Is Every Pilates Teacher Certified?
Is every Pilates Teacher certified? How do you become certified? Why does it matter? How do you know if you are certified?
In Season 5 Episode 15, “Are You Certified”, we discuss the differences in certification vs certificate of program completion, why it matters to have Pilates teachers be certified, if teacher training programs are actually certifying their students, and the confusion and debate about it all throughout the Pilates industry.
The most important detail in this discussion is that there is only ONE accredited certification for Pilates teachers, The National Pilates Certification Program (NPCP). If a Pilates teacher sits for the NPCP exam and passes they then have the designation of being a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT). This certification is NCCA-accredited (nationally approved and accredited certification) and is the only accredited certification for Pilates in the country. To become NCCA accredited the specific certifying body must meet specific guidelines and adhere to specifications, therefore showing the professionals with the credential are trustworthy, established, and advanced in their field.
This is an important fact because many studios with teacher training programs advertise to their students that they are certifying them to teach Pilates. This is false. A teacher training student will receive their certificate of program completion upon testing out of these programs, which will allow them to begin teaching to make money from teaching Pilates, but they will not be certified.
To become a certified Pilates teacher, the teacher must follow up on their certificate of completion by taking the NPCP exam to be certified. Only then has the teacher completed the certifying process to become a certified Pilates teacher.
The ongoing debate in the industry is why this even matters. Many newer teachers aren't even aware that they are uncertified as their training programs often falsely advertise certification and don't mention the NPCP. Many experienced teachers wonder why they need to have a certification if they've already been teaching, or why they should spend money when they already have a Pilates business and practice.
So why is it important to have an accredited certification?
It builds professional recognition for the teacher and the industry. All other fields have professional requirements to practice their profession whether it is in the field of health and fitness, medicine, law, finance, or utilities, etc. This creates recognition that this professional has completed the national foundations of understanding in their field and can be trusted. It creates trust and credibilityfor the individual professional's work and their customers or clients, as well as for the industry as a whole. It shows the industry can be trusted when it upholds its professionals to higher standards of practice. Other professionals are then more comfortable referring clients to teachers with NCPT credentials, knowing that those teachers have proven they are capable of meeting minimum safety guidelines and remaining knowledgeable in the field. Clients looking for new teachers will more easily trust a professional with the appropriate credentials. Overall, this gives more validation for the industry as a whole, when the majority of teachers hold a certification. This can lead to career advancement with higher level jobs, and other degrees or licensures if the teacher aspires to, as a nationally accredited certification is a requirement to apply for many other jobs and programs, which the original teacher training certificate of completion does not cover.
How does a Pilates teacher become nationally certified?
1. Find a Pilates teacher training program at a school that is approved, that includes a minimum of 450 hours of training, covers all Pilates apparatus including Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chairs, and small apparatus, along with lectures on basic anatomy, precautions and contraindications, and movement practice, observation, and practice teaching hours.
2. Complete all hours and test out of the program to obtain the certificate of completion.
3. Register, study, and sit for the NPCP exam.
4. If the teacher passes, they are now a certified Pilates teacher, NCPT.
5. Every 2 years, the teacher must take approved (or petition) workshops for 16 CECs and submit those hours to the NPCP to recertify to maintain an active certification.
It is the responsibility of teacher training programs, studios and gyms, and major Pilates companies to ensure all teachers are NPCP certified. Teacher training studios should at least mention the difference between what teachers receive at the end of their programs and the certification process. Studios, gyms, and other facilities that employ Pilates teachers should make sure their teachers and instructors are all certified. Insurance companies that teachers use for their liability and business insurance should make it more expensive to insure teachers who are practicing uncertified. Any allied healthcare or medical professionals who refer clients to Pilates teachers must make sure they are certified professionals with active certifications.
Pilates studios should be only hiring teachers who are certified, ensuring clients that these teachers are experts in their field, have the hours of education and training required, knowledge to keep clients safe, and work in-scope of practice or refer out when necessary.
The NCCA-accredited certifications also make sure that the professionals who hold the credentials maintain updated knowledge in their fields. As industry practices shift, or knowledge changes, this is important to remain up-to-date in professional practices. In Pilates and other movement and health-related fields, we must remain evidence-based in our practice to provide the safest and most appropriate work for our clients.
It is always important to keep learning to keep clients safe but also to reinspire our practices, and get out of the rut of the same old ideas we learned decades ago that are likely now either outdated or even unsafe. Continuing education reinvigorates and recharges us in our teaching, and that transfers back to our clients who benefit from our knowledge. When clients know we are certified and continue to learn for their benefit, it shows them we take our work seriously meaning that we care about their wellbeing, which retains clients and improves our business overall.
Specifically for the Pilates industry, there continues to be confusion over this discussion of certificate of completion vs certification, as well as between the NPCP and the PMA. As we've established, the NPCP is the certifying body for Pilates teachers and is the only nationally accredited organization for Pilates. The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) is currently a membership-based business for Pilates teachers and Pilates companies, holding workshops and conferences, support tools for teachers and studios, networking events, and other community-building activities. Originally, the certifying organization was embedded within the PMA, with the goal always having been to separate the entities. The process takes a long time as it is a serious business to obtain NCCA approval, so when that had been established they legally separated. Unlike other fitness certifications such as in Personal training where many various certifying companies are NCCA accredited (ACE, NSCA, NASM, ISSA, etc), Pilates teachers have one certifying body, NPCP (not PMA).
As the Pilates industry continues to expand with many different avenues of how Pilates is taught, different teaching approaches, and studio business styles, we need a common language and platform to easily show which teachers are validated in the industry. Training programs must show accreditation as a training school, teachers must show certification as practitioners, and studios must hire teachers with appropriate credentials.
For teachers looking to make Pilates a full-time career, we should want to put in our full effort to build our professional reputation. What we put into our work we will get returned in the long run. We will be more knowledgeable in our Pilates practice and business, retain more clients, and be able to feel validated in the work that we do. Always continue to learn, and continue putting in the work for the clients and our business.
Certifications and 3rd party accrediting credentials create a standard for an industry, create trust for the public, and validate the field. In the Pilates industry, this increases public safety, improves practitioner knowledge, and elevates and validates the industry, all of which will improve our businesses and livelihoods. By holding an active certification, a teacher shows they care about their work and their clients, that they have a foundational level of knowledge, have passed certain exams, and have met specified standards.
We must continue to help set that standard for our industry so it continues to grow and be taken seriously as a professional industry.
