Question: gaining certification abroad

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,
I am currently residing in Australia for the next 18months. I have been practicing yoga for about 3 years. I have thought about teacher training in the past, but now it seems very convenient. I have found a studio I really like and am considering taking their teacher training course. The studio classes they offer are Hatha and Vinyasa Power Flow Yoga. In the paperwork, it says “the program is based on Patanjali’s Ashtanga or 8 limbed approach.” It is a 12mo course with a 500 hr certification. The modules of study are:
Philosophy and Ethics, Traditional Anatomy and Physiology, The Energetic Anatomy, Integrative Teaching Practices and Methodology, Techniques of Yoga
This training is certified by the Yoga Teachers Assoc. of Australia but not the YA.

Since this is a significant investment, my question is about gaining certification outside of the US and being able to find a teaching position within the US. How are applicants interviewed and hired? Would it be more beneficial for me to study in the US and work within my school of study? Can you suggest any specific questions I should ask the teachers before applying? Any and all advice is welcome. This is a big decision for me and I am kind of in a time crunch.

Thank you!!

#2

I just finished up my 200-hour teacher training in Connecticut and can only comment from my position of VERY limited experience. From what I understand, when you interview for a position at a yoga studio, the owner will want to observe you teach a class. So maybe they will come to another class you are teaching or will require you to teach one just for them. If you want to teach yoga at a gym or at a corporation, then it might be different. This is good news for you because then it matters less where you got trained and it’s more about how good you are.

From different teachers I’ve talked to, most get their 200-hour YA certification first, getting some experience teaching, then getting their 500-hour certification. I saw one 500-hour certification program here actually requires a certain number of hours teaching experience in order to apply; I don’t know if this is the norm. In any case, you having your 500 hours means that you will have more training than most newbie teachers… a good thing!

On the other hand, I believe some yoga studios that offer teacher training prefer to hire teachers that they have trained themselves. This is definitely the case where I got trained. I don’t know if the Yoga Teachers Assoc of Oz is considered on par with the YA, but that’s a good question. Since the YA is an international association, I would ask the studio you are considering why they aren’t registered with them.

I hope this helped a little, but hopefully other yoga teachers will chime in! If no one does, then I suggest that you ask a yoga studio directly. Perhaps you know where you will be living upon your return to the US and can ask a few studios in that area?

#3

Yoga teachers should train in a place that suits their svadharma or self mission. If you are called to train there and it speaks to you deeply, then heed that call. Of course I understand the need for pragmatism here as you are making a lifetime investment.

It is quite possible to get a poor training in the U.S. and be hired nearly everywhere. It is also possible to be trained well overseas and find only one job in the States.

I personally believe the decision to train as a yoga teacher is very serious but should not be based on whether one can get easy employment, be well paid, or receive a YA registry. Those things are to be considered but they pale in comparison to the bigger picture for the teacher’s life.

Studios tend to fall into two categories. They either offer an amalgam of styles usually based on what is trendy or popular or they offer a single style. The first type of studio would obviously hire all sorts of teacher. The second would hire specifically trained teachers.

If you only want to teach yoga and you desire to be reliant upon employment by gyms, and studios, then it might be best to examine the nature of yoga in the city in which you wish to teach.

gordon

#4

Hello

I am practicing yoga for last 10 years and I wanted to do a good teacher training course for very long.
I wanted to go to India for the TTC as I wanted to have the knowledge directly from the roots. After long search
on internet and talking to many schools in India I did my TTC at Ananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram, North India.
It is beautiful ashram and a perfect place for those interested in Yoga and spirituality. The atmosphere is very peaceful, the teachers were very inspiring and caring. I learnt alot about teaching, correcting, alignments apart from the right principles
They only accept 15 students in a course, the course was an eye opener, I saw many differences in Yoga in Europe and Yoga in India, If you are serious about Yoga The I would highly recommend it, you can check them at anandayogashram.org…Good luck