So where can you work as a Pilates instructor? The great news is that there are so many options when it comes to where you can work with your Pilates qualification! We have trained Pilates instructors who work in luxury resorts and on cruise ships, instructors who teach Pilates on stand up paddle boards in the middle of the ocean, and instructors who use Pilates to enhance the performance of horse riders and circus performers! So the sky is really the limit!

While there are so many options, most people tend to work in a Pilates studio, a gym, an allied health clinic, a park, a town hall or from their home.

PILATES STUDIOS

Most Pilates instructors end up working in a Pilates studio at some point throughout their career. All Pilates studios are different – some may only run Pilates classes, while others may offer Pilates in conjunction with a range of other fitness classes like barre, yoga, or spin. Some Pilates studios only run Matwork classes while other studios also offer classes using the small or large equipment.

So what does instructing in a Pilates studio look like? You may instruct Matwork, or Pilates on the larger studio equipment like the reformer. You may instruct

one-on-one private classes, small group classes or large group classes. Or a combination of any of these.

The clients in each Pilates studio may also be quite diverse. Some Pilates studios may run fitness-focused classes designed to help clients to tone up, lose weight and enhance their overall strength, while other Pilates studios may run classes specific to pregnancy or the rehabilitation of injuries.

Studio Pilates runs a wide range of courses to set you up to gain employment in any Pilates studio. After completing our Pilates courses, you can work in any studio using the equipment and exercises that you are qualified to instruct.

STUDIO PILATES BOUTIQUE STUDIOS

As well as being a Pilates education provider, Studio Pilates has our own reformer studios around the world. To work in our boutique studios, you would complete a particular course with us called the Platinum Instructor Training. Completing this course allows you to apply for instructing positions in any of our global studios!

GYMS

Next let’s look at working as a Pilates instructor in gyms. Essentially, there are two types of gyms in Australia – big gym chains like Fitness First, Goodlife, Virgin Active and Fernwood and smaller independent gyms which are not a part of a major chain (this could be the smaller, privately owned gym around the corner from you).

Most smaller independent gyms will hire Pilates instructors who are not Personal Trainers and do not hold a Certificate III or IV in Fitness. Some large gym chains have an internal hiring policy where they only hire Pilates instructors who also have a Certificate III or IV in Fitness. A Certificate III in Fitness makes you a Group Fitness Instructor and a Certificate IV in Fitness makes you a Personal Trainer. It’s not that these big gym chains don’t recognise your Pilates qualifications, it’s just that their own internal hiring policy requires a fitness qualification in addition to the Pilates training. However, this is only the case with some of the major gym chains.

So what does instructing Pilates in a gym setting look like? Most of the time when you instruct in a gym, you would be instructing Matwork Pilates classes or Pilates classes with the small portable equipment like the Pilates circle, resistance bands and balls.

Class sizes can range from small group classes through to large group classes of up to 40 people per class! It is rare to instruct one on one Pilates classes in a gym environment. Some gyms have reformer machines and run reformer classes. In most gym environments, you are instructing Pilates classes aimed at improving general fitness (rather than focusing on the rehabilitation of injuries).

ALLIED HEALTH CLINICS

Next let’s look at allied health clinics, such as a physiotherapy clinic which run Pilates classes. Some clinics only hire instructors who also have an allied health qualification, for example a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. In these cases, instructors may spend part of their week performing Physiotherapy treatments or client consultations and other parts of their week prescribing Pilates based exercises or instructing Pilates classes to the clinic’s clients.

There are also many clinics which do hire Pilates instructors who are not allied health professionals. More and more allied health clinics across Australia are hiring Pilates instructors who do not have an allied health qualifications to facilitate Pilates classes to the clinic’s clients. In this case, the Pilates instructor often liaises with the treating professionals such as Physiotherapists in the management of specific clients’ conditions. For example, a physiotherapist may ask you to work on buttock and abdominal strength for a particular client and ask you to work on stretching the hamstrings and developing strength in the back muscles for another client.

Pilates classes in an allied health clinic are usually rehabilitation focused and may be Matwork based or small equipment based or more commonly, they may use the larger studio equipment like the reformer, Wunda Chair and Cadillac as this equipment is particularly effective in the rehabilitation of injuries. Pilates classes in this environment are usually one on one or conducted in a small group as this allows the instructor more time to focus on each client and modify the exercises as required for each person’s injuries. It is rare to find large group classes in an allied health environment.

PARKS, TOWN HALLS OR FROM HOME

Let’s look at instructing Pilates in a park, a town hall, or from your home. When instructing in one of these locations, you are usually self-employed. However, there are some exceptions to this as often local city councils will employ Pilates instructors to facilitate “get active” classes in parks across major cities. Pilates in parks, town halls or from your home tend to be mostly Matwork based or classes which utilise the small equipment. The pilates balls, bands and circle are fantastic for this environment as they are lightweight and easily transported. These classes are more commonly small group classes or large group classes depending on the size of the space.

ONLINE /DIGITAL CLASSES

Since COVID-19, more and more instructors have started teaching online using technology like Skype and Zoom. This has become a popular way to instruct which has continued in popularity even after cities have emerged from lockdowns. Many instructors are seeing the value in reaching broader ranges of clients through online workouts and the flexibility that teaching from home provides!

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