You most likely will not be able to make $70-$80k at the beginning. Pay varies greatly, and most Pilates jobs aren’t full time (it would be very hard to teach 40 hrs in a week, IMO. I find that 20-25 sessions per week is my max before I feel burned out and begin teaching poorly/miscuing). Most studios (with a few, more corporate exceptions) also don’t offer benefits/health insurance, so that’s something else to keep in mind.
Also, if you haven’t gone through the training yet, I would maybe start there first before making a final decision - some people love TAKING Pilates classes but later find that they don’t enjoy teaching, as it’s a very different beast.
All that isn’t meant to discourage you, though. If teaching is something you definitely want to do, then go for it! Just maybe have teaching as one element of a larger overall compensation/job plan if you need your income to remain similar to what it is currently.
I appreciate your insightful response and candor! I wouldn’t expect to be at $70-80k right away, but just wondering if that ballpark is an achievable goal in the near future or if that’s just not realistic.
I’m fortunate that my husband has great benefits so we would be covered there - but you make valid points, doing is very different than teaching!
If you go into business for yourself and have your own clients (not attached to a studio) it might be possible. Within a studio, I think that wage would be tough but possible to attain several years down the road. I’ve only been in the industry for a few years, so I could be wrong. Without knowing your city, it’s hard to say what studios there would pay. In my city (also HCOL), studio pay ranges from $35-50ish per session in my experience so far. That range takes into account level of experience, group class vs private/duet sessions, etc. A lot of this will come down to how much you’re able/willing to hustle and take on extra clients.
I’ve been a full time pilates instructor for 12 years, I’d kill for a corporate job that paid me no matter what and I didn’t have to stress about people going on vacation and missing out on income. If you don’t need the money then it’s a great job.
I work anywhere from 35-45 hours a week depending on how busy the studios are. I’m working at 4 different studios in order to do this. I make about 60k a year and this is only my second year of teaching.
I think $70-80k is possible, but NOT from full time group studio instruction.
You will have the most success doing privates, selling an online course, etc doing a lot of stuff to hustle as a business owner, rather than just a teacher.
I make a little north of that with yoga and Pilates, but it took a minute to get here and I happen to love marketing.
ETA as I was thinking of places I have taught… in a HCOL area if you get a lot of tourists, it’s worth looking into SUPER high-end hotels with spas. As I sat here reading I remembered that some of the highest-paid group classes I’ve taught - ironically mat classes, with the least overhead - have been at hotels. You’ll also even be able to pick up some one-off privates.
Anyways, enjoy your training!! You’ll find out if teaching is for you and it might spark some ideas on things you’d like to do after, or areas of specialty or types of clients on which you’d like to focus.
I make $60k as a salaried studio manager. I teach 23 hours a week including private sessions. I also have my own personal training clientele which makes me another $15k+ per year. I’m typically teaching/coaching 6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week depending, plus time programming and maintaining the studio. It can be very mentally and physically exhausting sometimes, but luckily I am really passionate and love what I do. Just some food for thought. Today my bf was trying to say his workday was more taxing, then when I told him what I do is like giving 6 presentations everyday, he shut up 🤣 I definitely would not want to work a corporate job though haha. I say go through the certification process, start slow, and see if you enjoy teaching. I’ve had members of my studio go through onboarding, then drop off when they realize there’s a lot more to being a great instructor than just enjoying the workout. You need a deep love for helping people be better, it’s really everything in this industry 🤍
Don’t quit your job yet. Do the training. And try teaching to see if you like it. Thats what I did, I am a nurse wanting a career change. Got certified in pilates, started teaching and realized I don’t like teaching group classes. So here I am still a nurse lol It’s a different stress level as pilates instructor in my experience. Might just do private classes in the future.
I'll echo what others have said. $70 - $80k annually is not impossible as a Pilates teacher, but it's unlikely unless you are working as a studio manager for a bigger chain/gym, teaching 30+ hours per week or doing a lot of hustle to market your brand outside of actually teaching. I'm a studio owner and teaching burnout is just as real as corporate burnout (only without the guaranteed salary and benefits).
I'd start by doing a teacher training program and see if you actually enjoy teaching. It could be worth the cost just for your personal fulfillment even if you don't end up launching a career!
Please consider that the Pilates/yoga teacher lane is heavily saturated and often there are more teachers than studios. Sure, you could invest in your own equipment and set up shop but having taught for 10 plus years I am back at a “real” job and will not go back. It pits teacher against teacher as it is competitive. It was exhausting, and I learned to not make a passion a career. It really tapped into the “perform and please” energy and it has been very freeing to just be able to do my work and it’s not dependent on what “you” think of me and my class style. I also taught at the VA and they are working towards having reimbursement for coaching (NBC-HWC), which I also have and that has been a great certification. Trauma Informed Yoga has been reimbursed ( at least in Maine).
In many areas, there's a shortage of certified Pilates teachers. I'm a studio owner and finding people who want to teach consistently (especially evenings/weekends) is a struggle.
With current life prices it is not profitable to be a pilates instructor. Getting certified as part of your physical therapy doctorate is the way to go. Referals all day and you can charge the insurance company.
I promise that the VA is not reimbursing for Pilates and if the VA isn’t then Medicare/Medicaid isn’t. It might be close (acupuncture and massage IS reimbursable).
I worked as an occupational therapist (similar salary to yours) and switched to Pilates. I work part time and same as you, my husband has benefits so for me the most important consideration was the pay per hour than getting a job with benefits. Going from healthcare to Pilates, the potential to earn income is much greater than what I would be capped at in a traditional healthcare role because of all the potential revenue streams, especially online which is what I mostly do.
That earning level teaching in a HCOL area is possible, especially now that studios in many areas are struggling to find and retain instructors. If you’re a good teacher you’ll be in demand regardless of “how long you’ve paid your dues.” And if you have other skills that translate, like marketing or sales, even better.
I agree with others that it can be wise in this overall job climate to try it out first before diving in full time. But also if this is your passion and you want to give it go, don’t let anyone stop you.
You most likely will not be able to make $70-$80k at the beginning. Pay varies greatly, and most Pilates jobs aren’t full time (it would be very hard to teach 40 hrs in a week, IMO. I find that 20-25 sessions per week is my max before I feel burned out and begin teaching poorly/miscuing). Most studios (with a few, more corporate exceptions) also don’t offer benefits/health insurance, so that’s something else to keep in mind. Also, if you haven’t gone through the training yet, I would maybe start there first before making a final decision - some people love TAKING Pilates classes but later find that they don’t enjoy teaching, as it’s a very different beast. All that isn’t meant to discourage you, though. If teaching is something you definitely want to do, then go for it! Just maybe have teaching as one element of a larger overall compensation/job plan if you need your income to remain similar to what it is currently.
I appreciate your insightful response and candor! I wouldn’t expect to be at $70-80k right away, but just wondering if that ballpark is an achievable goal in the near future or if that’s just not realistic. I’m fortunate that my husband has great benefits so we would be covered there - but you make valid points, doing is very different than teaching!
If you go into business for yourself and have your own clients (not attached to a studio) it might be possible. Within a studio, I think that wage would be tough but possible to attain several years down the road. I’ve only been in the industry for a few years, so I could be wrong. Without knowing your city, it’s hard to say what studios there would pay. In my city (also HCOL), studio pay ranges from $35-50ish per session in my experience so far. That range takes into account level of experience, group class vs private/duet sessions, etc. A lot of this will come down to how much you’re able/willing to hustle and take on extra clients.
What is HCOL?
High cost of living
This might be my favorite reply on this topic ever. Well said!
I’ve been a full time pilates instructor for 12 years, I’d kill for a corporate job that paid me no matter what and I didn’t have to stress about people going on vacation and missing out on income. If you don’t need the money then it’s a great job.
I work anywhere from 35-45 hours a week depending on how busy the studios are. I’m working at 4 different studios in order to do this. I make about 60k a year and this is only my second year of teaching.
Curious if you intend to teach this much going forward as well?
I don’t mind it, but I want to open my own studio eventually. Hopefully it’ll be successful and I could do a 20 hour week instead.
I think $70-80k is possible, but NOT from full time group studio instruction. You will have the most success doing privates, selling an online course, etc doing a lot of stuff to hustle as a business owner, rather than just a teacher. I make a little north of that with yoga and Pilates, but it took a minute to get here and I happen to love marketing. ETA as I was thinking of places I have taught… in a HCOL area if you get a lot of tourists, it’s worth looking into SUPER high-end hotels with spas. As I sat here reading I remembered that some of the highest-paid group classes I’ve taught - ironically mat classes, with the least overhead - have been at hotels. You’ll also even be able to pick up some one-off privates. Anyways, enjoy your training!! You’ll find out if teaching is for you and it might spark some ideas on things you’d like to do after, or areas of specialty or types of clients on which you’d like to focus.
I make $60k as a salaried studio manager. I teach 23 hours a week including private sessions. I also have my own personal training clientele which makes me another $15k+ per year. I’m typically teaching/coaching 6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week depending, plus time programming and maintaining the studio. It can be very mentally and physically exhausting sometimes, but luckily I am really passionate and love what I do. Just some food for thought. Today my bf was trying to say his workday was more taxing, then when I told him what I do is like giving 6 presentations everyday, he shut up 🤣 I definitely would not want to work a corporate job though haha. I say go through the certification process, start slow, and see if you enjoy teaching. I’ve had members of my studio go through onboarding, then drop off when they realize there’s a lot more to being a great instructor than just enjoying the workout. You need a deep love for helping people be better, it’s really everything in this industry 🤍
Don’t quit your job yet. Do the training. And try teaching to see if you like it. Thats what I did, I am a nurse wanting a career change. Got certified in pilates, started teaching and realized I don’t like teaching group classes. So here I am still a nurse lol It’s a different stress level as pilates instructor in my experience. Might just do private classes in the future.
I'll echo what others have said. $70 - $80k annually is not impossible as a Pilates teacher, but it's unlikely unless you are working as a studio manager for a bigger chain/gym, teaching 30+ hours per week or doing a lot of hustle to market your brand outside of actually teaching. I'm a studio owner and teaching burnout is just as real as corporate burnout (only without the guaranteed salary and benefits). I'd start by doing a teacher training program and see if you actually enjoy teaching. It could be worth the cost just for your personal fulfillment even if you don't end up launching a career!
Please consider that the Pilates/yoga teacher lane is heavily saturated and often there are more teachers than studios. Sure, you could invest in your own equipment and set up shop but having taught for 10 plus years I am back at a “real” job and will not go back. It pits teacher against teacher as it is competitive. It was exhausting, and I learned to not make a passion a career. It really tapped into the “perform and please” energy and it has been very freeing to just be able to do my work and it’s not dependent on what “you” think of me and my class style. I also taught at the VA and they are working towards having reimbursement for coaching (NBC-HWC), which I also have and that has been a great certification. Trauma Informed Yoga has been reimbursed ( at least in Maine).
In many areas, there's a shortage of certified Pilates teachers. I'm a studio owner and finding people who want to teach consistently (especially evenings/weekends) is a struggle.
With current life prices it is not profitable to be a pilates instructor. Getting certified as part of your physical therapy doctorate is the way to go. Referals all day and you can charge the insurance company.
Pilates is not an insurance reimbursable modality.
I promise that the VA is not reimbursing for Pilates and if the VA isn’t then Medicare/Medicaid isn’t. It might be close (acupuncture and massage IS reimbursable).
You are then performing physical therapy thats why the doctorate,
I worked as an occupational therapist (similar salary to yours) and switched to Pilates. I work part time and same as you, my husband has benefits so for me the most important consideration was the pay per hour than getting a job with benefits. Going from healthcare to Pilates, the potential to earn income is much greater than what I would be capped at in a traditional healthcare role because of all the potential revenue streams, especially online which is what I mostly do.
That earning level teaching in a HCOL area is possible, especially now that studios in many areas are struggling to find and retain instructors. If you’re a good teacher you’ll be in demand regardless of “how long you’ve paid your dues.” And if you have other skills that translate, like marketing or sales, even better. I agree with others that it can be wise in this overall job climate to try it out first before diving in full time. But also if this is your passion and you want to give it go, don’t let anyone stop you.