How to choose a Pilates teacher training

By Maria Frisch, founder of Rooted Movement

I’ve spent more than 10 years creating and running teacher trainings, and I know how hard the choice can feel. A teacher training is a big decision, of both time and money. There are many good options, and on paper they often look the same. These are the questions I’d want any future student to ask before booking, wherever they end up training.

Will you learn Mat and Reformer?
Many studio classes are taught on the Reformer, and Mat gives you the foundation for everything else. Check which apparatus the training covers, and whether you’ll be able to teach both straight after.
How much of it is in person?
You learn to teach by teaching real bodies, with someone watching and correcting you. Online study is valuable for theory and repertoire, but look for real hands-on hours, not just video.
How big is the group?
In a smaller group you get more feedback, more turns teaching, and teachers who know how you move. Ask how many students there are per teacher.
Will you practise teaching, with feedback?
Knowing the exercises is different from teaching them. Look for time spent cueing, sequencing and teaching your peers, with honest feedback afterwards.
How are you assessed?
A clear assessment shows the certificate means something. Ask what you’ll be asked to do: teach a class, submit class plans, record yourself teaching.
What happens after the course?
Most of your growth as a teacher happens once the course ends. Look for structured practice afterwards, such as observation, practice teaching and a logbook, and someone to give you feedback while you do it.
Can a studio check your certificate?
Pilates has no single global licensing body, so studios look at what your training actually covered. It helps if they can see your hours, curriculum and assessment, and verify your certificate.

Immersion or weekends?

Both can lead to the same qualification. It’s about what fits your life.

A Mat class on the villa deck during the Bali immersion

An immersion

A block of consecutive days, often somewhere you travel to. You step out of daily life and learn intensively, with the same group every day.

A trainee practising on the Reformer in a studio

Weekend trainings

The in-person learning is spread across several weekends in your own city. You keep your work and routine, and have time to practise between sessions.

Ask how the in-person hours are split, and whether the certificate is the same in both formats.

Candice demonstrating a Reformer exercise beside a trainee at the Bali training

How we approach it at Rooted

When I created Rooted Movement, these were the questions I wanted every student to be able to answer with confidence. Here’s how we do it:

Mat and Reformer in one 200-hour training: 50 hours of online study, 70 hours in person, and an 80-hour logbook with feedback.
Small-group training, where you practise teaching four signature classes with feedback.
Assessment: your own 45-minute Mat and Reformer classes, each with a written plan and a teaching video.
A certificate number studios can check online.
Destination immersions: the in-person training runs as one focused block in Bali or Portugal. See upcoming trainings for dates.