Question for instructors: certification?

HollySatine started this discussion · 10/21/2011

Just curious: is it better to try teaching at a studio first or go ahead and do a certification program before looking for a teaching position? I was looking at different programs and when you factor in the fact that a group fitness certification may be required before taking a pole certification program, it can get super expensive... (I'm not doing it any time too soon, just curious what to expect if I want to pursue teaching one day).

12 replies

chemgoddess1 · 10/21/2011
Not to be a witch, but there are so many threads here regarding certifications and opinions on them. You probably will not get a whole lot of responses just because it has all been said so many times before. If you type certification into the search box you will have more reading than you can handle!
Dancing Paws · 10/21/2011
I think it is best to have a general group fitness cert at the very least. That way you have the proper knowledge to teach any class. I know the city here requires a certification if you want to offer a class through the parks and rec. IMO, even though you know how to pole, you don't know the safety and biology, etc behind fitness. Knowledge adds to your credibility as an instructor. The ACE cert is not that expensive, and neither is the x pert one.
jkpolegirl · 10/21/2011
I think it depends on your background. If you don't have much of a "educational fitness" background, like experience teaching other fitness classes or a degree in something related..... I think its a good idea to look into some sort of certification just to learn the anatomy and injury prevention and basic tips on how to go about teaching Discoveries Dance is awesome..... Angel is the best.... Her course is very affordable and goes over some things you may not think of..... Like breaking down moves... And when a student is ready to invert... And then of course injury prevention tips
tarah · 10/22/2011
i just ordered angel's home study course! it seems very thorough, with lots of anatomy and safety lessons, and - you receive a certification upon completion. i was going to do vertical dance's (k.t. coates), but when i translated dollars to pounds, it was more expensive than i thought. plus, it is an "online" course, so everything has to be accessed through the internet. the other program i really like is empyrean's ETED online instructor training (i plan to do it once i have completed angel's). it is also more like a home study course, with manuals and videos provided, and is excellent! i'm just mentioning these home courses, because they are pretty affordable considering you don't have the additional expense of travel/hotels, etc. added in to the cost.
Kobajo84 · 10/22/2011
I'm taking Angel's Discoveries Dance course this weekend! Can't wait! I chose to pursue her certification over others for several reasons and #1 being cost. I'm also a strong advocate for injury prevention and after a lot of research on certifications, Discoveries has a curriculum that covers Anatomy & Physiology and injury prevention. I have a back ground in nursing and independent studies in body mechanics/dance so this appealed to me highly. I also felt that this would be a great course for the other instructors at the studio I teach at, whether they were already certified or not- it would serve beneficial to them to take this course based on the curriculum alone. I don't have a fitness certification, although for the lay person not having prior education on the human body, I would recommend a group fitness type certification. I have been kicking around the idea of getting an ACE cert myself but I just don't see it being a feasible resource for me personally right now considering my educational back ground. I like the idea of teaching and getting the feel for your class. You could always inquire with a studio to see if they'd allow you to team teach with another instructor to learn the ins and outs of how to teach or even job shadow. Start with introductory to pole classes to lay your foundation. There is so much to learn from by teaching students in a class setting and having someone there teaching to guide you in safely teaching other students could really help. Although it's never a bad idea to take a pole certification without ever having teaching experience. There are a few girls taking the certification with me this weekend that don't teach. Do what you feel is best for you. Just remember, teaching is a huge responsibility. You are responsible for your students and teaching them proper techniques can help them prevent injuries.
Krista Bocko · 10/22/2011
I'm taking Angel's course too. :) Like Kobajo, it's so affordable and the anatomy and physiology part of it really appeals to me, because i DON'T have a background in that though I wish I did! GL, I do think gaining knowledge & experience in whatever capacity you can is good.
Charley · 10/22/2011
I'm certified through ETED and will likely pursue other pole related certifications as well because ech certification comes with a whole new point of view. I did ETED because of Empy's back ground. She's been in the pole community for a very long time, she herself has trained with top instructors, is AFAA certified and was a nurse for many, many years. I loved ETED's course because each level required you to test - written & practical. You had to be able to put your money where your mouth is. I don't have ACE of AFAA right now and will get AFAA. Not only were body mechanics covered, but class structure, how to care for your instructor body that is teaching a million hours a week and how use your words instead of your body, The certification comes with a comprehensive business portion too - just a bonus in my opinion. I've used my business knowledge and continued support A LOT from ETED. Being a 1099 Contract worker can be confusing and I've had many issues pop up with that as far as my rights and studio rights and each time I've needed help they've been there with quick answers. I like the continued support I get from ETED. I will definetly be taking the advanced program and renewing every 2 years. Other certs I'm looking into - Xpert and Climb and Spin. C&S is a little pricey but you get A LOT for that money, one day I'd like to go through the program - it doesn't look easy.
HollySatine · 10/22/2011
thanks for the responses! @Charley - what does ETED stand for? I tried googling it and got a lot of stuff in Spanish but couldn't find anything related to certification
Dancing Paws · 10/22/2011
If you look on the Discoveries Dance page, a very good point is brought up and I think it is worth mentioning here. These pole certifications are not recognized as certifications. They are just certificates of completion. ACE, AFFA, ASCM, those are nationally recognized certifications, and for insurance puposes, you want a certification to show you know what you are doing.IMO I think it is MORE important to get a nationally accredited group fintess or personal training certification FIRST, then go back later and get a pole certification. The ACE, AFFA, ASCM all go over kinesiology, physiology,e tc. It isn;t exactly for pole, but if you go for group fitness, it is meant to translate to just that, group fitness. If you get the most expensive pageage, it is only $500, which to cover your butt, is well worth IMO. Then you can go back and get the discoveries dance certificate as continuing education credits (THEY WON'T COUNT IF YOU GET THEM BEFORE YOU GET CERTIFIED THROUGH ACE!!!!)
Kobajo84 · 10/22/2011
@Holly- ETED stands for Empowerment Through Exotic Dance. It's the studio's name in acronym.
Mary Ellyn · 10/23/2011
If anyone has any questions about my program feel free to contact me on here or by email. I offer my program in two ways ...online which is not a certification but will end with a certificate of completion as well as live. The basic/intermediate is offered both online and live and the advanced only as a live program. If you take the online program for basic/intermediate you will be grandfathered into the advanced program when you take that. Meaning you will receive a certificate of completion for the online program and when you take the advanced program, if you pass, you will be "certified" for basic through advanced. SensualScimitar brings up an interesting point....but the definition of "certification" she is referring to is the FITNESS industry's definition. They do not govern nor rule what is a certification in the pole world. They have decided that a certification must be approved by the NCAA or NCOG in order to be called a certification but that is their opinion - not their right to govern. By their own definition a certification must be approved by an objective third party but neither the NCAA nor the NCOG have anyone on their boards who is qualified to review and approve a pole dance certification. Therefore if you wish recognition by ACE you are not allowed to call your program a certification unless it meets their standards. Which is why I have chosen NOT to be sanctioned by ACE as I don't feel they have the right to tell us in the pole industry if our programs are qualified to be certifications. My program is approved by POLE industry organizations and is the only current US certification approved by both the PFA and the PDC which I feel are better qualified to judge a good pole certification program than either ACE or AFAA. Additionally my program is the first to be recognized as a certification program within the insurance industry! If you have ETED certification you will qualify for a discount benefit from one of the largest insurance programs in the US. We include mechanics of teaching, accident and injury prevention, relevant anatomy and physiology, safe spotting techiques, pole dance language and communication, business management, strength building and a stretching sections. Our program was also developed in consultation with an injury prevention specialist. We developed a plan which is flexible to meet different budgets and has 16 hours of training at EACH level!!! Plus we include shadow teaching in live classes with students for our full certification course. Additionally we offer various levels of training from teaching skilled and experienced pole dancers how to teach pole dancing through those who also need additional training in pole skills. It's fully customizable based on your experience. It's also great for those already teaching to polish and update their skills. Our program has been around for almost 5 years now and has evolved as the pole industry as grown. While I encourage everyone to get a group exercise certification in addition to our program it is not required. For details, check our website here: http://empowermentthroughexoticdance.com/ETEDInstructorTraining.htm ;
Mary Ellyn · 10/23/2011
To clarify...the ETED live program IS sanctioned by AFAA for CEUs but only because they did not insist that I change the definition of my program.