Types of Pilates Instructor Jobs & Opportunities

If you have recently completed your Pilates instructor course, then you are probably feeling rather excited and ready to get some of your own Pilates classes up and running. You’re maybe even considering starting some private one-to-one Pilates work with clients.

Perhaps you’re considering taking a course but you’re a bit uncertain on what your work would look like after it. It can be hard to know whether it’s worth changing career if you don’t yet have all the right information.

So, let’s see how you can make a successful career out of being a Pilates instructor or teacher and what opportunities will be available, from freelance work to regular employed roles.

Freelance Pilates jobs

Most Pilates instructors and teachers work on a freelance basis and are normally paid class-by-class or hour-by-hour. These instructors are usually given a set number of classes per week/month by a particular venue or company, and they will often teach their classes in multiple locations or facilities.

Freelance Pilates instructors may deliver private classes to groups of people in the community, like in a church hall or community centre, or they may work on a more one-to-one basis, either in similar spaces, their home or a client’s home. Certainly, in the health and fitness sector, Pilates instructors and teachers most often deliver their classes at dedicated exercise facilities, which may include, but is by no means restricted to:

• Local leisure centres
• Private health clubs
• Private therapy clinics (physiotherapy or osteopathy)
• Boutique Pilates studios
• Hospitals
• Schools, colleges and universities

For freelance Pilates instructors, their role is often multifaceted and they will perform a variety of instructor roles throughout their working week or month (e.g. yoga, personal trainer, exercise to music instructor, and possibly even delivering pre-choreographed programmes like Les Mills).

Working as a freelancer offers great flexibility in terms of benefits. First and foremost, you can to some extent pick and choose the days, hours and locations that you want to work, and sometimes how much you will charge (especially if you deliver privately organised sessions or one-to-one training).

This, of course, comes with the caveat that you need to be available when your clients are available for one-to-one work or group classes (the reality is this often involves working some unsociable hours – evenings, weekends and sometimes early mornings). The location and pricing strategy of private sessions also needs to reflect the needs and wants of your target client base.

Owning your own Pilates business

While freelance Pilates instructors are technically self-employed, well at least for tax purposes anyway, the reality is that they are still working for somebody else. Alternatively, many Pilates instructors are completely self-employed and as such schedule their own classes, often in their own facilities, assuming both all the risk and all of the reward!

As a self-employed Pilates instructor, you would be responsible for managing all of your income and expenditure, ensuring that you declare and pay the appropriate taxes where they are due.

A key benefit to being self-employed is that you are your own boss. You don’t have someone telling you what do to or when to work, which could be the reason you’ve changed to or chosen this career in the first place! Additionally, if you are to own your own studio, you can also design it how you want or to your clients needs, and sometimes even rent it out to other instructors as another source of income.

However, you’ll be responsible for sourcing and providing all the Pilates equipment that you need, as well as making all the arrangements for insurance, marketing, promotion and advertising, which you’ll also have to cover the cost of. There is also the legal arrangements and expenses to consider, so, it’s certainly not a decision that should be taken lightly. Discover our top tips for starting your own Pilates business.

Finding Pilates instructor jobs and opportunities

When searching for Pilates instructor jobs and opportunities, there is no single best solution. Like any other job search, grit, determination and a little creativity will often pay dividends.

An internet search is often the starting point for anyone looking for employment, but this can often be overwhelming for people when they are at the outset of their career, especially given that most employers advertising vacancies will be wanting experienced candidates. If you do want to play the volume game by sending your CV to online advertisers, there really are no shortages of positions being advertised.

A good place to start for those looking for Pilates jobs is to try travelling around different clubs and physiotherapy clinics in your area, speaking directly with the managers and owners. This way, they get to see you in person and they can gauge your energy level, passion, professionalism and general presentation.

They will also be able to ask you questions to determine how competent you are. This is something they wouldn’t get from a CV or online application form and will certainly help you to stand out from other candidates. You can always leave your CV and business card with them anyway.

What can you earn as a Pilates instructor?

The pay and salary of Pilates instructors is somewhat variable throughout the UK depending on the employer, nature of employment, and whether the sessions are run in a group or one-to-one format.

As a general guide, Pilates instructors can expect to earn between £20.00-£45.00 per hour when working on a freelance basis. Outside of London, the hourly rate is likely to be much closer to the £20.00 threshold, but in London and other major cities, the hourly rate is normally somewhat higher.

If sessions are delivered privately on a self-employed basis, either in a group, small group, or one-to-one setting, then the earning potential is significantly greater. You would need to factor in the cost of hiring the venue and any other overheads that you might have (e.g. equipment).

You can read more about the potential earnings in our pay and salary guide for Pilates teachers, where we dive deeper into the subject.