Choosing the Right Pilates Qualification

Whether you are a looking to enrol on a Pilates instructor course or just an enthusiast wanting some background information, this comprehensive guide to Pilates qualifications will be of great interest and relevance to you.

Before we explore the numerous training providers and organisations that offer Pilates instructor courses, it is worth clarifying the fact that qualifications and continuing professional development (or CPD) are quite different, and it’s important for you to understand the distinction between the two.

Setting the professional standard

Choosing a Pilates teacher training course involves more than finding one that interests you. It’s important to understand who awards qualifications, how they are regulated and what recognition they offer within the fitness industry. In the UK, several organisations play different roles in maintaining standards across fitness education and professional practice.

Awarding organisations

Awarding organisations like YMCA Awards, Active IQ, Transcend Awards, or Focus Awards, develop and award qualifications through training providers (like ourselves), working within the professional standards set out by CIMSPA. These qualifications are then regulated overall by Ofqual. Other UK regulators include Qualifications Wales (Wales), CCEA (Northern Ireland) and SQA (Scotland).

CIMSPA

CIMSPA (the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) is the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector. It works with training providers and awarding organisations to establish professional standards and ensure that education and training reflect the knowledge, skills and competencies needed in the workplace. For aspiring Pilates teachers, checking CIMSPA’s current professional standards and membership requirements can help you understand how a qualification may support your career and professional recognition.

Ofqual

Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) is the independent government regulator responsible for qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. Ofqual regulates awarding organisations and the qualifications they offer. Its role is to maintain standards and public confidence in regulated qualifications, helping ensure they reliably reflect the knowledge and skills a learner has demonstrated.

A course can lead to a qualification that’s classed as “recognised” without being regulated, as Ofqual does not regulate every training course or provider. When choosing a Pilates teacher training course, checking whether the qualification is Ofqual-regulated can help you understand its status and the standards it meets.

Your qualification will have a qualification number and you will be able to find this listed on the Register of Regulated Qualifications. Employers, insurers and professional bodies across the world recognise the value of regulated qualifications and see them as a kitemark of quality and something they can trust. It confirms that the certificate holder has demonstrated that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform that role.

Getting the right qualification

Like Joseph Pilates himself, our wide range of Pilates courses are recognised around the world and lead to an industry-standard, Ofqual-regulated qualification.

The starting point and foundation level qualification currently needed to teach Pilates is the Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates. From there, you can build on your qualifications in specialist Pilates areas, developing your expertise through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses.

There has been a significant demand for qualified reformer Pilates instructors recently, with one of the biggest drivers being levels of inactivity and the physical consequences of prolonged sitting. A natural progression from the foundation level qualification we offer is our Level 3 Reformer Pilates Teacher Course. It’s one of the most endorsed and widely
recognised reformer Pilates training courses in the active leisure industry and a great addition to your Pilates career.

What is a Continuing Professional Development?

If a course does not lead to a regulated qualification then it is generally considered as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD is how we describe learning activities or steps taken by professionals to enhance their skills and knowledge.

These programmes are largely unregulated, meaning the variability between providers is quite high. While some CPD programmes are rich in high-quality content and delivered by experts, others might not be, so it’s important to do your research. Furthermore, because they are unregulated, there is little incentive for some of the more unscrupulous providers to ensure quality standards are high.

A further point worth noting on Pilates CPD is that you should ensure that it is at least endorsed by a professional body, such as CIMSPA. This endorsement requires training providers to map their training against national occupational/professional standards to give you some assurance that what you are learning is relevant and credible. Some other Pilates courses are offer are Level 3 Pilates for Pre and Postnatal Clients, Level 3 Standing Pilates Instructor Course and Level 3 Pilates Small Equipment Course.

In addition to training and CPD, there are also specialist symposiums and annual training events offered by specific providers covering a variety of subjects from mental health, barre and zen work, bone health, hypermobility and various other related topics. Aside from learning more, these can also be great networking events and you are also likely to get to meet some of the famous faces on the Pilates scene.

For anyone wanting to visit the place where it all began, the New York Studio still exists today and frequently delivers training by a teacher whose lineage can be traced back to the great man himself.