Pilates instructor courses and qualifications

For newcomers to the intricate and exciting world of Pilates, it’s important to understand that it’s not just about having a passion for the practice or the right qualifications, it’s also about the qualities you have as an instructor. To truly lead the way, you need to possess excellent observation and communication skills, have noticeable empathy and interest in those you teach and be able to demonstrate your detailed knowledge of movement and posture.

On the education side of things, ideally, you will already hold a Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification, either as a Level 2 Gym Instructor or Level 2 Exercise to Music Instructor, but there no formal entry requirements. The Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Mat Pilates is the entry-level qualification you need to become a bona fide instructor. This course can be done stand-alone or combined with others such as Level 3 Exercise Referral Course and Level 4 Exercise for Low Back Pain to form a career package.

Alongside our mat Pilates course, we also offer two specialised workshops: Pilates for Pre and Postnatal Clients and Pilates for Older Adults. Both are designed to enhance the range of clients you’re able to work with.

After qualifying at Level 3, two routes open up and both in fact work beautifully together. The Level 3 Reformer Pilates Teacher course is focused on using the universal reformer, while the Level 4 Certificate in Mat Pilates is the highest-level Pilates qualification you can achieve in the UK. Both have the potential to be game-changers for your Pilates instructor career.

If you’re keen to take a deeper dive then our Becoming a Pilates Instructor Guide provides a comprehensive look at everything from qualifications to insurance, career opportunities and more.

We pride ourselves on delivering the most intensive and hands-on Pilates experience in the industry. To help us with this, we work incredibly closely with the likes of David Lloyd, The Village, Bannatyne and others for our practical weekend training.

It’s our goal to offer students maximum choice and flexibility when it comes to their studies and that’s why we currently run our Pilates instructor courses at over 15 venues across England, Scotland and Wales. A few of our well-equipped, flagship centres include Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Cardiff.

You can find a full list of venues on our Pilates Instructor Locations and Venues page. It’s here that we’ve also included a full breakdown of each venue’s facilities, including the closest train station, accommodation available in the area, parking and any offers and discounts available.

For those who are unable to travel to one of our venues, we also offer the option for you to complete an online Pilates teacher course entirely from the comfort of your own home.

We frequently get asked by our students and graduates if we offer guaranteed interviews or jobs and the simple answer is no. While other providers may engage in this practice, we’re of the belief that the choice should firmly be in your hands with regard to where you teach Pilates.

In the past we’ve had our graduates launch highly successful international retreats, open their open studios and teach classes at some of the country’s leading gyms and clubs. It just goes to show the length and breadth of opportunities available for Pilates instructors.

To help you get started, we’ve created CV Connect. This exclusive and innovative platform unlocks within LES (Learner Engagement System) as soon as you’ve completed one of our courses. The process is simple and intuitive and all you’d need to do is upload your CV, select the employers in your area and then connect with them directly.

Right now we are close to having thousand active vacancies from some of the UK’s biggest health and fitness operators including Fitness First, DW, JD Gyms and Pure Gym.

If you’re looking for more information about employment as an instructor, we’ve created a dedicated article about Pilates instructor jobs and opportunities that we highly recommend you read if you’re serious about this career pathway.

Each and every one of our Pilates students are different and will approach their studies in a different way, at their own pace. It is only a guideline but typically, we find students are able to complete the Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates in 8-10 weeks. The time is split between home study and then attending practical training at one of our venues.

If we look at the Specialist career package, which contains two courses, we find students are able to complete in as little as 10-12 weeks. Finally, we have the Master package and this designed to take you from Level 3 right through to a Level 4 Pilates instructor. As there are six courses within this package it does take 22-24 weeks to qualify. By the end of that journey, you will be a Level 4 master Pilates instructor and this status will more than set you ahead in the industry.

From the moment you’ve enrolled onto one of our Pilates instructor courses, you’ll be assigned a dedicated Learner Support Tutor. You’ll be able to lean on their years of instructing experience via phone or email throughout the week. Their support is unlimited and no question is genuinely too big, small or complicated.

We also provide access to LES, the Learner Engagement System, and you’ll use this innovative online platform to complete your home study learning. Within LES you’ll find worksheets and lesson plans to complete, practise quizzes and video demonstrations of Joseph Pilates’ original 34 mat-based exercises.

As a companion to LES, we’ll send you bespoke learner manuals in the post which can also be accessed via the HFE phone and tablet app. See the quality of these for yourself by taking a look at our Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates Sample Manual or our Level 3 Reformer Pilates Teacher Sample Manual.

Alongside all of the learning resources we provide for our students, we’ve also created a series of expertly-written Pilates Instructor Career Guides and Articles for you to read. We’ve covered the basics of becoming a Pilates instructor as well as more specialised topics such as Pilates instructor qualifications. If you’re keen to brush up on history, you’ll also find an incredibly interesting piece about the Origins and History of Pilates.

Whether you’re designed to enrol onto a single course or one of our career packages, we want to make things as easy as possible for you to get qualified as a Pilates instructor. That doesn’t just relate to the support we provide or the learning resources available to you, but your payment options as well.

If you’re in a position to get everything sorted upfront, we’ll give you a 5% discount if you pay for your Pilates instructor course or career package in full. Alternatively, you can spread the cost with either our 6-month or 12-month 0% interest payment plans.

Finally, select Pilates instructor packages have been military approved. If you’re a service leaver or serving personnel, you can contact our Careers team on 0800 612 4067. We’d be more than happy to provide more information about the MOD’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELCAS).

If you want more detailed information about course discounts, sales and our pricing model, visit our Price Promise page.