, we are acutely aware of everything that goes into getting your Pilates certification and starting to teach. Through our experiences, we’ve come up with a few pieces of advice to help make your progression to Pilates instructor as smooth as possible.
Understand Why You Want to Become a Pilates Instructor
Understanding the motives behind why you want to become a Pilates instructor will be extremely helpful at the beginning. Very few people make a lot of money doing fitness instruction, especially not at the beginning. As cheesy as it may sound, having a true passion and desire to teach others and help them achieve their fitness goals will help motivate you throughout your Pilates certification process and beyond.
Outside of motivation, you’ll need a few other characteristics to really have success as a Pilates instructor. If you are someone who doesn’t really enjoy being around people for significant periods of time, becoming a traditional Pilates instructor may not be the career path for you. You will need good communication skills in order to effectively teach the people in your Pilates classes as well. A general interest in the human body and how it works can also be beneficial as you are obtaining your Pilates certification.
Don’t get Discouraged!
Becoming a full-time Pilates instructor is not something that happens quickly. After you get your Pilates certification, it takes a while to build up your client base. While you may want to jump straight into working as an instructor full time, it typically takes a while to get to that point. Sometimes it can become discouraging to know that you’ve put so much time and effort into training for a position and not see immediate results.
Don’t worry! We’ve been there too. Transitioning from one job to another takes time. Look for any opportunity to teach Pilates. Offer in-home instruction, look for jobs at the local college or gym, or even launch an internet workout setup. It may be stressful at first, especially if you are trying to balance another job with your teaching. Try and remember that passion and motivation that you had when you first started to become a Pilates instructor and allow that drive to keep you going through the stressful times.
Never Stop Learning
Just because you’ve received your Pilates certification and have become a Pilates instructor does not mean your education is over. Always keep an eye out for a new exercise or method to incorporate into your own teachings. New workouts can keep your students interested and will refresh your excitement about being a Pilates instructor!
Pilates at Sheppard Method
If you are in the Westwood area and are interested in becoming a Pilates instructor or just want more information about different Pilates classes, we can help! Contact us at Sheppard Method Pilates today!
