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What does test-out look like?

Home / Blog / What does test-out look like?
What does test-out look like?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

Once you’ve completed all of your modules and the required personal practice, student teaching, and observation hours, you will submit a test-out application to a balanced body. If you have taken most of your modules with one master educator, you will likely test out with that educator. If you are taking your modules at ALIGN with Brooke Bowersock, you can expect to have conversations with her regularly to help you make a test-out plan and test-out date goal.

Once approved for test out, you will schedule your test with your master educator.

During the test, you will take a written exam that usually takes a little over an hour. This written test is based on your manuals, the PowerPoint accompanying each module, the videos accompanying your manuals, the test for each module, etc.

In addition to the written test, you will also perform a practical exam. This practical exam will be one hour and will be based on the path that you have chosen. For example, if you are becoming a mat Pilates instructor. Your practical test will include movement, principles of anatomy, Mat exercises, and so on, depending on which path you choose for certification.

You will be given a list of exercises one week before your test out exam. You will be required to put these in an order that you feel represents your teaching style and the person you will teach during your practical exam. You can practice the entire week with the person you will be bringing in to test during your practical exam. This person may not be a Pilates instructor or anyone in the Pilates certification program. You’ll be expected to modify the exercises for the person in front of you and teach all of the exercises on the list based on their injuries and needs.

On the test day, you will introduce your master educator to your student. You will let the master educator know about their goals and their injuries. The master educator will then give you 2 to 3 additional exercises you must throw in on the spot when you see they fit into your program. You will not be able to use notes, and you must teach your practical exam from memory.

If you do not pass your written or practical, you must retake that particular portion.

Can I become a Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor if I’ve already taken another Pilates certification program?

Home / Blog / Can I become a Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor if I’ve already taken another Pilates certification program?
Can I become a Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor if I’ve already taken another Pilates certification program?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

If you are certified through another Pilates certification program, you can apply for the bridge program program to become Balanced Body Pilates certified. Balanced Body will review the certification program you went through and determine which modules you will need to take Balanced Body to test out and then become a Balanced Body Pilates certified instructor.

Do I have to take movement principles and anatomy?

Home / Blog / Do I have to take movement principles and anatomy?
Do I have to take movement principles and anatomy?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

Movement principles are the foundation of everything that we teach in Pilates. In this module, you will learn pre-Pilates exercises essential to understanding the Pilates exercises. You will also gain a basic understanding of anatomy, why we do what we do, and why these pre-Pilates exercises and movement principles are essential to everything you teach in every session.

In addition to movement principles, you are required to take an anatomy course. Balanced Body offers anatomy for movement professionals and in 3-D as options for the anatomy module. If you have taken anatomy in college or through another certification such as yoga, etc., these count towards your anatomy requirement. You must submit your transcript or course description to Balanced Body to be approved to skip the Balanced Body Anatomy module.

What kind of support should I expect if I go through the ALIGN Teacher Training program?

Home / Blog / What kind of support should I expect if I go through the ALIGN Teacher Training program?
What kind of support should I expect if I go through the ALIGN Teacher Training program?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

Our ALIGN East, Pilates studio is a dedicated Teacher Training Center. One of the only dedicated Teacher Training centers in the United States. At this studio, we offer students going through through our program the opportunity to become employees at the studio and get paid while you are teaching your practice teaching hours. This is somewhat unheard of as you typically have to rent space from a studio to teach sessions for free to your practice students at our Teacher Training Center.

At ALIGN Pilates Studios East we also offer a very unique mentor program to accompany you during your certification process. This mentor program is optional, but you can take classes from our principal educator three times a week, which all count towards your personal practice hours.

You will also have the opportunity to utilize our Pilates Teacher Training Center for open studio hours where you can come in and practice on your own or practice teaching within the peer group of our mentor program. We also have multiple times-a-week sessions where you practice teaching, and Brooke gives you feedback on your teaching.

This unique opportunity to teach at our Teacher Training Center makes you an excellent instructor while you are fulfilling your required hours for certification. People who go through this mentor program come out of their certification miles ahead of those who do not take advantage of this opportunity. Brooke is there to support you as much as you would like along the way. Ultimately, it’s up to you to put what you want into the program while you are going through your certification process. We make this Teacher Training Center a safe place for you to gain confidence, get support, and become an excellent instructor.

What can I expect to get paid after I complete my Pilates certification?

Home / Blog / What can I expect to get paid after I complete my Pilates certification?
What can I expect to get paid after I complete my Pilates certification?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

Depending on your market and where you live, this will vary. If you were in the Austin area, you could expect to get paid anywhere from $30 to $70 per session, depending on the type of session you are teaching and your skill set.

As you gain more experience, you can expect the base pay to increase accordingly. For example, Pilates teachers who have been teaching for around 10 years can expect to make a $50 base pay per session plus class attendee bonuses, making your pay for classes potentially up to $85 per class.

Where can I fulfill the required outside hours for certification?

Home / Blog / Where can I fulfill the required outside hours for certification?
Where can I fulfill the required outside hours for certification?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

If you are part of our mentor program, you can utilize our ALIGN east studio location, our Teacher Training Center, to fulfill your hours within the peer group and possibly have the chance to become an employee at our Teacher Training Center, where you have the opportunity to teach privates in classes and get paid while you are fulfilling your hours.

If you are not part of our mentor program, you will ask your friends, your family, and anyone you know to let them teach you so that you can fulfill your student teaching hours. Anytime you take a Pilates class anywhere, either online, within a studio, or on your own, you can count those towards your personal practice hours. You must also fulfill observation hours, so you will reach out to studios around town to see if you can come to observe or watch classes online to meet these hours. Often studios outside our Teacher Training Center will require you to pay a rental fee to use their studio equipment to fulfill your student teaching hours.

How long does it take to become fully certified?

Home / Blog / How long does it take to become fully certified?
How long does it take to become fully certified?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

If you complete your certification program while juggling another full-time job, you can expect the entire certification process to take around two years. If you are part of our mentor program and are not juggling a full-time job, and you can commit to teaching in our Pilates Teacher Training Center as much as possible, we have seen people complete their certification in one year. There is no time limit to complete your hours and test out. So you can move as quickly as possible through your modules and independent work, or take as much time as you need.

What will it cost to become fully comprehensively Pilates certified?

Home / Blog / What will it cost to become fully comprehensively Pilates certified?
What will it cost to become fully comprehensively Pilates certified?

Brooke Bowersock

February 23, 2024

Each module costs around $550. You can receive a discount if you go through our Pilates Teacher Training program and register 30 days before the start of the module. This discount is $50 per module.

In order to become fully comprehensively certified, you must complete movement principles nine module courses, including all of the Mat, reformer, and apparatus modules and the anatomy course. At roughly $550 per module, you can expect to spend around $6,500 for the module work if you do not register early. If you register early, you can expect a discount of around $600 in total if you register early for all of the modules.

What are the Balanced Body Pilates certification options?

Home / Blog / What are the Balanced Body Pilates certification options?
What are the Balanced Body Pilates certification options?

Brooke Bowersock

February 24, 2024

You can choose to get certified as a Balanced Body Mat Pilates instructor, a reformer Pilates instructor, a Mat and reformer Pilates instructor, or a fully comprehensive lease certified Pilates instructor.

Will I have the opportunity to teach after I am certified?

Home / Blog / Will I have the opportunity to teach after I am certified?
Will I have the opportunity to teach after I am certified?

Brooke Bowersock

February 23, 2024

Once you complete the Balanced Body Pilates certification program, you will be a sought-after certified Pilates instructor, making you highly desirable to teach at studios in Austin, anywhere in the country, and the world.