The Ultimate Guide to STOTT PILATES® Certification: Path to a Professional Career
For many, there comes a point when taking Pilates classes stops being enough, and the question shifts from how do I improve my practice to how do I get certified to teach it properly.
STOTT PILATES® is the certification most often chosen at that point, and for good reason. Often described as the Ivy League of Pilates, it rebuilt Joseph Pilates' original repertoire around modern exercise science. That scientific grounding is what makes it such a credible foundation for a professional career. Plus, the pathway is modular, so where you begin depends on the experience you already bring.
What is STOTT PILATES®?
STOTT PILATES® is the contemporary method developed by co-founders Moira and Lindsay Merrithew, who refined Joseph Pilates' original work with a team of physical therapists and sports medicine and fitness professionals over more than three decades. The result is an internationally recognised programme taught across studios worldwide and consistently regarded as one of the most credible qualifications a Pilates instructor can hold.
What gives the method its technical depth is a clear framework. Every exercise is built on the Five Basic Principles:
Breathing: full, lateral breathing that supports the core and keeps movement efficient.
Pelvic Placement: stabilising the pelvis and lumbar spine in a neutral or imprinted position.
Ribcage Placement: keeping the thorax aligned so the core stays connected through movement.
Scapular Movement: mobilising and stabilising the shoulder blades to protect the neck and shoulders.
Head and Cervical Placement: aligning the upper spine to maintain length and avoid tension.
These principles run through every course and every piece of apparatus, giving a STOTT-trained instructor a consistent framework to work from regardless of the client or the setting.
Choosing Your Path: Comprehensive vs. Intensive Programmes
STOTT PILATES® offers two routes to the same qualification, and the first step in working out how to get certified in Pilates is knowing which one fits your background.
The Comprehensive Programme: The deep dive for those starting from scratch who want the fullest grounding.
The Intensive Programme: The fast track, a modular route for people already working in fitness who want to add Pilates to their repertoire.
Starting fresh points you to Comprehensive; an existing movement background points you to Intensive.
Either way, you will need around 30 hours of prior Pilates practice and a working knowledge of anatomy before you begin (our Functional Anatomy course covers the anatomy if you need it), and both routes converge through the same advanced material before the full certification exam.
Comprehensive Programme
The most thorough way to qualify as a STOTT PILATES® instructor, covering everything from anatomy through to the advanced repertoire on every apparatus. Functional Anatomy is the non-negotiable foundation since understanding how the body moves is what makes precise, safe teaching possible.
Comprehensive Matwork & Reformer (CMR) |
Comprehensive Cadillac, Chair & Barrels (CCCB) |
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What you will learn |
The transition from the floor to the machine, building from the full Matwork repertoire onto the Reformer. Around 185 exercises, each grounded in functional anatomy and biomechanics. How to programme, cue and correct at a measured pace, with the supervision to teach every movement well. |
Work on the vertical frame, using gravity-based resistance to challenge the body in ways the mat cannot. Around 295 Essential and Intermediate exercises across the Cadillac, Stability Chair, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector and Arc Barrel. Programming and postural modifications for a range of client needs. |
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Prerequisites |
Minimum 30 hours of prior Pilates participation. No separate anatomy prerequisite, as Anatomy & Exercise Fundamentals is included. |
Completion of CMR, IMP or IR. |
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Certification requirements |
Course plus a 60-hour apprenticeship at the Academy Partner (teaching clients, staff, fellow students, friends and family), then the certification exam. |
Course plus a 40-hour in-studio apprenticeship, then the certification exam. |
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Estimated cost |
On enquiry |
On enquiry |
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Mandatory materials |
CMR course package (manuals and digital content); Anatomy & Exercise Fundamentals included. |
Cadillac, Chair & Barrels course package (manuals and digital content). |
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Time commitment |
310 hours over 12 to 15 weeks plus a six-month apprenticeship. 30 hrs Functional Anatomy + 90 hrs instruction and supervised teaching + 20+ hrs observation + 70+ hrs physical review + 40+ hrs practice teaching + 60 hrs apprenticeship. |
165 hours over about 8 weeks plus a six-month apprenticeship (5.0 CECs). 50 hrs instruction and supervised teaching + 20 hrs observation + 35 hrs physical review + 25 hrs practice teaching + 40 hrs apprenticeship. |
STOTT PILATES® Intensive Programme (Level 1)
The Intensive Programme is for those who already understand exercise science and want to add Pilates to their repertoire quickly, whether through a Reformer Pilates instructor course or the mat route.
At Breathe, you start with the Intensive Mat-Plus (IMP) or the Intensive Reformer (IR), then complete the Intensive Cadillac, Chair & Barrels (ICCB). After the Level 1 exam, you will be a fully certified Level 1 STOTT PILATES® instructor.
Intensive Mat-Plus (IMP) |
Intensive Reformer (IR) |
Intensive Cadillac, Chair & Barrels (ICCB) |
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What you will learn |
Mat-Plus work with small props such as the Fitness Circle and Flex-Band, across 63 Essential, Intermediate and Power exercises with modifications. A common, accessible answer to how to get certified in Pilates without a fitness background. |
Mastering the Reformer for group and private settings, across 139 exercises. As a Reformer Pilates instructor course, it is the most popular route into boutique Pilates studio employment, and this Reformer Pilates certification, with the Pilates Reformer training behind it, carries across to the Comprehensive route. |
Adapting the Essential and Intermediate repertoire on the heavy equipment for a range of body types and fitness levels. Delivered as three modules: Cadillac, Stability Chair and Barrels. |
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Prerequisites |
30 hours of prior Pilates practice and a working knowledge of anatomy. |
30 hours of prior Pilates practice and a working knowledge of anatomy. |
Completion of IMP, IR or CMR. |
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Certification requirements |
Practice logs submitted prior to exam; final written and practical exams. |
Practice logs submitted prior to exam; final written and practical exams. |
Completes Level 1; pass the Level 1 exam to qualify as a certified instructor. No apprenticeship required. |
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Estimated cost |
Total fee: $2,350
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Total fee: $3,180
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Total Fee: $3,570
Taken individually:
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Mandatory materials |
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ICCB manuals and digital content, sold as one package. |
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Time commitment |
40 hrs instruction (4.0 CECs) + 10 hrs observation + 30 hrs physical review + 15 hrs practice teaching. |
50 hrs instruction (5.0 CECs), plus post-course observation, physical review and practice teaching. |
130 hrs total. Cadillac 60, Chair 40, Barrels 30. |
STOTT PILATES® Advanced (Level 2)
Once you are certified at Level 1, the Advanced repertoire takes you into the most demanding material, calling for high-level coordination, strength and balance.
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Advanced Matwork (AM) |
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What you will learn |
The 13 most demanding exercises in the STOTT PILATES® Matwork repertoire, requiring a high degree of coordination, strength and control. You learn how to initiate each movement correctly, how to build progressions for highly conditioned clients, and how to apply variations across private and group settings. |
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Prerequisites |
Completion of Intensive Mat-Plus (IMP) or Comprehensive Matwork & Reformer (CMR). |
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Certification requirements |
A Level 2 module; builds towards full certification alongside Advanced Reformer and Injuries & Special Populations. |
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Estimated cost |
On enquiry |
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Mandatory materials |
Advanced Matwork course package (manual and digital content); details on enquiry. |
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Time commitment |
6 hours over one day (0.6 CECs). |
From Certified to Teaching
Passing your exam and stepping in front of your first class are two different milestones. Whether you can teach straight after the course depends on the Pilates studio. Some will let you begin right away. If you do not sit the exams, you are a STOTT PILATES® trained instructor; once you complete them, you are a certified STOTT PILATES® instructor.
At Breathe, we hold our own teaching to a high standard. Joining our team involves two interviews and an in-house training programme that you will need to complete and pass before you teach with us. The first interview happens during the course itself, where our Educational Director and Lead Instructor Trainer, Thicha Srivisal, identifies the strongest instructors and puts their names forward. The second focuses on character and commitment, because we want a team that is both highly skilled and genuinely supportive. The in-house programme then runs through three levels of mocks and exams covering a range of areas of focus and programming, with discussions, case studies and coaching on how to keep improving.
If you are weighing up where to begin, the best way to decide is to feel it for yourself. As a MERRITHEW™ Licensed Training Centre, meet our Instructor Trainers, Thicha and Mari, and talk through the right starting point for your background. Get in touch to ask about the next Pilates instructor course intake, and we will help you find your way in.
Here is the schedule of our upcoming MERRITHEW Teacher Training Courses
