There's a lot to digest when choosing the right course for your present and your future. Read through this page to make sure you're 100% on board with what you're getting yourself in for.

GENERAL CERTIFICATION FAQs


What does certification actually mean?

It gives the consumer and the instructor peace of mind that the instructor has satisfied a criteria to gain qualification. The Movement Refinery and TMRACADEMY are of a high reputation and as such, so are our certified graduates.Taking the time to certify with a comprehensive and well-compiled course the first time may reduce your need to seek additional education straight after graduation, a sad industry trend which we hope to stamp out. 

When I graduate from your course, can I get Insurance?

Yes. We recommend AON.

Will your course allow my clients to claim on private health insurance?

No. This is for Physiotherapists and other tertiary and post-graduate qualifications only. Claiming with private health is for clinical rehabilitation only and as such is strongly regulated by AHPRA and supported by peak bodies such as the APA.

When Pilates teachers seek to work outside of their scope of practice they continue to do harm to the industry and muddy consumer choice.

How come your courses are not ‘government accredited’ (GA)?

Correct. For good reason. 

1)    GA courses do not provide enhance employment outcomes or increased salary range.

2)    GA courses are not able to be discerning with intake criteria which has seen the course standard slip.

3)    We choose to nurture our course participants and ensure they are at their absolute peak despite how long it may take to get through the course material.

4)    In the 15 years that they have been on the market  these courses have done little to boost consumer recognition of the Pilates method. In fact there are many of these courses on the market and while some are good, many of them are not. What’s more, there is no benefit to the instructor except for peer to peer esteem. You might as well find the best course for your own circumstances and be confident that you are learning the Pilates method and not a watered down version! 

However, we do not take our participants for granted and have built the course with many of the same subjects that equip one to work in the industry under a GA course with subjects such as Occupational Health and Safety for the Pilates industry.

Will I be able to join PAA or APMA easily?

No. These are membership organisations, not regulatory bodies or peak-bodies. You can seek to join however this won’t increase your chances of employment or even peership as many industry run forums exist outside of the PAA and APMA and usually offer rapid and current support to members.  

Will your course equip me for employment outside of Australia.

Don’t fall for the line of ‘globally recognised’ certification, it’s total BS. Any studio owner would be lucky to have a talented teacher who can build and retain a clientele no matter where their certificate was printed. While it’s true that some big-brand Pilates schools prefer their own graduates to work within ‘clinics’ … a TMRACADEMY certified instructor will be able to work in a Classical, contemporary, therapeutic and fitness environment. Plus, we will do our best to support your employment journey providing ongoing support and a reference for any future employer. 


Which cities will you deliver training in moving forward 

Melbourne is our home base – in Fitzroy North and North Melbourne – we deliver the Mat and The Reformer three times each year.

We can deliver trainings in any city with a minimum of three attendees so tell your mates and let’s get it on the schedule. 

+ Perth

+ Brisbane

+ Wellington

+ Adelaide 

+ Sydney

Module / single apparatus Course FAQs


Who is this course approach best for?

A Pilates lover who is keen to understand the real method and applications to a broader community but may not be ready or have the time to complete the full certification. Study one apparatus at a time and engage in learning tasks and assessments that will develop your craft on your timeline.


What are the steps involved for the module course / single apparatus study?

1)    Enrol in the course – select combination of online + in person or just online

2)    Download course material and resources

3)    Work through the manual and videos to develop an understanding of the exercises

4)    Attend the next Module delivery in Melbourne or your city (we recommend two or three months preparation before joining a delivery session)

5)    Engage in some private sessions if you have questions about the course material in your body or trouble shooting teaching clients

6)    Participate in fortnightly work out/work in

7)    Study the work and complete the learning tasks

8)    Complete the bundled complimentary course lectures

9)    Complete your assessments 

10) Graduate!

This course is for prospective or current teachers wishing to certify in one apparatus at a time. You’ll have access to an online library of pre-course material. 


Expectation

Digest and work through the course material for a couple of months before attending a live delivery session. This keeps the standard in the room high and enables us to work at a deeper level including hands-on cueing and case study development. Arrive prepared. 


Private session/mentoring

We recommend at least one private session per month IRL or by Zoom to keep you on track with the course. 

These are $130 per session and discounts are available when prepaid in a block of five or ten.


Weekly time allocation (for graduation in 6 months): 5+ hours per week 

2 x 90 minute self-directed work-outs and study sessions

Fortnightly zoom TMRACADEMY apprentice session - 90 mins

Focussed learning and digestion of apparatus lists

Completing learning tasks, research and watching lectures 

Practice teaching 


Practice teaching apprenticeship

The best Pilates instructors are made with love and support from a mentor. We suggest you budget your time for a maximum of 50 hours per apparatus working on your practice teaching prior to booking your final teaching assessments. Read below for an outline of practice teaching possibilities.

Comprehensive Course FAQs


This course is for prospective or current teachers wishing to certify in every apparatus and be mentored by Nicholas Psarros. You’ll have access to the full online library including our recorded lectures with an international faculty. 


Pre-requisite

One year of Pilates as a client at a reputable full-service studio or twenty private sessions. You’ll need to be able to demonstrate proficiency in the first half of the mat (up to and including scissors and high bicycle) and The Reformer finishing at Short box – tree. If you are not quite ready, we will let you know and encourage you to study more and enrol in a few more months. Any good course is a slog and we want you to start on the front foot. 


Employment outcome

You’ll be equipped to work in 1:1, small group and larger group settings using the full Pilates method (all apparatus and techniques) in any application you choose e.g. any client, anywhere. While you will have an understanding of working therapeutically, no course equips you to work ‘clinically’ or for rehabilitation purposes with the exception of an Advanced Diploma (which does not focus on the traditional method) or a Physiotherapy or Exercise Physiology degree. You will however graduate as a comprehensively trained specialist of the Pilates method. 


Duration

All pre-course material is made available on day one for your learning immersion. Each year, every apparatus seminar is held in Melbourne and some major cities at least once. Depending on your current calendar and lifestyle it may take 12 months to 3 years to certify and gain your deepest understanding physically and mentally of the entire Pilates method.


Weekly time allocation (for graduation in under 18 months): 10+ hours per week 

At least 2 x 60-90 minute self-directed work-outs

Fortnightly zoom TMRACADEMY apprentice session - 90 mins

Focussed learning and digestion of apparatus lists

Completing learning tasks, research and watching lectures 

Practice teaching 


Expectation for face to face delivery

Digest and work through the course material for a couple of months before attending a live delivery session. This keeps the standard in the room high and enables us to work at a deeper level including hands-on cueing and case study development. Arrive prepared. 


Apprenticeship?

The best Pilates instructors are made with love and support from a mentor. We suggest you budget your time for around 250 hours working on your practice teaching prior to booking your final teaching assessments. Read below for an outline of practice teaching possibilities.


Private sessions

One per month minimum during your course. This will give you direct and personal feedback on how you are executing the work in your own body, pointers to find greater efficiency and how/where to study. If you are able to increase to fortnightly or weekly sessions for some of your course, you will benefit from more support when you get to the meat of your teaching apprenticeship and need support to trouble-shoot with clients and celebrate your wins. 


PRACTICE TEACHING HOURS GUIDELINES 


Practice teaching is the best way to get the most out of our courses and prepare for successful final assessment. The more involvement you have with a faculty member in supervision of your pre-assessment teaching the better. Think of it as quality control and direct and personal feedback ensuring completion of assessment and graduation with the deepest knowledge of the work and the course. 


Comprehensive programme – at least 250 hours of practice teaching across the full apparatus family and taking a client through a training programme from day one to wherever you get in the system with them. This should include clients who are fit and healthy, clients who are new to exercise and clients with common issues for presenting to a Pilates studio.


Module programme – at least 50 hours purely on the Mat or Reformer, less on the smaller apparatus. The key is that you are confident teaching all of the exercises to a variety of clients and can problem solve when things don’t ‘work’ straight away.



Practice teaching may consist of:

·       Co-teaching with a faculty member if available

·       Conducting sessions independently with your own client, supported by a faculty member. This could be in the format of a zoom session with a faculty member per ten client hours. Or a zoom private session where the faculty member watches you teach your client and provides feedback after the session has concluded. 

·       Contributing to future ACADEMY weekends by assisting the faculty and being ready to co-present an exercise or offer tips to first-round participants

·       Running a weekly low-cost community class for teachers that allows you to practice teach the work at a high level (either mentally +/- physically)

Please note: Any private sessions for support and feedback can be booked and paid for using our Bookings Essential platform. Casual sessions are priced at $130 and bulk purchase attracts a discount. 


ASSESSMENT OUTLINE


1.     Progress physical assessments 

2.     Pilates teaching assessments 

3.     Written Case studies 

4.     Written Learning tasks


Progress physical assessments

Certification requires all participants to demonstrate proficiency and understanding of all exercises in the syllabus. This provides quality control to ensure that as the teacher, you are able to execute and explain exercises as part of your own practice before passing the information on to your client community.

Note: You will need to execute one assessment for each of the major apparatus certifications; this can be done face to face or by Zoom. Allocate 90 minutes per assessment which includes up to 30 minutes feedback designed to guide your future learning.

·       Mat      

·       Reformer

·       Cadillac

·       Chairs

·       Barrels


Pilates teaching assessments 

Course participants are required to participate and pass an assessment to demonstrate their capability and suitability to teaching the work. This will involve a teaching simulation of up to 90 minutes to show your progress in the work and demonstrate your level of understanding of how to best work with a client. You may choose to use your own client or ‘borrow’ a course participant. This can be done IRL or over Zoom.

Comprehensive participants - You will need to complete one assessment for Mat and one for Reformer. A third, combined assessment includes the Chairs, Cadillac and Barrels.

Module participants - You participate in an assessment for each apparatus you wish to be certified in.


Written Learning tasks

These are designed as a soft assessment and learning process which aim to build you up and enrich your learning. Each task asks you to go beyond the surface and consider how you look at the method, the body and how to get the most out of your craft for your client.

You will receive feedback on each task to guide future study and support assessment readiness.

All tasks need to be submitted and passed in order for certification.

Written Case studies

Comprehensive: Eight outcome-driven written client case studies will assist you to work with the full apparatus family and help you to join the dots in the last stage of your teaching apprenticeship

Module : Three outcome-driven written client case studies will assist you to work with your certifying apparatus and help you to join the dots in the last stage of your teaching apprenticeship.



PILATES TEACHING ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Essential knowledge in assessment 

·       Name of each exercise

·       Order of Mat and Reformer including sets / reps

·       Apparatus detail e.g. springs / headpiece up / down

·       Safety concern/hazard management and mitigation for any apparatus

·       Hands on and alternate ways to cue the exercise

·       The parts of each exercise so that if a client can’t work one part, you can modify or even change apparatus to help develop them


You need to show

·       How to move a client through a workout at any level

·       How to coach / teach to enhance their work

·       That you ‘know your stuff’ and are comfortable in any teaching environment

·       That you are able to take direction and guidance without being thrown

·       Compassion and support to your ‘exam body’ 

·       Agency to suggest why / how an examined exercise may be inappropriate for the ‘exam body’


Teaching style

·       Possess vocal authority and vocal technique

·       Stay on the front foot to avoid being tripped up by assessment mistakes

·       Excite and inspire a client to reach for more or to soothe them as needed and temper their enthusiasm to avoid over-doing it

·       Go beyond the manuals and teach with intuition and vibrancy