In 1993 when I began studying with Romana to become a Pilates teacher, things were mighty different.
Every day, I would arrive at 7am ready for my session with the other eager apprentices. Romana would teach us after which we would embark upon our teaching hours. Since Romana ended her days at 1pm – so did we. In those days, there were no formal requirements for completion. When you were ready, you were done. And the investment was less complicated too. Each day, I would pay Drago at the front desk $45 dollars. That was it.
Some time later, Sean Gallagher and the Pilates Studio Inc. came into the mix. Some time after that, they left the picture. But in between those two events, a plethora of teacher training programs opened up across the country. Seemingly overnight, small programs, large programs, specialty programs and modular programs afforded the Pilates teacher wanna-be more options than they ever thought possible.
Fast forward to 2009. The economy is in the toilet. Pilates studios are struggling nationwide (along with the entire industry of Personal Training) and yet these teacher training programs continue to sprout up. Just this week a major acquisition was announced which effectively catapults the country’s biggest certification program into the realm of corporate monoliths and big box businesses. A far cry from our humble beginnings indeed.
While I don’t object to the formal or organized or even big certification camps – I have to wonder, where are all these teachers going to teach? Shouldn’t we be guided by simple supply vs. demand guidelines here? How many more teachers are really necessary to satisfy the market?
This summer at my Tribeca studio is the slowest we’ve seen in years. And yet, I recieved no less than 10 resumes from instructors looking for work. And while many of them were new graduates, a fair amount were from very seasoned teachers. From where I’m standing, this doesn’t bode well for our industry.
Consider this: flooding the market with teachers will likely have the effect of bringing pay rates down for instructors. As competition stiffens, jobs will often go to teachers who ask for lower salaries. Is this what we’ve worked so hard to achieve?
What are your thoughts?
~alycea
2 Comments
There are a lot of good points and valid concerns about the number of Pilates teachers being put into the market and saturation isn’t good for any industry. I’m shocked to think anyone would spend 4000-10,000 dollars on their Pilates education without a plan. Yes, I’m sure there are a few but I don’t think the majority of students hop into a formal Pilates training course with no thought of where they’re going to work. My concern is more about the various “Pilates disciplines” available in the market, there is only one Pilates and that is the Traditional, Classical, Authentic or whatever name has been attached to the Original work, and then there is “Pilates Based”. I also do not believe that there’s only one school of the Traditional work, there are a number schools that do a better job at preparing trainers but I must admit the “Apprenticeship” piece is missing. It’s students coming out of Pilates Based programs that concern me most because the majority of them don’t really understand the work or the reason for the order or progression. With over 500 exercises in the repertoire and the ability to break any of them down I don’t understand why anyone needs to make more up. I’ve never taught a session that got through 1/10th of the work which is why I feel many of these Pilates based schools do more damage to our industry than Daisy’s Wii.
I no longer work in the Pilates industry. When I completed my training and apprenticeship (yes, apprenticeship; I quit my full-time job to immerse myself in studying and completing an apprenticeship) I immediately found work. The pay was exceptional and I thought I could finally make a true living doing something I love. Fast forward 10 years later and I no longer work in the industry. It is saturated with teachers who completed one-day workshops, weekend workshops, or are certified in individual pieces of equipment, not Pilates. Sadly, many of those in charge of hiring (from the studio owner to the health club owner) want to offer “Pilates” (whatever that may mean to them) but want to pay as little as possible for teachers, so they can easily hire these “factory farmed” instructors just churned out through the system. Because of this, the pay has also decreased. In 2009, I just can’t teach for $25/hour (and I live in NY state!) So Pilates is now my private passion that I no longer share with others b/c I cannot afford to. I’d like to think this trend will change, but I am doubtful. I’d like to think and used to think the public truly knew the difference b/t a seasoned, experienced well-trained instructor vs those just trying to get certified, but I’m not so sure anymore.