By Georgie, co-founder of The Pilates Programme.
It usually takes around 6 months to become a certified Pilates instructor with The Pilates Programme, though some students finish in 3 months and others take 12. The in-person training is 4 or 5 days. The rest of the time goes on your observation, personal study and practice teaching hours, which you fit around your life, followed by the exams.
Here is how that time breaks down, and what decides whether you are at the quicker or slower end.
What are the stages of becoming a Pilates instructor?
There are four stages: your own practice beforehand, the in-person training, your hours, and the exams. Only the in-person training has fixed dates. Everything else moves at your pace.
| Stage | What it involves | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Before the course | At least 50 hours of classes on your chosen apparatus, 30 of them Classical | Built up over months of regular classes |
| In-person training | Small-group practical days with our trainers | 4 days (Mat) or 5 days (Reformer, Barre) |
| Your hours | 30 observation, 25 personal study, 25 practice teaching | Most of the 3 to 12 months |
| The exams | All online, including a 45-minute practical class | Booked when you feel ready |
How long is the course itself?
Our intensives are 4 in-person days for Mat and 5 for Reformer and Barre. Most run at our Altrincham training centre, with around half a dozen a year elsewhere in the UK and abroad.
Before your first day you also start HUMAN MOVEMENT: anatomy and physiology, our online course. It arrives as soon as you book, so you can work through it at your own speed.
Why do the hours take the most time?
The hours are where you turn what you learned into how you teach. You complete them independently, in your own time:
- 30 observation hours, watching experienced teachers in person or on our online platform.
- 25 personal study hours, practising every exercise in your manual on your own body.
- 25 practice teaching hours, planning and teaching practice classes to friends, family or colleagues.
Spread over 6 months, that is about 3 hours a week. You might fit observation into lunch breaks, personal study into early mornings, and practice teaching into evenings and weekends.
What makes some students quicker than others?
Time is the main factor. If you can give several hours a week, and line up people to practise on before the course ends, you could finish in 3 to 4 months.
Others take longer for good reasons: a demanding job, young children, a house move, or simply wanting more practice before the exams. There is no prize for speed. We would rather you sit your practical exam feeling ready.
How long are the exams?
The exams are all online. There is a HUMAN MOVEMENT exam, a theory exam on your discipline, and a practical, where you plan and teach a 45-minute class.
You book them once your hours are logged and you feel confident. You do not have to rush into them the week your hours finish.
Can you do it while working full time?
Yes, and many of our students do. The biggest hurdle is usually the in-person days, because a full week of annual leave is hard to find late in the year. Spring courses tend to fill faster once people's leave renews, so it is worth looking at dates early.
After the in-person days, everything is designed to fit around a 9 to 5, children and life. Our individual courses can also be paid over 4 interest-free months, so the cost is spread across the same months as your hours. Our Pilates teacher training cost breakdown has the detail.
Common questions
Can you become a Pilates instructor in 3 months?
Some of our students do, if they can give the hours real time each week. The in-person training is only 4 or 5 days, but the hours take most people several months to do well.
How many hours do you need to become a Pilates instructor?
With us, after your in-person days you complete 30 observation hours, 25 personal study hours and 25 practice teaching hours, then sit the exams.
Do I need experience before I start?
Yes. We ask for at least 50 hours of classes on the apparatus you want to teach, 30 of them in Classical Pilates.
Is there a deadline to finish my hours?
Most students finish within 3 to 12 months. If your circumstances change, talk to our team.
To see the next course dates, visit our Mat teacher training page, or read our full guide on how to become a Pilates instructor.
