Ok, we know you're excited to be part of the exciting world of Pilates, but to be a teacher, you've got to get through the training program. And before that, you have to be accepted into the program. And to get accepted into the program, you've got to do a few things -- fill out an application, pass an assessment, and do an interview.

So you're thinking...'Fill out an application? No problem. Get interviewed? I got this, people love me. But what the heck is an assessment?

Well, it's where you will demonstrate the depth and breadth of your pilates knowledge. It's so we can be sure you're ready to learn how to teach Pilates, not just perform Pilates.

Preparation

To get ready for your assessment, you will need to complete a minimum of 80 hours of personal exercise sessions with one of our Teachers or Teacher Trainers…

• Of which at least 60 must be private sessions

• To be taken at a Pilates studio approved by the Directors of this studio (we have a list of locations and names)

• To be documented on a Summary of Pre-Seminar Workouts Form, available from the Uncle Joe's Pilates front desk.

Then, when you're ready to submit your application and do your assessment, you'll need to make sure you can demonstrate:

• Competence with Pilates mat and reformer at an advanced intermediate level

• Familiarity with other apparatus: barrels, chairs, cadillac, pedi-pole, etc.

• Knowledge of your own Pilates program and why you do each exercise

• A strong powerhouse

Assessment
Your Assessment will include an interview and a practical Pilates assessment. The Assessment will be conducted by a Director or an Instructor Trainer, during which you will perform your personal 55-minute workout.

The instructor will be looking for:

• Competence and knowledge of the apparatus

• Smooth transitions between exercises

• Proper rhythm and dynamics

• Mindful Understanding (mentally and physically) of the Principles of Pilates: control, centering, concentration, breath, precision, flow and rhythm and how they apply to the exercises. (You will need to practice saying the name and purpose of each exercise, if asked, while moving.)

Interview 
The Interview will be approximately 30-45 minutes, in our school, with the Director and/or other Instructor Trainers.

The Director will be looking for:

• Enthusiasm and knowledge

• Potential as a teacher

• Ability to communicate

• Likelihood that the applicant will succeed in our physically and mentally rigorous program

Assessment Fee: There is a non-refundable $150 fee due at the time of the Assessment.

Hooray! You've made it into the Teacher Training Program! So now what happens?

Uncle Joe's Pilates Teacher Training is a complete training program, educating instructors in all levels of Pilates, including Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Pilates Systems. For each phase of the program, there is a Seminar, Exam, and required hours of observation and personal lessons as part of our Apprenticeship Program. 

Seminars

Each Seminar is three to five days in length and instruction is by a designated Teacher Trainer. Seminars must be taken in consecutive order and full attendance at each seminar is required. We offer two programs per year with an average of five students per class, so that at most ten students would be participating in the interactive lectures and seminars. That makes our teacher to apprentice ratio one teacher for every three apprentices.

Exams
Practical exams involve taking a client at each phase through a 50-55 minute session while being observed and graded. The clients are carefully selected and screened from our large pool of Studio clients. Exams are graded using standardized test forms and generally take one to one and one-half hours.

Written exams are case studies at the beginning, intermediate or advanced level: the apprentice will need to describe, in detail, a workout for a specific individual, addressing his/her individual limitations and goals. Each exam generally requires six to eight hours of writing and is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Observation

Apprentices will progress through the three Stages for a minimum of 700 hours. These hours of practical training include:

• Actively observing certified teachers and instructors and assisting the teachers with clients when requested.

• Practice teaching other apprentices and supervised teaching of student clients.

• Weekly teacher meetings augment seminar information with discussion, direct feedback, client case studies and review.

• Accruing 300+ hours before Basic testing, 200+ hours before Intermediate testing (after passing Basic test), and 200+ hours before Advanced testing (after passing Intermediate test)

• Recommended average of 15 to 25 hours per week

Personal Lessons
As part of your training, apprentices are required to complete one private session plus one semi-private session per week with one of our certified instructors until they have successfully passed their final exams. This allows the apprentice to continue their personal kinesthetic growth as well as expose them to a variety of teaching techniques.