Massive Learning Opportunity As A Reformer Pilates Instructor
Teaching in different countries and cultures accelerates your personal and professional growth. You learn new ways to take care of your Pilates clients depending on their cultural norms, skill levels and attitudes. You need to adjust your verbal, visual and tactile cues to suit better your audience. That makes you more seasoned Pilates teacher in a short amount of time. Being adaptable becomes paramount and thinking on your feet your second nature. You get to put theory into practice very quickly by seeing different bodies, fitness and skill levels.
Sometimes no matter what and how I say something leads me being misunderstood (accent/language barrier). This means I need to rely on visual and tactile cues more. Or alternatively hands on approach may be considered inappropriate and the verbal cues may become more important than before. In some countries clients follow you from word to word without questions. Whereas somewhere else you may be questioned and judged.
You also get to learn from your fellow Pilates Instructors which I love the most! Attending each others classes, sharing ideas and experiences, discussing opinions and Science is priceless. The more you immerse yourself into the Pilates industry and educate yourself the more you learn to understand that there is no right or wrong way to do things. In addition you become more equipped to think critically. And find rather more empowering or effective ways to teach Pilates and start to understand better why you say and do certain things. You start to unlearn and think why you teach what you teach. Just as much as how you teach what you teach.
High Possibility on Missing Out On Witnessing Pilates Clients Journey & Growth
I love seeing clients journey from first class to reaching a milestone or goal. If I spent a short amount of time (2-8 weeks in one place) I may miss out on witnessing their improvement in skills, fitness levels and strength . But that is not always the case. 4-8 weeks can absolutely be long enough time to see great deal of improvement. And get to share the joy of achieved goals. Especially beginner level clients can make a massive jump from not knowing how to use reformer or execute the exercises to skilled client that has become stronger, more flexible and mobile by attending classes regularly.
I strongly believe that a traveling Pilates Instructor can make a difference and have a positive impact on the clients they get to meet. Even if you only meet someone once. It starts from getting to know them, even if it is “just” their name and why they do Pilates. That requires the instructor to deliver a safe, fun and effective class/classes that will help clients to start their Pilates journey and keep them on track. It comes down to educating clients about the benefits of Reformer Pilates and building confidence in how the Reformer Machine work. To learn how to execute the fundamental exercises and build up body awareness and fundamental strength.
This fundamental strength and knowledge allows clients to level up and attend intermediate and advanced class levels where more complexity, intensity and further challenges can be introduced by another Pilates Instructor in the future!
Local Pilates Community
Being a part of a team at work that includes people I can call friends is super important to me. Spending time with people I can call friends in and outside the work just simply makes life better. As a traveling Reformer Pilates instructor you miss out on team building events and other social gatherings in your home studio/city but you also build new friendships with likeminded people who work in Health, Fitness and Pilates industry.
Many clients and fellow trainers become your friends no matter where about you are. Long lasting friendships require energy, time and effort to build and foster. To know people from different cultures and backgrounds who share different world views and experiences is golden and helps me to see the word through different lenses and opens up so many doors of possibilities. Sometimes our own such a black and white world turns to rainbow colored playground when you befriend people different to you. You find endless topics to discuss, hear interesting stories and find new ways to do old things. That makes life richer and helps you to become more tolerant, open-minded and empathetic person.
