Is an Online Yoga Teacher Certification Reputable?

What are employers looking for in a newly-hired Yoga instructor? The needs of employers are straight forward: Any facility, which hires a Yoga teacher, is looking for safety, competence, and certification. When considering a Yoga teacher training program, a prospective intern must consider the depth of the course in the above-mentioned areas.

Online Yoga teacher courses are an outgrowth of recent technology and the demand for affordable training options. Home study programs exist for aspirants, who want to advance, and deepen their knowledge, in any given aspect of Yoga.

At a time when most new Yoga instructors are teaching a few hours per week, who wants to spend the monetary equivalent of college tuition to earn part-time wages? It is a fact that most instructors begin teaching Yoga on a part-time basis.

This is the most conservative approach toward breaking in to a new field, while you continue to earn your full time income. Although you may have been participating in Yoga for years, it is not the same as teaching classes, marketing, networking, advertising, and all that entails a small business.

If you find the concept of a business to be offensive, the best option to take is working for someone else as an independent contractor or a part-time employee. In this way, you work for an agreed rate and do not have to be concerned with expanding your student base; that is, unless your student participation suddenly drops, and the facility cannot afford to keep you on.

Sometimes, companies cut back programs permanently, or temporarily, during a slow season. Therefore, if you are teaching Yoga, you have a vested interest in learning all you can about marketing, networking, advertising, and business skills, to keep your classes going.

This is why most veteran Yoga teachers do their best to learn many skills that apply to the business world. There is also the choice to operate as a non-profit, but you still have to file taxes and make sure you are within the guidelines of the law.

Now, let’s get back to: Is an Online Yoga Teacher Certification Reputable? In short, yes, it is, as long as you become certified to teach. Make sure you will receive a teacher’s diploma upon successful completion of your course. Of course, safety, competence, and some basic business survival skills, are a pre-requisite to a comprehensive course, which would prepare you for the world of teaching Yoga.

Do you still feel that business and Yoga is not a good mix? Consider this: Some Yoga teacher graduates have spent over ten thousand dollars for their training. In the process, they never learn anything to prepare for interviews or business survival. There is no harm in preparing for success as a certified Yoga teacher.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga Teacher Training – The Importance of Certification & Registration

The Truth about Yoga Teacher Training Certification:

Based on our research, there are no rules or regulations in most countries for being able to teach Yoga. This includes Western nations like the US, UK, Canada, the European Union or even countries like Japan and Australia.

What does this mean for you?

You are welcome to choose a program of your choice, so long as it offers you Yoga Teacher Certification.
Please Note: It would seem from the above that the concept of “International” Certification is a myth and there is no relevance to the concept of seeking “International” Certification.
Yoga Alliance, IYF, BWY and Others So, where do Yoga Alliance, the International Yoga Federation (IYF), BWY and other smaller bodies offering Yoga Standards come in? These bodies are self-created Registries that have devised standards for Yoga teachers. Being registered with them implies that as a teacher or school, you meet the standards of yoga teaching as devised by them.

Please Note: These Registries are independent bodies and it is NOT mandatory to be registered with them to teach in their countries or any country for that matter. Unfortunately, an impression seems to have gone around that it is necessary to be on their registries to teach.

So, is it Useless being on these Registries? Not so. Whatever be the motivation for creating standards, the fact is that these Registries are an attempt to bring some “method in the madness” of Yoga teaching even though the criteria and method employed to determine this is debatable. Indeed, several yoga teachers – especially the senior and experienced ones – argue the very need for the method as espoused by these registries. They argue that yoga is to be taught as a lineage; as a kind of hand me down from Master to student. Nevertheless, the fact is that being on these Registries can be useful in several respects.

Benefits of being Registered

1.Increased Job Opportunities: Several (not all) Studios insist on a teacher being registered as a prerequisite for the job on offer.

2.Guarantee of “Authenticity”: In the absence of any alternative methods of evaluation, prospective students have only such “authenticity” stamps to base their decisions on which class to join.

3.Better “Business” Prospects: When teachers on such registries start their own Teacher Training programs, their students are automatically entitled to receive a “registered” teacher status without much additional effort. This push-effect dramatically increases the prospects of getting more students for the Teacher Training Course.

4.Future of Yoga: Much as some may dislike, many of these Registries are trying to influence Government and Professional bodies to recognize their standards as the minimum requirements for Yoga teaching eligibility. In the absence of any alternatives, coupled with the enthusiasm of Registries to push their case, it seems that authorities would succumb in the interest of the safety of their citizens. So, perhaps joining these registries may be beneficial.

Disadvantages & Caveats:

1.Expensive: It is believed that many Registered Schools & teachers charge unreasonable and exorbitant fees for the “badge” that they hold. Innocent and uninformed students, expecting the “badge” to be everything get ripped off without reaping any commensurate returns in the future.

2.Exploitation: There are also reports of such schools having teachers “for Free” and students complying to meet the requirement of adequate teaching hours experience.

3.Poor Instruction: Ironically, these Registries are encouraging the spawning of “teachers-on-paper”. This is the very opposite of what was intended. Many of the senior teachers, teaching far before these registries even came into being, refuse to acknowledge, leave alone become a member of them. On the other hand, young, relatively inexperienced, professional and tech savvy enough to manage paperwork are increasingly making it to the Registries. This is a dangerous trend in which the innocent student can suffer greatly.