Truth or Myth? Do you need a qualification to teach Pilates?

Truth or Myth? Do you need a qualification to teach Pilates?

Let’s start by making this simple. In Australia you can lead pilates classes and open a Pilates Business without a certificate, however you are recommended to have insurance. Insurance protects you and your clients if someone injures themselves.  But an insurance company will only insure you if they deem you safe and competent to lead exercise or run an exercise business so… they require a qualification.

If you are already a clinician or have a high enough qualification or training in a similar field, you most likely already have qualifications that an insurance company would deem give you enough knowledge to teach safe exercises classes. If this is you, then the main reason to do a Pilates course is to become a great instructor, not to qualify you to obtain insurance. 

If you don’t already have this, then you need a qualification that insurance companies will accept as evidence that you are safe and competent to teach and also a course that helps you become a great instructor.

Insurance companies accept almost all certificates and training courses in this Industry but they are not experts in fitness so they rely on fitness organisations/alliances like AusActive, Fitness Australia, Yoga Alliance, FITREC, Physical Activity Australia, ESSA, APA, Pilates Alliance Australasia, APMA to put their stamp of approval on training courses.

Furthermore, all Certificate 3 or 4 or Diploma level courses have been approved by the Australian government and because the government charges higher fees for this recognition the price and length  for these levels of training is greater.

In Summary, you don’t need a qualification but you probably need insurance and thus you need a qualification. Fitness organisational bodies attempt to create a benchmark for quality so looking for those logos can be a guide. 

Given such broad choices in a saturated market. Our advice though is to think deeper about what your intentions for teaching Pilates or Barre. A full time career, an add on, a passion project, injury management etc..  Look for a course that gets you the skills you need to suit your intention in the budget that you want to invest.

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  • Truth or Myth? Do you need a qualification to teach Pilates?

    Truth or Myth? Do you need a qualification to t...

    Let’s start by making this simple. In Australia you can lead pilates classes and open a Pilates Business without a certificate, however you are recommended to have insurance. Insurance protects...

    Truth or Myth? Do you need a qualification to t...

    Let’s start by making this simple. In Australia you can lead pilates classes and open a Pilates Business without a certificate, however you are recommended to have insurance. Insurance protects...

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