Guide to Commencing Yoga Instruction Overseas: Comprehensive Multi-Step Tutorial
Teaching Yoga Abroad: A Comprehensive Guide
Teaching yoga abroad can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process.
Qualifications
The minimum qualification to teach yoga abroad is typically a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) certification accredited by recognized bodies like Yoga Alliance or Yoga Australia. This certification combines yoga theory, practical teaching skills, anatomy, and philosophy. [1][3][4][5]
Key qualifications and steps include:
- Completing a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training course that covers yoga techniques, anatomy, teaching methodology, philosophy, and meditation. These programs usually require some prior personal yoga practice experience but no formal prerequisites. [1][3][4]
- The training can be in-person or online, often spanning from around 8 weeks up to several months, with a blend of live sessions, self-paced learning, practice teaching, and assessments. [1][3][4]
- Some countries or employers prefer higher qualifications, such as a 300-hour or 500-hour certification, which build on the 200-hour foundation with more advanced study, teaching experience, and specialization. [2][4]
- Graduates receive certifications that may be internationally recognized if accredited by reputable organizations such as Yoga Alliance or Yoga Australia, facilitating teaching credentials abroad. [2][3][5]
Additional Considerations
- A valid passport is essential for all forms of travel, including teaching yoga abroad. Some countries require a passport to be valid for at least 6 months after travel. [6]
- The travel section of the UK Government website or the government website of the country you are travelling to usually has information on visa requirements. [6]
- International yoga teacher insurance is important for your own safety and financial security, and is often a requirement for many yoga instructor jobs overseas. [7]
- Websites such as Yoga Trade, WorkAway, WorldPackers, Yoga Travel Jobs, and Retreat Hub can help find yoga teaching jobs abroad. [8]
- To teach yoga abroad at a retreat, a few years of teaching experience may be required. [9]
- Establishing your niche as a yoga teacher abroad, by specialising in a particular type of yoga, can help you stand out amongst other applicants for yoga teaching jobs and increase your yoga teacher salary. [10]
Preparation
- Learning the language of the country where you are going to teach yoga overseas can help reduce culture shock and make life easier for you. [11]
- Building an online presence as a yoga teacher before teaching yoga abroad can help you find a yoga instructor job abroad and connect with other people before you arrive. [12]
- Important sections to include on your CV are contact information, personal summary, work experience, industry-related qualifications and licenses, education, hobbies and interests, and references. [13]
- The Level 3 Yoga Teacher Training course from OriGym is internationally recognized and certifies you to work in both the UK and abroad. [14]
Equipment and Insurance
- A travel yoga mat, yoga clothes suitable for the climate, a small amount of yoga props, a yoga towel, a yoga teacher journal, water bottle, and equipment are necessary for teaching yoga abroad. [15]
- Insure 4 Sport and BeYogi both have good insurance policies for yoga instructors. [16]
- Travel insurance for working abroad covers medical care if you have an accident at work, travel costs if you have to return home because of an injury, and loss or damage of your luggage. [17]
Finances
- Plan your finances before you leave to become a yoga instructor abroad, including budgeting for travel costs, equipment, insurance, accommodation, food and drink, and unexpected costs. [18]
- To enhance your fitness class offerings and personal knowledge, consider pursuing further education in health-and-wellness, specifically in fitness science, which can provide a strong foundation for your training and teaching.
- As part of your continuing education and self-development, you might want to attend a fitness class focused on specialized techniques in yoga, offering unique experiences to your students and setting you apart in the health-and-wellness industry.
- To make the most of your fitness class experience abroad, having a well-rounded understanding of yoga philosophies, coupled with a strong educational background in both science and education-and-self-development principles, can provide valuable insights and complement your teaching methods.
