Clearing up the total confusion around Pilates Qualifications & Certifications in the UK

It can be so confusing to understand the Pilates industry in the UK so I'm here to attempt to shed some light on this!

A Pilates qualification is government regulated

Awarding bodies are responsible for designing qualifications that meet the national occupational standards and they are regulated by Ofqual. They create the Level 3 Pilates qualifications. Each qualification is slightly different in the number of guided learning hours, total qualification time and assessment methods and criteria. Some Awarding Organisations in the fitness industry are Active IQ, YMCA Awards, Focus Awards, VTCT and Transcend Awards. Training providers can apply to become approved training centres with one or more awarding organisations. If an education company chooses to offer these qualifications they have to map their course against all of the course criteria as set-out in the qualification. Most of these qualifications have been around for years unchanged (2010 for example) with out-dated concepts and information being taught.

It would be a huge job to update the qualification and for all the training centres to update their courses. This in my opinion is a huge negative.

The awarding bodies have certain requirements for training providers which include demonstrating things like their application and appeals processes are fair, that the tutors and assessors are qualified to teach and assess the course and keep up with continuing education. Being a training provider of a qualification adds much more bureaucracy and cost to the process and imposes restrictions and limits on what can/must be taught and how it can/must be taught. A qualification does not guarantee the quality of the teacher who emerges at the end of the training course which is arguably what it is supposed to do. Yes, they will have had to pass all the assessments but passing doesn't mean someone is actually a good instructor. They may well be, but it's not guaranteed! Another misconception is that once you have a Level 3 qualification you don't need to keep gaining more of them. If you're trained in physical activity to Level 3 you're there. So subsequent courses or workshops - also known as continuing professional development CPD - do not need to be Level 3. Choose training courses and workshops that you want to do and that you'll learn from. You might even extend your Scope of Practice through these.

A Pilates certification is not government regulated

and no awarding bodies need to be involved. The training provider creates their own course and course materials and can update it as and when they want to (this doesn't mean that they will or do!) Participants go through a learning process and are assessed throughout and/or at the end of the course. They receive a certificate when they have met the criteria that the training provider sets. So, whilst a certification could be a gamble because the training provider might have created a terrible course without consistent standards or valuable content, it could also mean that the course is more up-to-date and relevant to today's industry because it is free from the ties and bureaucracy of a regulated qualification.

Qualifications limited to Matwork

Until August 2024 when YMCA Awards launched Level 3 Reformer qualifications (group, 1-2-1 and advanced repertoire) in the UK the only qualification option was Level 3 Matwork Pilates. There are still no qualifications available that cover the whole method or the other Pilates apparatus. Some training providers in the UK have been falsely advertising their Reformer courses as Level 3 - I wonder how when there was no Level 3 Reformer qualification until August 2024! Be careful out there!

Even if a training company offers a qualification, it doesn't mean they are actually any good at it or have the real depth of knowledge to pass on to you. Many fitness education providers offer a whole host of training courses and just add on whatever the new thing is because they are already an approved training centre for that awarding organisation.

The difficulty is that the Pilates industry is fractured and in disagreement

with some people believing that someone can be a Pilates instructor if they have a Matwork qualification, but others defining a Pilates teacher as someone who knows and understands the whole Pilates method (all of the apparatus and how they inter-relate with each other). The general public seems to be under the impression that 'Pilates' is the Matwork. There is very little understanding about the apparatus although now Reformer Pilates is the big thing! There is no consensus in the industry and it doesn't look like there will be (no-one can join CIMSPA as a Pilates instructor because of this: check their position statement here). On a side-note CIMPSA is not a national governing body. The national governing body for group exercise is Exercise Move Dance (EMD). Back in the day we had REPs - the Register for Exercise Professionals. If fell apart because everyone got wise to the fact that they were just taking an annual fee from instructors and doing nothing for us. Then CIMSPA was born. It's all a money-making business where they get companies to sign up as members and then tell them they have to only employ instructors who are members... everyone pays for what? When you can just show your certificate as proof that you have undertaken the training course and then audition to demonstrate your actual skills to do the job.

The training courses run by the large training organisations and those who pioneered Pilates in the UK are not Level 3 qualifications (although some of them do offer this as an optional extra). They are mostly certifications with their own curriculum and their own assessment requirements. The Classical Pilates apprenticeships are not (generally) Level 3 qualifications either.

If you are a would-be Pilates teacher,

I would recommend that you choose a training course that is right for your circumstances and for what you want to do moving forwards. That might be a Level 3 qualification if you want to work for a large gym chain which has a Level 3 requirement for example (usually they say 'or equivalent' so you can ask your training provider to write a letter to this effect). But if you want to work in a Classical Pilates studio they you will want to do an apprentice-style comprehensive course with that studio, or someone they recommend.

If you want to run your own Pilates Matwork classes online or in a space that you hire then a Level 3 qualification is not going to be a requirement. If you want to teach Reformer Pilates in a Reformer studio, then most likely Level 3 will not be a requirement.

Consider whether you want to teach groups or individuals, just one element of the Pilates method, a fitness-Pilates style workout or the whole method with all pieces of equipment.

Thinking of moving abroad? No Pilates education school can guarantee that your qualification or certification will be valid in the country you move too as many countries have different rules around qualifications and will have different standards or requirements. So if you're planning to pick up and go teach in Spain or France, Australia or wherever it might be worth checking what the requirements are in that country.

What will ultimately get you the job

Overall, when looking for work as a Pilates instructor your own teaching skills are going to be what gets you the job. Are you good at it? Can you teach safely and effectively and provide an engaging and inspiring experiences for the people in the room. You'll have to audition to demonstrate this. Having a piece of paper doesn't get you the job.

Find a teacher trainer who you connect with, who you will enjoy learning from and who you trust and respect to give you good insight and up-to-date valuable content.

Insurance

As a last note, all instructors must hold public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Anyone can obtain insurance whether you have a qualification or a certification (or even a 1-day training course with no assessments - think Zumba.) You just need to call up any generic insurance company to find this out.

Want to chat more?

I am a qualified tutor and assessor and have created my training courses based on the most up-to-date evidence. I regularly update my Pilates education courses and deliver them in a way that works for our society.

I also don't do a hard-sell with anyone. I want you to make a good choice that is right for you. So if we talk about whether my courses are the right fit for you I'm always going to ask you what you want to achieve, what you've already done and then I'll lay out the facts and let you decide. After all, you are the one who has to be happy with the education you receive. Reach out if you'd like to discuss the Reformer Pilates or Matwork Pilates training course.