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How do I become a pole instructor?
I signed up for ACE personal training instruction and I will take my test at the end of February with the ultimate goal of teaching pole and maybe other aerial arts. I am lucky to have a hubby with a good job who for now he will be fine with me not having a job since I quit my job in sales that was averaging 3-5 dollars an hour. He will only be fine if I work as hard as I can to train for the job I want.
I know some of you teach pole or even own studios, so if you had a good student that was often asked to demonstrate or help others with a move how would she go about working with or for you.
I will also be spending a good 8 to 11 hours a week at the studio taking classes. I take 2-3 aerial (silks and lyra) classes a week and 3-5 pole classes and a Latin dance class. Since some classes are back to back I can’t always stay for the second one….well not yet at least. Once my body adjusts to this rigorous schedule I plan to work at home on perfecting my form for pole and my mediocre dancing ability.
With no job I will have plenty of time to study for my personal training exam. Is there any pole specific programs that one would suggest. I have seen a few but they are rather pricey. Are there instructor training manuals that could be purchased. I already know a fair deal about pole dancing and I am working at home on learning things on this website that are not currently taught at the studio I attend.
So any advice would be great. I am not stuck on the idea of teaching at the studio I attend but it would be nice. I just want to teach something I love.
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18 Replies
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By the way I am in the USA
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I took Discoveries Dance and loved it! There’s an online at home study option. This one was great as it covered a lot of the important information I was in search of such as injury prevention.
[www.discoveriesdance.com]I also wrote a blog about my experience: http://www.poleharmony.blogspot.com/2011/10/discoveries-dance-pole-instructor.html
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There are studio owners that have great success using the Veena method. Iys pretty much layed out for you in the lessons if your intersted. 🙂
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Kobajo84 that is one of the programs I am looking at thanks.
Veena did you mean the lessons here on the website? If so I am already a member and I plan to go through them all. If there is something else of course I am interested. I do love your teaching methods. -
I liked Discoveries Dance. it’s affordable, covers a lot of topics, Angel is very good about giving input/feedback. All around good course. It also counts as CECs for ACE.
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Since you are in the Midwest I would also check out the training at Empowerment Through Exotic Dance. It is not the easiest and not only shows you pole but also the business end of things. She is in Chicago. http://www.empowermentthroughexoticdance.com/ETEDInstructorTraining.htm
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Yes, the lessons. If you send me an email I can give you some suggestions for using the lessons to help you plan for you studio.
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I just signed up for Discoveries Dance so I’m glad to hear a few of you have taken it and enjoyed it… I’m super excited 🙂
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I did Xpert and I really liked it. I think it was worth the money.
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I am at the tail end of finishing up my requirements for the Pole Moves beginner/intermediate teacher certification and I like it a lot. It qualifies for ACE & AFAA CEC’s. I plan on taking the Pole Moves intermediate/advanced teacher cert in the Spring. Also, they recently added a distance learning option/program for the Beg/Interm cert. Check it out. http://www.polemoves.net
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PoleMoves is a fantastic teacher training and certification program! You wont just learn how to do moves or tricks but you’ll learn how to teach a student how to get where they want to be without injuring themselves. You’ll also get CECs for your ACE certification.
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I’m a Master Trainer for Discoveries Dance. I’m hosting the next training at my studio in Northern Illinois in mid February. Check the events here for my training as well as others; it’s a good resource :-). The main thing you’ll want to look for in a training program is that the program is approved by the PFA and PDC (Pole Moves,XPert, and ETED as mentioned in prior comments I believe are all approved by both as well, but you’ll want to double check). Also, keep in mind, although some training programs are approved by ACE for CEC’s,some instructors aren’t qualified to give ACE credits. You’ll want to verify that the instructor meets these qualifications:
1) Hold at least a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or a health-related field, OR a four-year degree in a business-related field (only applicable for business workshops pertinent to a fitness professional), OR a current NCCA-accredited fitness certification (ACE, ACSM, NASM, NSCA, AAPTE, Cooper Institute, NCSF, NETA, NFPT, PMA and NCCPT), OR is a current RYT registered with Yoga Alliance (yoga courses only).
2) Possess at least two years of experience in the subject matter being presented. -
Oh, and yes, Discoveries Dance does have an at home option too.
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Thanks! I will look into all the options and once I take my ACE exam I will have one in mind. Since most of them count as continuing education it would probably be wise to wait until then. I just want to be prepared.
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I think something that is just as important, if not more, then who certifies you is that you have experience in all aspects in the industry: teacher (or shadower), student, performer, businesswoman, etc. I believe the women (and dudes!) who have the most varied experiences make the strongest teachers. You could go to the Harvard of pole schools, but your students really won’t give a damn if you are flat and boring and one dimensional. Make sure to devote time to thinking about what kind of teaching style may work for you, what kinds of things you WANT to teach, and what you don’t need to mess with. I *LOVE* performance prep work, but can’t teach a knee hold to save my life, lol.
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Veena’s lessons were most certainly my go-to source when I started teaching. How I explain most of what I teach is pretty much how Veena explains it. And then I did a ton of personal research on body mechanics, injury prevention, fitness nutrition, group fitness instruction, and flexibility techniques. Since teaching just kinda happened to me (I was recruited), I didn’t really get to plan ahead and get an official certification. But if you take what you do seriously and research as many angles as possible, you can really become a well-educated instructor.
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I agree with Danielle,I got by the same exact way,I just studied my craft using my own devices n the Veena lessons very thorough as well,I wasn’t able to plan with any certifications either and my students love poling with me,they say I break everything down in easy format for them and they appreciate my shadowing and patience!!! I’m happy with the feedback that I get so I’m gonna continue!!!
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I do not have a piece of paper that says I can teach pole dancing, I have personal experience. ACE? I probably won’t fool with. AFAA..? Maybe if I have time, which I don’t right now teaching 12 classes a week. I will, however, become flygym certified bc there are so many darn slings and contraptions that I feel like I need it to get the most out of the equipment. That being said, I continually seek out to further my pole knowledge and am always revising my studio “manual.” It is a book I put together to have a regemin to make sure we are all on the same page. I have take this from my notes, private trainings, visits to other studios, taking other workshops on things like breakdancing and Chinese pole…I’ve drawn a lot from YouTube and fellow instructors over the course of time. I have also done my homework on the muscle groups and how to protect the back and things like knee pain in stretching…again I learned it slowly, mostly from having issues or knowing someone who did. Most of our pole ailments are not original. I did not plan on being an instructor and studio owner, so it just kinda happened when I moved back to the states and people were coming to my house for me to teach them. It all trickled out from there ;).
I didn’t read many of the responses because my method is a bit unconventional and perhaps there are those who don’t agree with how I’ve went about it. I feel good about what I’m doing, I have mats galore and we have guest instructors to teach workshops.
What works for some may not for others… Good Luck!
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