Body Form® Education
Pilates Teacher Training for Career Changers
Retrain as a Pilates instructor and keep your job while you study.
The short answer
Yes. Keep Your Job While You Retrain.
Written by Kira-Leigh Rule, Physiotherapist and Founder of Body Form® Education. Last updated 14 November 2026.
Yes, you can retrain as a Pilates instructor from an unrelated career, and you can keep working while you do it. Mat, Reformer and the Mat + Reformer Double Certification have no prerequisite. The theory is online and self-paced, you have 8 months of access, and many students finish between 4 and 6 months. You also need practical training, apprenticeship hours and assessments, so this is real study, not a weekend course.
| At a glance | For someone with a job |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None for Mat, Reformer or the Double |
| Total hours | 250+ for one certification, 365+ for Mat + Reformer |
| Study time | About 7 hours a week for one certification and about 10 to 11 for the Double, if spread over the 8 months |
| Access | 8 months from enrolment, self-paced, no compulsory live classes if you study Fully Online |
| Practical training | 14 hours per discipline, usually 2 to 3 days (Hybrid), or recorded practical training (Fully Online) |
| Apprenticeship | 70 hours per discipline, organised by you at times that suit you |
Time
How Study Fits Around a Job
Eight months is about 35 weeks. Spread evenly, the hours work out like this.
| Course | Total hours | About hours a week over 8 months |
|---|---|---|
| One certification (Mat or Reformer) | 250+ | About 7 hours |
| Mat + Reformer Double | 365+ | About 10 to 11 hours |
Many students finish between 4 and 6 months, which means more hours a week for a shorter time. The 8 months cannot be paused, and no schedule guarantees a pass.
What Works for People With a Job
- Start the online modules the day you enrol
- Spread theory, your own practice, apprentice hours and assessment preparation across the months
- Start observation hours and your own Pilates practice early
- We recommend working through the modules up to Programming & Cueing before practical days (it is needed to unlock the ability to submit your video assessments), but it is not compulsory before the practical days
- Use the exercise libraries again and again, because you can pause and rewind
What Is Not Up to You
- The 8 months of access start at enrolment, so pick a start date you can keep
- Hybrid students attend every practical day, with 100% attendance
The online nature of the theory has been perfect for balancing my full-time job, allowing me to study at my own pace and manage my workload with ease.
The course is comprehensive, practical, and easy to fit around a busy life thanks to the hybrid learning model and bite-sized modules.
How long it takes to become a Pilates instructor and how the hours are built.
The Body Form® way
Study around your life.Then teach any body.
How to study
Hybrid or Fully Online When You Have a Job?
Both pathways have the same curriculum and the same qualification, and the certificate does not show which you studied. What changes is how the practical part reaches you.
| Hybrid | Fully Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Practical training | 14 hours per discipline in person with a local Master Trainer, usually across 2 to 3 days | Recorded practical training from real intakes, an exercise demonstration library and recorded classes with real programming examples |
| Live classes | Scheduled practical days with 100% attendance | No compulsory live classes. You never have to arrange your week around a class time |
| Support | Your Master Trainer on the day and an intake WhatsApp group | Contact the education team about content, apprenticeship requirements, assessment instructions or feedback |
| Travel | To a host location. See Locations and Dates | None. Study from anywhere |
Choose Hybrid if you want hands-on feedback, a cohort and a local Master Trainer, and you can take 2 to 3 days away from work for each discipline. Choose Fully Online if you live far from an intake, your hours are unpredictable or you want to start today. A Fully Online student may be able to upgrade to Hybrid with the price difference paid, but a Hybrid student cannot move to Fully Online, so decide with your calendar in front of you.
Hybrid vs Fully Online in detail, Fully Online teacher training and locations in 18 cities across 11+ countries.
The rest of the load
Practical Days, Hours and Assessments Around Work
The modules are only part of the load. These three parts take time outside them, and you can plan all of them around work.
Practical Days
- Hybrid: you teach in short blocks and practise with a partner while your Master Trainer coaches, instead of repeating the online lectures
- Fully Online: you learn the same practical content from recorded training and the exercise libraries
- Find an intake on the locations page
Apprenticeship Hours
- 70 hours per discipline: 10 observation, 30 self-practice and 30 practice teaching
- You organise them yourself, at times that suit you, and record them in your logbook
- Practice teaching means instructing another person, in a studio that accommodates student instructors, at home with friends or family, or in a suitable community space
- For Reformer you need access to a Reformer
- You do not have to complete hours at a Body Form host location
Assessments
- 2 written programming assessments and 2 practical teaching assessments per discipline
- For the practical assessments you film one complete 45 to 50 minute class
- A Master Trainer marks each submission within about two weeks
- You get three attempts at each assessment, with written feedback
- Hybrid students have set deadlines: Assessment 1 at 3 weeks and Assessment 2 at 6 weeks after the final practical day, both passed within 12 weeks
- One online Final Theory Examination of about 1.5 hours
Full rules and deadlines are on assessments and apprentice hours.
Cost and payment plans
What It Costs
Price depends on the course and on whether you study Hybrid or Fully Online. In-person prices are set by location, in local currency. The pricing page lists every course and region.
One example: Fully Online Mat is AUD $2,350 paid in full. In 12 weekly payments it is AUD $225.21 a week, AUD $2,702.52 in total. You can also pay in 6 monthly payments. Payment plans include a financing charge, so paying in full costs less. AUD prices include GST for Australian buyers. There is no GST outside Australia.
The Double is priced below the two certifications bought separately. Read how much Pilates teacher training costs in Australia for what is and is not included.
Before you enrol
What You Do Not Need
You do not need:
- A previous Pilates, anatomy or fitness qualification
- A previous teaching qualification
- A studio of your own
- To buy every prop on day one
- To own a Reformer, only reliable access to one for practice teaching and assessments
- A Mat qualification before Reformer
- To finish all the modules before your practical days
- To travel, if you study Fully Online
The Props I Recommend for Your Own Practice
- A Pilates mat, the main essential
- A resistance band
- A small soft Pilates ball
- Light hand weights
- A Pilates ring
Build these up gradually while you work through the online exercises. Strong technique, programming, layering and modifications matter more than lots of props.
Be honest with yourself
What the Qualification Does and Does Not Promise
You graduate with a Body Form® Education certificate once every requirement is passed. The course includes teaching career skills such as CVs and interviews, social media, client retention and studio professionalism.
I cannot promise you a job, an income, a visa, insurance cover or professional registration. Host studios may recruit or recommend graduates, but Body Form® Education does not guarantee employment. Employers, insurers and associations have their own requirements, and they differ by country, so check them where you plan to teach before you enrol. Read the accreditation statement for what recognition applies.
A fair check
Is This Right for Me?
It Is Likely a Good Fit If
- You can set aside regular weekly time for several months
- You like learning at your own pace and teaching real people
- You can find people to practise teaching on, and a place to do it
- You want a professional qualification, not a weekend course
- You can take 2 to 3 days for practical training (Hybrid), or you are happy to film yourself teaching (Fully Online)
Think Again If
- You need a guaranteed job or income, because no course can give one
- You cannot find regular study time across 8 months
- You want live classes every week: Fully Online has none, and Hybrid has practical days
- You cannot get access to a Reformer for practice teaching and assessments: start with Mat
- You cannot yet commit to a start date, because the 8 months cannot be paused
Still unsure? Ask yourself a few questions, or read how to choose a course. If you work in health, see Pilates teacher training for Physiotherapists.
Getting started
How to Start
- 1
Look first
Get the four free guides and watch the course sneak peek.
- 2
Pick how you will study
Hybrid: check Locations and Dates for your city. Fully Online: you can start today.
- 3
Enrol or join the waitlist
Enrol in the course you want. If your city has no dates yet, join its waitlist for first access to offers and to be first to hear when dates are confirmed.
- 4
Start the modules
Begin with the online theory, then book your practical days and line up people to practise teaching on.
Questions
Can I really train while working full time?
Yes. The 17 online modules are self-paced and you have 8 months of access from enrolment. If you spread the hours evenly, that is about 7 hours a week for one certification and about 10 to 11 hours a week for the Mat + Reformer Double. Many students finish between 4 and 6 months. You also need your practical training and your apprenticeship hours, so plan those around your work early.
Do I need any Pilates experience or a previous teaching qualification?
No. There is no prerequisite for Mat, Reformer or the Mat + Reformer Double Certification, and no previous teaching qualification is required.
Is there a minimum age?
Students must be at least 16, and students under 18 need parent or guardian consent.
Which course should a career changer start with?
Choose the equipment you want to teach on. Mat and Reformer are each a standalone entry-level qualification, and Mat is not a prerequisite for Reformer. The Double covers both in one enrolment and is priced below the two courses separately. Mat vs Reformer sets the two side by side.
What if I need longer than 8 months?
The 8 months of access runs from enrolment and cannot be paused. One standard 3-month extension is available to every student, for 30% of standard upfront tuition. Beyond 11 months is a new enrolment or an individual approval. You graduate once every requirement is passed, so you can also finish early.
Is the qualification recognised where I live?
Body Form® Education teacher training is ITTAP accredited through the Pilates Method Alliance, mapped with AUSactive in Australia, and audited and verified by Pilates Aotearoa in New Zealand. Body Form® Education teacher training is internationally recognised, but employers, insurers and associations set their own requirements, so check them where you plan to teach.
Can I start with one certification and add the other later?
Yes. You can upgrade a single Mat or Reformer certification to the Double. You do not restart: completed coursework and assessments for that discipline still count. Email the address you enrolled with, say whether you are doing Mat or Reformer, and Body Form® Education confirms the upgrade options and pricing.
Accredited and Recognised
Body Form® Education teacher training is ITTAP accredited through the Pilates Method Alliance, mapped with AUSactive in Australia, and audited and verified by Pilates Aotearoa in New Zealand. This applies whether you complete Mat, Reformer or the full comprehensive pathway. Employment, insurance, visa and professional registration requirements vary by country and employer, so check the requirements where you plan to teach. CPD certifications are continuing education for qualified instructors.
Recognition and accreditation
