Have you heard that barre classes have become all the rage? What once was a rarity at fitness clubs is now popping up everywhere, and the world needs certified barre instructors to meet the booming demand! Learning to teach barre can open up a whole new world of career opportunities for a fitness enthusiast like you.
But is an online barre training the way to go? If you have questions or are still hesitating, we'll address 5 common worries and provide tips for overcoming them.
If barre is mostly an in-person practice, how does an online training translate the minutiae of teaching to real, live people? It’s a valid question! Not all online barre trainings address how to make your in-person classes top-notch, but fortunately: we do!
In each module, we’ll not only teach you how an exercise should be aligned, but we’ll also teach you how to offer both modifications and hands-on assists! You’ll see us demonstrating on live students, explaining what you might possibly encounter in your own classes.
When you practice with our recorded classes, you’ll also see our instructors move around the room to offer hands-on assists and in-the-moment cues. This gives you ample opportunity to clue in on how to handle a live class!
A required part of our curriculum is to, surprise surprise, actually practice teaching real, live people! Before you have even finished going through the modules, we encourage you to practice cueing, counting, and exploring the alignment of the exercises.
Just like anything in life, you get out of the training what you put in. So find a few friends or family members who are ready to try out some barre exercises and start practicing right away!
Before you receive your certificate, you are required to submit a video of yourself teaching a class to the Academy team. We will review your submission and give you feedback to make sure you’re 100% ready to launch your teaching career!
Didn’t quite nail it? That’s ok! You can re-submit your videos as many times as you need to. Additional fees may apply.
If you’re only watching videos, how are you supposed to interact with instructors? What if you have questions, or need extra support? We have two built-in ways to connect with our instructor team!
As soon as you sign up for training, you’ll gain access to our Barre & Soul Academy Facebook group. There, you can interact with Academy instructors as well as trainees past and present.
Ask questions, share your experience, and enjoy a sense of comradery and community with hundreds of other barre fanatics!
Once a month, our lead instructor hops on Zoom for a live Q&A session with any trainees who would like to join! How can you make the best use of these calls?
First: put them on your calendar! If possible, log on in real time so you can ask your questions. If you aren’t able to make it, watch the replays! Chances are high that someone else has similar questions about teaching barre as yours.
As you go through the training, make notes about any questions that come up along the way. Keep a notebook, or even a Note in your phone. Then on Q&A day, you can choose your most pressing questions and ask away! Eliminate the risk of, “Oh man, I had questions but now I totally forget.”
With so many barre trainings out there, how do you know which programs offer a certification that will actually hold water on the market? Bob’s Barre Certification might raise more questions than job opportunities, and if you’re spending money on a program you want it to take you far.
Here’s what you should be looking for.
There’s a new organization called the Barre Fitness Alliance, and this team of fitness professionals are helping create some much-needed standards in the Wild West of the Barre industry.
Guess who’s on the Board of Directors? The founder of Barre & Soul Academy, Andrea Isabelle Lucas. So you’re not only studying with a highly experienced instructor who has trained extensively in the original Lotte Berk Method; your certification is coming from a school recognized as one of the best.
After graduation, you can apply to become a Barre Fitness Alliance-recognized instructor, too! Talk about boosting your credentials.
Social proof can be an enormous help when vetting the quality and effectiveness of a barre teacher training program. That’s why we share testimonials and stories from our students who have trained and gone on to teach!
We get it. You don’t want to only take our word for it when it comes to how good our barre teacher training program really is! Read through some of the feedback that our graduates have provided to see what they thought.
Do you consider yourself a go-getter with plenty of motivation and discipline to go around? (Please share!) If so, fantastic! But if you struggle to stay on task, the online, at-your-own-pace training can present a challenge.
Here’s how to ensure you stay on track with ease.
Whether you use a spreadsheet, a day planner, or your phone calendar, set yourself clear study goals. By when do you want to have Module 1 finished? By what date do you intend to teach your first practice class?
Set goals that feel bold and motivate you, but are achievable given everything else you are balancing in your life. Set yourself up for success, not struggle.
By now, you probably know whether you study best in the morning, at night, or spread across the day. So create a study plan and schedule that makes the most sense for your learning style and slot it into your calendar.
We’ve found that putting things on the calendar and making them non-negotiable (i.e., don’t also schedule yourself to have a coffee date at that time!) is the key to staying on track. It’s also a way to show yourself that your studies are a priority you aren’t willing to let slide!
Where your attention goes, your energy flows, as they say. So give yourself time to focus your attention fully on becoming the best barre teacher you can be.
These days it seems like everything is online. Another platform to learn? More features to figure out? How do I submit my final video?
Fear not, we’ve chosen our platform because it is oh-so-user friendly, and just in case you get stuck/lost/confused…
We’ve got you.
Before you jump straight into your first module, take a little tour around the platform. You’ll see all the videos and modules nicely organized, with your downloadable manual sections listed and available.
Print them or read them on the screen, it's your choice!
You’ll also see your section quizzes. Leave those until you’re ready, but don’t worry; you’ll be well prepared by the time you get there.
If you do get stuck or confused, our team can get you back on track. Ask your questions in the Facebook group or send an email to our staff and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Remember: you’re never totally alone! There’s always someone in the Facebook group, or at the other end of an email, who can help you sort out whatever technical issues you encounter. We want your tech to be a smooth and straightforward experience!
Online barre teacher certification can be a convenient and flexible way to become a certified barre instructor. We know you’re vetting your options so you can choose the best program, and we applaud your careful consideration! Here’s hoping we’ve soothed your worries about things like lack of hands-on instruction, limited interaction with instructors, certification recognition, self-motivation, and technical difficulties. We want you to feel confident and prepared to embark on your online certification journey.
With dedication, hard work, and support, you can become an incredible certified barre instructor and help others achieve their fitness goals with a career you love!
Any questions? We're here to help!
teach@barresoulacademy.com
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