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Looking into becoming a certified group fitness instructor
Honestly, the more research I try to do about this the more confused I am getting. Some of the websites are so difficult to understand and navigate, and the ones I can wrap my head around all seem to offer similar but different courses, or different paths to take in order to get the same certs. Plus, all the different variety of certs out there are just turning into mush in my brain, or turning my brain to mush…I'm not sure which anymore.
So I thought, why continue to confuse myself? I sent out emails requesting more info from a few of the sites (canfitpro, ontario fitness council, health and fitness alliance) but I wanted to ask my fellow veeners about this as well. I have searched the forum here for advice, I know there have been tons of threads about this but none seem to be locally relevant to me. I want to know specifically about being certified in Ontario, Canada. What is the best way to go about doing this? Where have you gotten your certs from? How much did it cost? How long did it take? Are there on-line course options, or did you have to go out of town for courses? Oh yeah, and am I the only one who is this confused about all this? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif
I eventually would like to become a certified pole instructor and am looking at PFIC as one way of going about that. Although I am interested in researching other locally available options if anyone knows of any. But there are so many steps to take to get there, I just need a place to start for now.
Please HELP! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_exclaim.gif
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7 Replies
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I am not Canadian, but this may translate over into the Canadian programs (maybe.) One thing that I considered in choosing the program that I did is that all the programs require continuing education units in order to keep your certification. I looked at pole fitness certrifications that qualified as continuing education units and saw that they only corresponded to either the ACE program and AFAA. I ended up choosing ACE because it is what most of the girls on here seem to have, including Veena, but of course that is an American program. What I am getting at is that you might want to see if there are any pole certification courses that qualify as continuing education units for any of the GOOD programs in Canada, and work backwards (keeping in mind that you may have to pick on that doesn't accept pole as a continuing education unit.) Finding out which programs are the good ones is where I cannot be of any help. Sorry. Hopefully some other girls will know though. Good luck! 🙂 Oh, but I WOULD make sure they are NATIONAL certifications, not just in your province, so if you move you don't have to take another exam.
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Hi Dustbunny!
If you live in Ontario, I would recommend getting your Canfit Pro. It's nationally recognized and is the biggest organization in the country. This comes in very handy any time you need to attend courses/conventions for continuing education credits. If you want to teach pole dance, the best bet would be to go for the Fitness Instructor Specialist. If you want to go into personal training, you would take the Personal Training Specialist program. Both, I think, cost around $450 each, plus the cost of taking a CPR course every year. For each program you need 4 continuing education credits each year and you can bank up to 12, I think. The way most people get there credits is attending the convention in Toronto in August, but there are pole certifications that can give you credits as well.
I know for sure that the Muse fitness instructor training in Mississauga offers 4 credits, but I am not sure if PFIC offers Can fit pro credits? It may also be possible to transfer any ACE credits you would get from taking a certification in the states (say, if you go down to New York to do the X-Pert).
As for location, can fit pro has courses all year and all over Ontario. Here's a link to the dates/locations
http://www.canfitpro.com/en/types-of-certifications/fitness-instructor-specialist/dates-a-locations
I find the can fit pro website totally confusing as well but I think it's just because there is just SO MUCH info! Hope this helps and good luck with your certification 🙂
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ACE is in Canada as well. The study material is mailed to you, but you have to go to a testing location for the test. Here is a link, you can search if there is a site near you or not.
http://www.acefitness.org/certificationexams/default.aspx
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Thanks gals
I will check out the links you have posted and @sensualsimitar thanks for the advice about working backwards once i find out more about pole cec's. That makes a lot of sense. 🙂
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Maybe you can contact Shanyn Pollard, current Miss Pole Dance Canada, about certifications? Her studio is based out in Stoney Creek and I know her studio (SASS) hosted the last PFIC certification when it was Ontario. The email I got from the website is pole_fit@hotmail.com
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I just got my Group Fitness Instructor certification through AFAA (American Fitness and Aerobics Association – AFAA.com) they are a US based company, but they offer courses world wide, I just took mine at a military base in Germany. Maybe it’s possible they offer something in Canada? It’s a bit pricey but this is the course I was recommended by half a dozen of my previous instructors.
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