Own Your Title As A Yoga Teacher
Teaching yoga isn’t something you ‘do’. It’s something you ‘are’. Even if you’re not currently teaching yoga, I recommend claiming your title as a yoga teacher and tell everyone you know. This will put the energy out into the world that you are a yoga teacher, and what you start to powerfully claim as true, the universe will respond and give you back that exact thing. Plus, letting people know you’re a yoga teacher will get the word out there – you never know when your name could be passed or mentioned as a qualified yoga teacher, and the perfect teaching opportunity could present itself to you just from word of mouth. When people ask you what you do, tell them, ‘I’m a yoga teacher” — WITHOUT any hesitation. As you become confident in claiming this as a part of who you are, the universe will respond vibrationally by also seeing this as a part of who you are, and this is when you’ll start to attract relevant opportunities into your life.
How To Find Your First Yoga Teaching Job
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Youre a certified yoga instructor! Congrats!
Let me guess, you are a little nervous and excited to share all your new juicy knowledge with the world! With the increasing trend of yoga instructors in the marketplace, you may run into some challenges trying to find your first yoga teaching job. Dont let that dim your flame! We are here to help.
Getting Qualified For The Yoga Career You Want
You need to decide whether you wish to be a self-employed yoga instructor or work for a gym/studio. Although obtaining a license to teach students may not be required for becoming a self-employed yoga teacher, you will find most yoga studios and employers will require you to complete a required amount of training with an approved training course. They may require you to be recognized as a Registered Yoga Teacher by the Yoga Alliance or that you have undergone specialized training if you wish to teach specialized forms of yoga.
Dont be afraid to meet with the yoga studios you wish to work for ahead of time so as to find out what training requirements they have for their teachers. Also be aware that the more styles of yoga you are qualified to teach, the more job opportunities you will have.
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Tip #: The Waiting Game
If you get a callback and are hired, congratulations, youve landed your first yoga teaching job. If you werent called back, its perfectly fine. It gives you some time to hone your skills . There are jobs out there and if you wait long enough, opportunities do come back around. Teachers move, need to switch their schedule, give up classes because of other commitments or move on to new opportunities. This means that a new spotor maybe a fewwill open up. If you are willing to play the waiting game, you might find a job sooner than you think.
At times working in the yoga field can be discouraging. There are popular teachers, popular time slots, and teachers that know more than a recent grad. This is the reality. However, all yoga teachers started somewhere. There are very few teachers who have had an easy time landing 10 classes a week that were full to capacity. Growing classes and becoming an expert in your field takes time and if you are willing to put in the continued work and effort, your commitment will yield results. Practice with attention, hone your craft, be yourself and persevere in your quest to teach yoga.
Tip #: Research Places To Teach Yoga
Yoga is incorporated into more settings than just yoga studios. Personally, Ive taught or currently teach in corporate offices, yoga studios, medical facilities, hospitals, and schools. My colleagues have taught in senior centers, prisons, shelters, religious institutions, out of their homes, recreation parks, librariesthe list goes on. If you go to a chiropractor, inquire if they would be interested in holding a yoga class. Set up your own class on the beach or at a park. No one ever said that landing your first job had to be through someone else. You can set up a class all on your own. If youre looking to teach in a particular studio or institution, find out more about them. Learn where you can submit your resume, the best person to contact, and if you need any additional training. It can be helpful to take a class at a location where youd like to teach .
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Networking To Find Yoga Jobs Abroad
Chances are, youll be finding places to practice as you travel. Be sure to network with studio owners and anyone else who could help you find a local teaching gig. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to lead you to opportunities. Maybe even find a mentor in the industry who can help connect you to more people.
Social media is also a great resource to help you meet others on a similar path. Check out articles written by fellow international instructors or find them on Instagram.
We recommend the Facebook group Yoga Jobs all Over The World. You can find yoga teaching jobs all over the world.
Getting Hired To Teach Yoga
With the increasing amount of experienced teachers and yoga teacher training graduates, it can be challenging to stand out in the market for yoga studios, particularly if you wish to teach at a busy one.
It is, however, possible to position yourself in such a way that you can attract positive attention from studio owners when you apply for a teaching position. Careful reflection about what makes your teaching distinctive, a clear sense of yourself as a teacher and staying open to different positions in a studio can help you with your studio job application process.
Identify the Studio You Want to Teach In
The first step in getting hired by a yoga studio is to identify which studio you would like to teach in. Then learn as much as possible about it, including its administration and overall style. Take classes from different teachers and ask one of them who you can talk to about teaching there yourself.
It is a good idea to try to take a class from a the studio owner and follow it up with an email describing what you liked about his or her class. State why you feel you would be a good fit for teaching at the studio, as well as what you can contribute to its community.
Be sure to mention where you completed your yoga teacher training, your yoga teaching experience and what levels and styles you teach.
Build a Following
Demonstration Class
Be Flexible
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Find Private Yoga Teaching Jobs In Person And Online
Private yoga teaching is where I found the majority of my work. In a way I fell into this way of teaching and discovered after teaching my first private students that this was a style of teaching really suited to me, despite being a new teacher at the start.
So, where can you find private yoga clients right now wherever you are in the world? One great place to start is through a lead generation website.
These sites basically help to connect service providers with people looking for that service . When I was building my initial private yoga student base, I used the UK website Bidvine, but heres a breakdown of different lead generation websites throughout the world.
Lead generation websites for finding private yoga students
- Star of Service Over 130 countries worldwide
I only have personal experience using Bidvine, but when used with a clear strategy and system in place, it was extremely effective. Just make sure that when you respond to people, you personalise your messages.
It also helped me a lot to offer introductory or taster sessions at a discount first which I think helped me to stand out. Once the initial connection has been made, you no longer have to operate through the website which is great because you dont have to give away a percentage of your earnings.
It does cost a small amount of money to contact each potential lead or client, but this has been more than worth it for me.
Make Sure Theres A More Senior Teacher With Whom You Can Have Frank Discussions About Teaching Yoga
A lot of important information just isnt covered in teacher training. You might have questions such as, How much should I charge? or How do I build a client base? or even How do I leave a job? These conversations are much easier if they’re with someone you trust. Having your own teacher will also keep you growing in your personal practice.
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Prepare For Your Audition
An audition is just what its called in the yoga world when the studio watches a demo of your teaching to determine if youre a good fit. Refine your most solid flow from your YTT and practice it a few more times with friends. You will likely have between 5 and 30 minutes for your audition to give a sense of your voice and energy. Feeling good about your audition class even BEFORE you express interest can give you an extra bit of confidence as you inquire or make you ready in the off-chance that the manager has a few minutes right then for you to show your stuff.
Embrace Mindful Marketing Its Not Your Enemy
Apart from looking for opportunities, you can also make it possible for people to find you. In order to do so, you must make yourself visible and find ways to interact with yoga communities outside the studio.
You may find having to market yourself feels a little disturbing. Youve just got away from the consumerist lifestyle and now this! If beneficial healing activities arent promoted, people wont know about them. Youre not selling something you dont believe in and youre not driven by the promise of power. Besides, you dont have to be aggressive. There are plenty of ways to reach yoga enthusiasts without resorting to intrusive marketing techniques.
You could provide your audience with valuable educational content by starting a youtube channel and sharing video tutorials on particular yoga poses. Or, you can start an Instagram account where youll share tips on a balanced lifestyle healthy diet and daily meditation. The possibilities are endless and in time, you may notice that its actually fun to stay in touch with other yogis outside of the studio. Make sure you are visible and be consistent about it.
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Find Yoga Teaching Jobs Step # 2 Utilize Job Boards & Facebook Pages
Now that you know where you would like to work, the next step is to identify the yoga jobs already on the market. In the next sections, I will discuss how you can approach the yoga studios directly.
Before we get into individual job boards, it is essential to understand how hiring works in the yoga industry. Most yoga studios offer yoga teacher training programs to their students. The YTT programs are an important source of revenue for yoga studios.
Once a student graduates from the YTT program, they have preference whenever a yoga teacher job opens up at the studio. So the majority of yoga teaching jobs will not be posted on job boards. But for now, let us explore the job boards that you can use to find open yoga jobs.
Reach Out To Ideal Companies Directly
Finding corporate yoga teacher jobs will not be easy at first. Time to roll up your sleeves and do some work! Take the initiative and reach out to companies you think may benefit from offering their employees a corporate yoga class.
To get your prospecting list started, take the tip from above and find a Best Employers list in your area. Research each company and find their contact us page to get an email address in which to send your inquiry. Keep your message brief and to the point.
Ad agencies, small private companies, and progressive tech companies are great places to start. They have less red tape to deal with and are more hip to employee satisfaction.
When you do secure your first gig, be sure to over deliver value. After youve proven your worth, get some referrals by asking the leadership if they know any other companies that might also benefit from yoga in the workplace.
Be prepared for the companies to ask you:
- Your corporate yoga rates
- What is your experience? Resume handy? References?
- Will you supply the mats and other materials?
- What type of space would you need?
- How often and how many people can you accommodate?
Protip: Be prepared to send a corporate yoga proposal to your contact at the business. Have a couple of your business savvy friends know look over your corporate yoga proposal template to ensure it looks professional.
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What Is The Salary Of A Yoga Teacher
Salaries for yoga teachers vary greatly depending on location and studio.
In the United States, a studio may pay anywhere from $30-$50 per class. Some also pay per head, so if youre able to fill the room you may get an additional $1-3 per student.
It can take time and hard work to fill your schedule with high-paying classes. Be humble as you start and consider freelance or part-time work to supplement your income as you build your yoga client list.
Private clients will be the highest earner for you. I recommend selling your classes to private clients in packages, such as 4/8 class packages per month. This will keep your students committed to your classes for the month and keep your income a little more reliable.
Research the going rate for personal trainers in your area and base your private class rate on that. Keep in mind travel times and most of all, know your worth and defend it.
In summary, how much do yoga teachers get paid? You may have noticed I dodged that question here.
It can and will vary so much depending on whether you teach in a studio or to private clients. It will depend on where you live and how many classes you can realistically squeeze into one day.
Also, keep track of all of your expenses for tax purposes. Things like equipment and even your Spotify account can be written off as business expenses.
Hyper Focused Google Search: Yoga Teacher Wanted +
If you have a specification location in mind, try narrowing your search results. For example, lets say you wanted to teach yoga in Bali. You would search yoga teachers wanted in Bali.
This works because it will narrow down the search results allowing smaller studios who are looking for a yoga teacher to appear in the search results. Yoga teacher wanted or something similar is a common phrase that we notice yoga studios posting for job opportunities.
Compare that to a more general search term like yoga instructor job vacancies abroad which wouldnt be very helpful.
Obviously this only works if you already know where you want to teach yoga abroad.
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Think Outside The Studio
Teaching yoga in an actual yoga studio is a dream for many of us teacher-training grads. Being able to teach in a beautiful space, with access to mats and props, lighting and a sound system is actually quite a luxury. Often times, popular studios that are well established, already have well-established teachers in place and a steady following. It can be difficult to get in as a brand new teacher, especially with little to no teaching experience under your belt.
But dont stop there.
Time to discover your niche and think outside of the studio. Yoga is being offered everywhere these days! Local gyms, community centers, and schools are a good place to start. Ive even taught at bachelorette parties and weddings. Since yoga is exploding all over the world, get creative when considering where you can apply. And, dont give up entirely on the yoga studios you just never know when an opening will arise.
Find Your Niche As A Yoga Teacher
The market for teaching yoga is becoming more saturated everyday. This fact alone makes it increasingly important to find your niche as a yoga instructor.
Are you great with kids? The elderly? Maybe youre bilingual and can teach in more than one language. Whatever it is, find what makes your offering unique to set yourself apart from the rest.
Here are 100 Yoga Niche Ideas to get you started
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What Is The Work Environment Of A Yoga Teacher
Yoga teachers can work in a variety of environments including local yoga studios, fitness centers and other similar facilities. They may also provide yoga instruction through online courses. Additionally, shifts for a yoga teacher vary based on where they work and the number of classes they have scheduled. Shifts for a yoga teacher can include days, nights, weekends and holiday hours. Yoga teachers may work full- or part-time, and some are self-employed. Due to the nature of the work performed, yoga instructors have the benefit of working in relaxing, peaceful environments and often have strong job satisfaction.
One: Train Like A Yogi
The first step to becoming a yoga teacher of abundance and comfort is to become a yoga teacher.
These days, you can choose a yoga school in a variety of styles of yoga. Traditional styles such as Hatha yoga, Iyengar yoga, or Ashtanga Vinyasa are common for 200-hour teacher training programs. If you choose to register with Yoga Alliance, you can also log hours spent training in other styles of yoga.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but the more you learn, the better you will teach.
The more immersed you are in the teachings, the more authentic and valuable your presence will be in the classroom.
Win for the students in your yoga classes: they dont have to listen to a fitness instructor just reading a script about yoga poses and breathing. Win for wherever you teach: better yoga teachers are more likely to have yogis who return to practice with them, generating more income for the gym or yoga studio.
And WIN for YOU! Whether you teach yoga full-time or as a part-time job, its exponentially more fulfilling to do something that you love. To work a job that you cannot get enough of.
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