I Passed Teacher Training! Now What?

I am finally picking up my certificate this week! This means I've completed the required training to become a yoga teacher. I can teach! Right?

A lot of what they don't tell you when you sign up for teacher training is what to expect afterward. To be honest, the idea of taking the training is so exciting, that the last thing on your mind is that moment the bubble bursts and you realize you have graduated and now have to make decisions and take action to actually use the skills you've learned! As the training progressed, a lot of questions began to arise: How soon after training can I begin to teach? Do I have to teach in a studio or privately? Do I need a permit to teach community classes in a public park? How much are teachers paid? How much can I charge for private lessons? Do I need some sort of protection if someone says they were hurt in my class? How hard is it to open a studio? What is the application process if I am looking to be hired somewhere? Is there a fee to be a registered teacher? I can go on and on...

During the training, I did a lot of Googling (is that a word now?) on my own and was able to find quite a few answers to my questions. As those questions were answered, more and more seemed to come up! Lucky for me, one of our last lectures was on the Business of Yoga. The studio owner joined and they explained what it's like to look for work as a yoga teacher, what to expect if opening a studio is in your plan, what income is like, etc. It was really informative and definitely put things into perspective. It's one thing to be trained to teach others, it's another if you're wanting to make a living off of it.

The main thing to take into consideration when coming out of teacher training is the additional costs. Teacher training on it's own is expensive (on average, Yoga Teacher Training from a Registered Yoga School is around $3,000). The school I trained at gave a tremendous deal for it, so for that I was grateful. After you graduate, however, there are other costs to think about:

Insurance - It’s really important to have yoga insurance to protect yourself in the event a student is injured in one of your classes. Although yoga studios have insurance to protect their business, they will still require you be insured as an individual. Most policies will follow you internationally (for a limited time) and protect you in and out of a studio. Do your homework on what your policy covers. Prices are around $200.00 a year. 

Yoga Alliance Registration - Yoga Alliance is an organization that has set minimum standards for yoga teachers and schools. They also offer an online directory of registered teachers and schools that have met these standards. Yoga Alliance is also recognized internationally. Although you don't have to train with a RYS (Registered Yoga School) to become a teacher, most studios will want you to have gone through a RYS for your training. In order to have the RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) title, you have to be registered with Yoga Alliance. Some studios may require this to hire you. Cost of registration is $105.00 for the first year and $55.00 for renewal. 

*For more info on Yoga Alliance: https://www.yogaalliance.org/About_Us/Our_History

CPR and First Aid - Most studios require you to be certified in CPR and first aid. Makes sense, taking into account how many times I've bit the dirt while practicing. I couldn't find on the Yoga Alliance website if CPR training is required to be registered. Prices are around $70.00 for the 2 year certification.  

Certifications and Continuing Education - If you want to teach a specialized yoga (prenatal or children's) and be recognized by Yoga Alliance, you have to complete an additional 85 or 95 hour training. You also must continue your education through workshops or additional training and log those hours with Yoga Alliance. Costs for each can vary.

So, what's next? Well, it's not in my plan to teach full time. I'm not in a particular hurry to teach or have my own classes (yet). But I do want to acquire all I need to not only be registered and insured to teach, but to also have enough knowledge and training to feel comfortable while teaching. Tomorrow I am taking my CPR/First Aid class.  My studio set it up for those who want to get certified. They are also offering a mentoring program for those who have graduated. This will be more one-on-one and actually have us adjusting and partially teaching classes, which I think is great to get over those jitters of a classroom environment. I've been looking at insurance to get that set up and if all goes well, I'll be starting the mentoring program at the end of the month. Going to be another busy month! Looking forward to it!