Yoga/Pilates Instructor

Key skills/talents

Natural interest in yoga/pilates
Good level of strength and fitness
High level of physical flexibility
Confident communicator
Patient and a calm manner
Leadership skills
Non-judgemental attitude to all types of people/all walks of life
Observant thorough and with good attention to detail (to help improve a person's technique)
An interest in teaching others (sound obvious, but some teachers of any subject should just leave well alone!)
The ability to come up with new ways of doing things (yes, we’re going to say it, you need to ‘think outside the box’)
It may be useful if you have a background in teaching exercise or dance.

CHECK OUT TASH'S PODCAST

Qualifications required

Yoga

Level 3 Certificate in Teaching Yoga to Children Aged 5 to 16 (if you want to teach this age group)

Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga

Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga

The National Careers Service has all colleges nationwide that cover these courses.

Both Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications are Ofqual regulated

Pilates

Pilates instructors can follow several different courses, but Level 3 & Level 4 are available, much like yoga. 'Futurefit' have courses for both levels.

'Choreography to Go' have online courses available at both levels too.

HFE’s (Health and Fitness Education)Level 4 course is also Ofqual regulated.

Training required

Training is done whilst completing your qualifications, as detailed above.

Some people choose to train and learn with private organisations, like Tash, who trained with Alan Herdman. Alan still runs classes in London, details of which can be found here.

Tash also travelled to the US to train with 'Power Pilates', who now run classes in London as well as worldwide.

There are alternative routes to establishing your credibility as a yoga instructor. For example, taking up an apprenticeship with a renowned master yogi, (potentially with no remuneration, if you can afford to do so). This will give you demonstrable practical experience.

Rules and regs

Legal yoga instructor requirements vary depending on your circumstances, but you may have to comply with some of the following when establishing your own yoga business...

Planning Permission / Tenancy Agreement Limitations for if/when you host your yoga classes from your home, you may need to get permission from the council to operate as a business premises. Similarly, if you rent your home, you’ll need to check if your tenancy agreement permits it. In either case, you’ll need to carry out a risk assessment to ensure it’s safe and fit for purpose.

Public Liability Insurance is a MUST and is available from many insurance companies, Insure 4 Sport have a specialist insurance, as an FYI.

Music Licensing is really easily overlooked, but if you intend to play music in your class you might legally require a music licence. You can look into whether you’ll need one here.

GDPR is another legal snag you might bump into is the General Data Protection Regulation. If you retain any of your students’ personal information, you need to make sure it’s GDPR compliant. This regulation protects an individual’s right to privacy and control over how their personal data is used.

You'll need to provide a DBS Check depending on your yoga specialisation and who you would like to teach (i.e. children and vulnerable adults.

Remuneration framework

The average hourly rate of a Yoga Instructor is approx: £25 per hour £10 per person, per class), with instructors earning between £30,000 to £40,000 per annum, depending on where they live and how many classes they do per week (and of course depending on their cost outlay).

Generally speaking, earnings are very dependent on a range of issues, including reputation (including social following/level of notoriety, yes, that old chestnut again), the teacher's client base, and the location of the studio from which they work (i.e. London techs would theoretically charge more than northern artists, due to increased rates of business).

How to get started

The British Wheel of Yoga, who are the national governing body for yoga in the UK and have accredited courses:

HFE (Health and Fitness Education) specialise in health and fitness qualifications and run several yoga and pilates instructor courses, in person or online.

YMCA Fit has London based in person courses, or a online options for yoga or pilates.

If, like Tash, you would like to participate in learning yoga or pilates overseas, these links here and here take you to a list of the current 10 best retreats around the world.

You will find that many courses can be completed in person, or virtually.

YMCA Fit has some great information into how to become qualified.

A good knowledge of the industry can be gained via some hefty online research and of course, find and follow Yoga and Pilates groups on social media that you like and/or think represent a professional - and inspirational - approach to teaching.

A few biggie, but cool social accounts:

@yoga_girl
@_jessyoga
@aloyoga
@nude_yogagirl
@sar_white

Associations or official bodies to register with

The yoga industry is largely unregulated, meaning there are no qualifications required by law to teach yoga. However, there are several organisations dedicated to self-regulating the industry, like The British Wheel of Yoga. This organisation strives to establish minimum requirements for yoga instruction, which are then approved by accredited awarding bodies like Ofqual. Many gyms, fitness studios, and health centres have adopted these regulations, so if you’re trying to find mainstream work, lack of qualifications could be an issue.

Similarly, Pilates is largely unregulated, however the Society of the Pilates Method is a group of experts who are working collaboratively to bring certain standards to all pilates classes. They also have a code of practice.

Job site links

Yoga and Pilates teaching roles are advertised in all the usual places online, and will likely be advertised through centres near you, so be sure to follow them on social and join any community pages around you.

Indeed

Progression pathway

Offering online classes is an extra way to earn money, either by filming (the instructor) during a live class and then offering out live and ‘saved’ access links; or by performing additional online classes as suits your timetable.

When your skills and reputation hit a certain point (for credibility) you could have a go at writing your own teaching programmes for other teachers to use/execute in their own classes. You could even become a teacher-trainer and set up your own form of teaching academy.

Specialist classes can provide extra/higher class charges, like the acrobatic yoga Tash offers, so have a think about what your niche/specialism can be (as Tash is) and make sure to tell people about it. CPD (continued professional development) courses are available and include specialised yoga styles, such as Vinyasa, Bikram, Aerial or Restorative yoga to name a few.

Some vinyasa & restorative courses are run by YMCA Fit here.

Origym run a course for Bikram style.

Like yoga, pilates has several differing styles of workout, such as classical, Stott and MAT to name a few.

The Classical Pilates centre runs courses in both classical & MAT.

YMCA Fit does classes for STOTT pilates.