Considered working as a pilates instructor? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to ‘DiversityJobs.com street smart’ – a collection of true work-life stories told by members of minority groups (including women) from a journalist to an associate teacher, and everything in between.
What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
I am a Pilates Instructor, currently working for a private health club. I have been working as a pilates instructor for seven years.
Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
The first thing I do in the morning is working out. I need to do cardio to keep my weight. I consider it to be part of my job because instructors need to be in great shape! In some cases. That is even in our contract. Besides, we motivate people who attend our classes.
I spend six hours every day from Monday to Friday giving people instructions and making sure that they are ding it well and that they won’t get hurt. Each class is an hour long.
What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what response worked best?
I am Hispanic. I don’t think it has hurt me in any way, and I don’t think I have faced discrimination of any kind.
Do you speak any language other than English? If so, how has it helped you in your job?
Yes, I speak fluent Spanish. I don’t think I have used it in my job.
On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate it as a 7. I would like a better salary. I work for an expensive health club, but I get the same hourly rate than some instructors that I know –who work for less expensive gyms-.
What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I learned that a company’s prestige is not always followed by a better salary! When I got hired here, I thought that I would quickly make twice what I was earning when I started they had promised that I would be offered a much better salary, but it hasn’t happened so far.
What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
They should teach students how to negotiate their salaries. It is hard and it is not something that you can easily learn from a textbook. They should even establish “practice days” and hire someone with experience in HR and salary negotiation to grade students and offer feedback.
How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
Pilates started as an exercise that only ballet dancers did in order to keep their muscles strong and defined, but also compact, without growing excessively. Anyone can tell the difference between a ballet dancer and someone who practices box or lifts weights.
I was a ballet dancer, so I practiced pilates for many years. The truth is, even though I was talented enough to be a professional dancer, I knew I wasn’t good enough to do something great. I felt like I would always be in the background, so I decided to retire and marry my boyfriend.
However, I was decided to have a job, so I became a certified pilates instructor. And here I am!
I don’t think I would change anything. I am happy with my life the way it is.
What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
Not really strange, but here is something funny. A lot of men think of pilates as something useless that women do just. But some women literally drag their husbands, boyfriends, or guy friends to our class. Most of them don’t seem to be happy about it; some of them even make sure that the whole class hear that they are not here because they want to. By the end of the class, most of them try to find out more about our schedule… many of them do come back!.
On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
When people approach me and tell me that they are reaching their goal, I feel great!. Some of them are here to re-shape their bodies, while others want to be more flexible.
When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
This just happened once, but it the thing that I have disliked the most. A lady who was extremely overweight joined us for a class. However, even though I tried to adapt most exercises for her, she couldn’t do them. Someone from the class started being nasty to her. I asked the rude woman to leave, since the health club rules require all members to be respectful to each other. However, I think that her words really hurt the other lady, so I felt really bad.
How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
I don’t think it is stressful at all. In fact, I couldn’t work if I felt stressed…. I think that people come to the club to exercise and relax, so my attitude has to match theirs.
What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
It depends. There is an hourly rate. There are some pilates instructors that work privately with wealthier people such as extremely successful businessmen, models and celebrities, and they really make excellent money.
I don’t think I get paid enough!
What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
I think that exercising everyday and eating healthy food are the most challenging things. The exercise part is a bit easier than food, but people tend to think that people who have been professional athletes are now sports instructors and exercise daily don’t struggle to keep away from junk food… but we do.
No matter how long you have been eating food, a chocolate will always be tastier than lettuce.
What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Instructors tend to be people who have practiced the same discipline for years. Some of us are also former pro-athletes. Being a certified instructor is important because it proves that you are ready to train others (remember, doing something is not the same as teaching others how to do it).
In addition, you need to be patient and understand that you might be training people with no previous knowledge of the discipline and no talent for it, and still be happy about it.
It is likely that you will be required to keep a good shape, so be prepared to work out and give up junk food.
What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
I would tell them that this job is right for them if they enjoy being social, talking to a lot of people everyday and, in general, not doing anything that office job normally consist of. I would tell them to start training as soon as they can!
How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I take three weeks per year. I think it is enough, but I wouldn’t complain if I had an extra week.
Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
I think it does because I have always loved physical activity and coaching others. I love the fact that I get to meet a lot of people.
If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I know that my job is physically demanding, so I know that eventually, I will need to find something new. But I hope to continue as a pilates instructor for the next 10 years. I also want to try new things, like yoga or other types of dance. I think that I am in great shape, so it shouldn’t take that long to get more certifications.
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