Blog Posts » Should You Become a Pilates Instructor?
Should You Become a Pilates Instructor?
Date Posted May 31, 2008
Do any of these scenerios sound familiar?-You feel dissatisfied with your job right now and you need a change.
-You hate sitting at your desk all day, and wish you had a flexible schedule.
-Your kids are growing and you think it might be a good time to get back to work or start up a new career.
-Your graduating college and have no idea what you're going to do!
-You need a part-time job to make money so you can be a dancer/artist/actor/whatever.
If you're familiar with pilates, it may have crossed your mind to become a pilates instructor as a solution to these problems. But what kind of person does it take to be a pilates instructor, and more importantly, a successful instructor who makes money?
Anyone can decide to go through a certification program, but it takes a certain type of person to be a successful teacher. Could you be a pilates teacher? What kind of personality does it take? Why become a pilates instructor? Here are some of my opinions!
1. You're at least somewhat of a perfectionist!
I have to admit, this is sort of true about many pilates instructors, including myself and mostly every pilates instructor I know. To teach such a precise method of exercise, you have to be at least somewhat of a perfectist, in my opinion. Its not an "anything goes" type of thing. Even when someone feels as though they've mastered a movement, there is always something more that can be added or... perfected.
There are demands placed on a busy pilates instructor that require us to push ourselves and to succeed at what we do. As a pilates teacher, being a perfectionist is necessary in a lot of ways- you must always be on time, keep track of all appointments and classes, and remember everybody's name, know about at least 600 exercises, teach with flow, etc.
2. You view life as an opportunity to meet new people and learn new thingsAs a pilates instructor, you'll meet and teach many, many, MANY different types of people- its so great! Not only will you meet lots of different people, but you'll really learn a lot from all of them, if you're open to it.
If your personality is withdrawn, or if you have a phobia of public speaking, you may have a hard time attracting clients at first, but I know this is something that can be learned with time and experience. In fact, as teachers, we are always learning and growing with every class and student we teach. If you're open to learning from students, learning more about the method, and learning about yourself, being a pilates instructor would probably be a great move for you!
3. Pilates has changed your life or your view on exercise.
You don't have to have always been athletic or have been a dancer to teach pilates. You don't have to look a certain way, and it doesn't matter if you're male or female. In fact, I'll admit, I passionately hated exercise until I decided to try yoga and running at age 18.
If you feel pilates has changed your outlook on life and exercise, you'd make an excellent advertisement for the method! Your passionate will show through your teaching, and you could inspire other people who never thought they could do pilates, to try it.
4. You want to promote fitness and mind-body exercise, or you want to help people.
Let's face it, many people are stressed, eating unhealthfully, depressed, and busy. If you like helping people, there are a lot of people out there who need pilates! Its a noble thing to want to help people around you, and pilates is a great way to do it because it can be done anywhere and anyone of any age can do it. As far a bringing health to communities and reaching a wide variety of people, pilates can be done by everyone!
5. You want to love your job.
If you already love pilates, then you can tell that your teacher loves his/her job. If you hate your current path, and want to mix things up and start new, becoming a pilates instructor could change everything. Its not an easy job, but its so fulfilling, and fun. And I don't know a pilates instructor who doesn't love the job!
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