What To Do After Yoga Teacher Training: 9 Key Steps

If you’ve just qualified as a yoga teacher, you may now be wondering, what next? With so much to think about, it can be hard to know where to start!

That’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to what to do after yoga teacher training. From getting insured to finding your first job as a yoga teacher, we’ve got you covered! 

Before we get started, if you’re ready to take the next step in your yoga teaching career, why not become a Level 4 yoga teacher with OriGym? Enquire today, or download our free yoga course prospectus for more information. 

Step #1- Get Yoga Teacher Insurance 

After yoga teacher training, you will probably be eager to launch straight into teaching.

But before you do, one of the first and most important things you need to do after yoga instructor training is to get insured. 

The main reason to get insured as a yoga teacher is that it gives you peace of mind and financial security if something goes wrong- for both you and your students. 

From injuries to equipment damage, these things can happen even to the most skilled and experienced of yoga teachers! Without insurance, you would be liable to pay out to cover the cost of these things, which would hugely affect your overall finances. 

Plus, most yoga teacher jobs will require you to already have your own insurance, as you can see from the job adverts below:

Organising it now will therefore make the process a lot easier when you come to apply for your first yoga teaching jobs.

We have a whole guide here to yoga teacher insurance. But in summary, the main types of insurance you will need to operate as a yoga teacher are:

• Public Liability Insurance. This covers you in the case of a student making a claim against you. For example, if a student is injured during one of your classes.

Without insurance, you would have to pay the costs of their medical treatment, which would of course have a major impact on your finances! 

• Professional Liability Insurance. Also known as professional indemnity insurance, this covers your legal costs in the event of a student making a claim against you. 

For example, if a student claims that they have received incorrect advice from you which has led to an injury and wants to take you to court. You would use your professional liability insurance to cover the costs of this. 

• Equipment Insurance. As a yoga teacher, it is likely you will own lots of yoga equipment such as mats, blocks and even things such as a laptop or phone you use for marketing and booking software. 

Equipment insurance therefore covers you in the event of your equipment being lost, stolen or damaged- whether by you or your students. Without it, you would have to cover the cost of replacing them yourself. 

• Personal Accident Insurance. This covers you for medical costs in the case of you injuring yourself whilst teaching a yoga class. 
• Loss of Earnings Insurance. If you have to stop teaching due to an injury or personal reasons, this covers you financially until you are able to start teaching again. 

So, when looking for insurance after yoga instructor training, you should look for a policy that covers these things.

Some reputable providers of yoga teacher insurance are:

• Insure4Sport
• AXA
• Salon Gold 
• Protectivity
• Hiscox

Step #2- Write Your Yoga Teacher CV

Now that you’re insured, the next thing to do after yoga teacher training is to prepare your CV. 

Without a CV, you won’t be able to start applying for yoga teacher jobs, as most will require one as part of the application process. 

Your CV is a chance to show off your skills, experience and qualifications to potential employers. It is therefore worth spending the time to perfect it, as it could be what secures you your first job as a yoga teacher!

We have a whole guide to writing a yoga teacher CV here. But in summary, some of the main sections you should include are:

• Contact information
• Personal summary
• Qualifications. Here is where you will list details of your yoga teacher training course. 

If you have taken your course with an Ofqual-regulated course provider such as OriGym, be sure to mention this, as it will show employers that you have been taught to the highest industry standards.

• Yoga or other relevant work experience. Since you have just qualified, it is unlikely that you will already have any experience teaching yoga. But other work experience such as teaching, sports coaching or volunteering are all still worth mentioning. 

Just ensure that you relate each work experience to yoga by outlining the skills you gained from it and how they are relevant to teaching yoga. 

• Education- e.g. degree or college level
• Hobbies and interests outside of yoga 
• References. These can be from previous employers or staff that taught you at your yoga teacher training course. 

Step #3- Write A Yoga Teacher Cover Letter

Another thing to prepare after yoga teacher training is a cover letter to accompany your CV. 

Where a CV is more general and you can use the same one to apply for multiple jobs, a cover letter is specific to the job you are applying for.

It is a chance to elaborate on what you have mentioned in your CV and relate your experience to the specific job description and employer.

Although each one will be slightly different, you can create a general template that you can then adapt to each application. 

For more tips on how to write a cover letter and what to include, check out our guide to writing a yoga teacher cover letter here. 

Step #4- Decide Where and How You Want To Work As A Yoga Teacher

Once you have prepared your CV and cover letter, you are now ready to start looking for your first job after yoga instructor training!

But before you start applying, you should think about where and how you want to work as a yoga teacher. 

Deciding this now will then make the rest of the process of becoming a yoga teacher a lot easier, as it will determine a lot of the choices you make- as we will discuss in the rest of this article.

Some criteria you should consider are:

How You Want To Be Employed

When wondering what to do after yoga teacher training, one of the main things you should decide is how you want to operate as a yoga teacher. 

By this, we mean whether you want to be freelance/self-employed, or be a contracted employee. 

The most common way that yoga teachers work is on a freelance basis.

This is when you are self-employed, meaning that you can work for lots of different employers, rather than being committed to one employer or company. 

For example, you could teach at lots of different yoga studios and gyms in your area. 

The main benefit of working as a freelance yoga teacher is the freedom and control it gives you. 

Since you won’t be committed to one employer, you can manage your own teaching schedule, teaching as much or as little as you want.

You also won’t be limited by a fixed salary as you can determine your own rates- as we will discuss in the next step of this article. 

Being freelance also gives you the freedom to teach a variety of types of yoga. For example, you could teach a power vinyasa flow in one studio, and a restorative yin class in another! 

However, this freedom also comes with added responsibility, as being freelance requires a lot of self-motivation and organisational skills. For example, you will have to calculate your own taxes. 

There is also the potential for a lack of financial security, as you won't have a set regular income from an employer. 

With this in mind, if you’re just starting out after yoga teacher training, you may want to initially look for roles where you are employed by a studio or gym and receive a set hourly or monthly salary. 

This will allow you to gain experience and build up your reputation as a yoga teacher, before you go on to become freelance. 

However, being employed by a studio or gym often means that you will have to take on additional responsibilities outside of teaching your classes, such as administrative tasks or cleaning the studio.

For more information about employment options available as a yoga teacher, check out our guide to becoming a yoga teacher here.

The Style Of Yoga You Want To Teach 

After yoga instructor training, you will likely have tried a range of different types of yoga and found which styles you prefer practising and teaching. 

For example, you may find that you particularly enjoy teaching slow and restorative classes, rather than fast-paced power or vinyasa classes. 

You may even decide that you want to teach a particular demographic of students. 

For example, you may want to teach yoga to kids. This will then help you when you come to look for a job, as you can look for jobs in places like schools or children’s activity centres.

Again, thinking about these things early-on will help the process of finding a job a lot easier, as you will have a clear criteria in mind. 

Where You Want To Teach 

When looking for a job after yoga teacher training, you should decide where you want to teach.

We have a whole article here on where you can teach yoga. But in summary, your main options are:

• Yoga studios
• Gyms or fitness centres
• Spas
• Outside
• A yoga retreat
• Teach yoga abroad
• Online 
• In students’ homes as a mobile yoga instructor 

Thinking about these options before you start applying means that you can then refine your search to a specific location when looking for jobs, which will make the process a lot easier! 

Step #5- Decide On Your Rates For Your Classes

The next step in what to do after yoga teacher training is applicable if you are wanting to work on a freelance basis. 

If you are employed on a contracted basis by a studio, for example, it is likely that they will set their own rates for teachers. 

However, as we have said, one of the benefits of working as a freelance yoga teacher is that you have the freedom to determine your own rates. 

Working this out before you start applying for jobs means that you will be prepared when an employer asks for your rates. 

It also helps you work out your value and ‘worth’ as a yoga teacher. This means that you will know the kind of salary you should be looking for in a yoga teaching job. 

In general, you should try to find a balance between being affordable and attracting students to your classes, whilst also ensuring that you are still making profit. 

According to Indeed, the average yoga teacher salary in the UK is £25.56 an hour. 

But this can vary hugely depending on factors such as:

• Location- i.e. you can charge more if you are teaching in a big city such as London compared to a small rural town.
• Your experience level- since you have just qualified, you will likely not charge as much as someone who has been teaching for several years. 
• Where you teach- i.e. a local village hall or a luxury spa resort. 
• Your expenses- i.e. the cost of your equipment, cost of travel if you are travelling between different studios. You should ensure that your rates cover these costs.

For a more detailed guide yoga teaching rates, check out our guide to how much to charge for yoga classes here.  

Enjoying this article so far? Here’s 3 more that we think you’ll love:

• How To Become A Yoga Instructor: The Definitive Guide
• How To Turn Yoga Into A Career
• 9 Tips For Teaching Your First Yoga Class 

Step #6- Network With Your Local and Online Yoga Community  

So, you should now have an idea of the kind of yoga teacher you want to be and how much you will charge. 

The next stage in what to do after yoga teacher training is to start networking with yoga teachers and studios.

As a newly qualified yoga teacher, it is unlikely that you will have many connections in the yoga industry yet. 

Networking is therefore a great way to get yourself involved in the industry and become a key member of the yoga community- whether online or in your local area. 

This is an important thing to do after yoga instructor training as the connections you make could ultimately lead to a yoga teaching job or other exciting opportunities. 

Plus, networking can also be a great way to learn from other more experienced yoga teachers to help you become a successful yoga teacher yourself! 

Some ways to network after yoga teacher training are:

Attend Yoga Classes Yourself

As a qualified yoga teacher, it can be easy to forget to go to yoga classes yourself! But you should make sure that you are still attending classes in your local area. 

Not only does this help you maintain your own practice, but it is a great opportunity for networking. 

For example, try to speak to the teacher before or after class and introduce yourself. This is a great time to give them your yoga teacher business card!

Showing your face and getting your name out there with other yoga teachers could ultimately lead to a job opportunity. 

For example, if a position opens up in that studio, they could reach out to you, as they will already know you and have seen you demonstrate your skills in class.

Attend Yoga-Related Events In Your Area

As well as yoga classes, there are also lots of types of one-off events where you can network with other yoga teachers in your area, such as:

• Yoga workshops
• Yoga festivals
• Yoga retreats
• Wellbeing/wellness events
• Social events e.g. ‘yoga brunch’ events 

As well as getting contacts and making connections, these kinds of events are also a great way to get inspiration for your own yoga teaching. 

For example, if you attend a yoga festival, you could get an idea of the kinds of yoga styles that are popular at the moment. 

You can then capitalise on this by teaching this kind of class yourself, helping you stay relevant and ahead of the latest trends in the industry.

Interacting With Yoga Teachers and Studios on Social Media

As well as networking in-person, social media is a great way to get yourself known in the industry after yoga instructor training. 

Doing things like following local teachers and studios, liking and commenting on their posts or even direct messaging them are all easy ways to start making connections. 

Check out our guide to yoga Instagram marketing here for more tips!

As well as Instagram, there are also lots of yoga-related Facebook groups you can join. Members will often post things such as jobs, cover opportunities, events and general yoga-related discussions.

Simply search Facebook for terms such as “yoga teachers [location]” to find a group near you.

Step #7- Work As An Assistant For A Yoga Teacher/Studio

If you’re wondering what to do after yoga teacher training, one of the easiest ways to get into teaching is to start as an assistant. 

A yoga assistant is someone who accompanies a yoga teacher in a class. Their role is to walk around the class and give hands-on adjustments to students to correct, deepen and support students in terms of their physical alignment.

For example, say a yoga teacher instructs the class to perform ‘child's pose’. They would do this by giving verbal cues and demonstrating the pose at the front of the class. 

A yoga assistant would then spot students in the class who need help achieving the pose, or who they can help to go deeper. In this case, they would behind them and gently push down on their lower back so that they can stretch deeper into the hip flexors. 

If a student is particularly struggling, they may also give them props to use. In this case, they may assist by placing blocks under a student’s knees if they don’t naturally touch the floor. 

Again, this helps the student go deeper than they would have been able to without this adjustment, and helps them feel the full benefits of the pose. 

Being a yoga assistant is therefore a great way to gain experience in a ‘real’ yoga class setting, before you teach a class yourself. 

It is also an opportunity to learn from more experienced teachers, as you will be able to observe their teaching methods and gain valuable tips. 

It is rare that yoga assisting jobs will be explicitly advertised. The best way to find an assisting role is therefore to approach a studio or teacher yourself and ask if they would be willing for you to assist in one of their classes. 

One thing to bear in mind is that assisting is usually done on a voluntary basis. Or, if you are assisting a well-established studio, they may reimburse their assistants with free class credits for that studio. 

However, remember that the main reason to work as an assistant after yoga teacher training is the experience and skills that you will gain, rather than the money. 

Plus, if you are a good assistant and you demonstrate your skills well, this could then lead to a paid teaching role at the studio! 

Step #8- Secure Your First Role As A Yoga Teacher

Once you start becoming part of the yoga community and have spent some time as an assistant, you are now in a position to start searching for your first paid teaching role after yoga teacher training! 

We have a whole guide here to how to find a yoga teaching job to get you started. But in summary, some ways you can find your first role after yoga instructor training are: 

Through Networking/Word Of Mouth

As we discussed in Step 7, networking is an important part of what to do after yoga teacher training. 

This is because opportunities can naturally arise from connections you have made in the industry. 

For example, say you are a regular student at a yoga studio or have worked as an assistant. If a vacancy becomes available for a new teacher, they may approach you before advertising the role externally, since they already know you. 

Similarly, if you are a member of a yoga teacher Facebook group, you could come across an opportunity there! 

However, even if you hear about a role through networking or word-of-mouth, you should always be sure to get an employment contract in writing.

This ensures that you have agreed on things like your salary and hours, avoiding any issues that may arise later down the line.

Through Your Course Provider

You may not have thought it, but your training course provider is one of the best ways to find a job after you qualify. 

However, not all course providers will be able to do this!

When choosing a course provider, it is therefore important to look at the level of post-course support they offer their graduates. 

For example, here at OriGym, we understand that finding a job after yoga teacher training can seem daunting. 

That’s why we offer all students on our yoga teacher training courses access to our exclusive jobs board, featuring hundreds of vacancies from leading employers across the UK. 

We will even help set up interviews with these employers at no extra cost!

Our industry-leading post-course support also includes:

• Access to our free business resource platform, including guides to things such as setting up a business and marketing
• Professional CV guidance 
• Interview help 

All of these things make it that bit easier to find your first job after yoga teacher training! 

Searching Online

Another way to find your first job after yoga instructor training is to search online. 

You can do this on general jobs websites such as Indeed and Glassdoor. 

But there are also many fitness or even yoga-specific jobs boards such as Yoga Trade and Yoga Travel Jobs.

Searching for a job online means that you can be specific with your search. 

For example, on Indeed you can refine your search by factors such as location, job type and salary.

This makes it easier to find exactly the kind of role you are looking for, and ensure that you fit the requirements of the job description before you apply. 

Step #9- Continue Your Education

Once you have secured your first job after yoga teacher training, you may be tempted to think that your work is done.

But in fact, as a yoga teacher, you should be constantly learning. Just because you are now a teacher, doesn’t mean that you stop being a student!

Continuing your education is important for your own personal development and practice, helping you stay motivated and inspired. 

As well as helping you on a personal level, continuing your education is also important on a professional level. 

This is because the more knowledge, skills and qualifications you have, the better a yoga teacher you will be. This will then increase your employment opportunities, as you will be eligible for more qualified positions- as we will discuss below. 

Plus, if you are a freelance yoga teacher, the more experienced and qualified you are, the more you can justify charging for your classes!

So, how can you continue your education after yoga teacher training? 

We have a whole article on continuing education for yoga teachers here. But in summary, some methods for continuing your education are: 

Take A Level 4 Yoga Teacher Training Course 

The minimum requirement to operate as a yoga teacher is a Level 3 yoga teaching qualification. 

This Ofqual-regulated course gives you a strong foundation of knowledge, skills and experience to start your yoga teaching career.

However, as you start teaching, you will start to discover more about yourself as a teacher, such as a style of yoga you are particularly passionate about. 

You may also find that you are limited to the types of teaching roles you can take, as many job descriptions require more qualifications and skills. 

This is why you should take a Level 4 yoga teacher training course after your initial yoga teacher training. 

Here at OriGym, our Ofqual-regulated Level 4 course builds on what you learned in your Level 3 course, covering topics such as:

• Teaching Yoga as a Profession
• Understanding and Applying the Philosophy and Spiritual Principles of Yoga
• Yogic Breathing Styles
• Teaching Asana to Meet the Needs of Mixed Ability Students
• Planning & Delivering Yoga Sessions

Our course also allows you to then specialise in one of four types of yoga:

• Ashtanga
• Hatha
• Hot
• Iyengar

Specialising in one particular type of yoga will allow you to expand your employment prospects and client base, as you can market yourself as a specialist yoga teacher and teach more advanced students. 

Being a Level 4 qualified teacher therefore opens up a wider range of job opportunities for you. 

For example, the job advert below specifies that a Level 4 Diploma in teaching yoga is required for the role:

Even if a job advert does not specifically ask for a Level 4 qualification in this way, it will undoubtedly make you stand out if you apply for a more specialised yoga role. 

For example, say you wanted to become a hot yoga teacher. If you were applying for a job at a hot yoga studio, having specialised in hot yoga in your Level 4 course would of course put you ahead of someone with a more general qualification. 

Being a Level 4 yoga teacher also means that if you work on a freelance basis, you can increase your rates.

According to Talent, the average yoga teacher salary is £46,800 a year. But this will only increase if you have more experience and qualifications, as students will pay more for a higher level of teaching. 

Take Other Relevant Level 4 Courses

When wondering what to do after yoga teacher training, you may just think of 

As well as a Level 4 yoga course, there are other additional fitness qualifications that will enhance your yoga teaching career. 

For example, OriGym offers one of the best Level 4 Nutrition course options. This course is a great compliment for your yoga teaching. 

In this course, you will learn the principles of a healthy diet and how it affects physical activity. 

This could then lead you to the nutrition and wellbeing element of yoga, Ayurveda (sometimes known as the ‘yogic diet’). You could then incorporate this into your yoga teaching and marketing.

For example, as you can see from her bio, this yoga teacher has specialised in Ayurveda and even gone further to specialise in Ayurveda for women. 

Additional qualifications can also enhance your understanding of the anatomy and physiology of yoga.

For example, becoming a qualified personal trainer would broaden this knowledge and allow you to expand the health and fitness services that you can offer.

Specifically, becoming a lower back pain specialist with OriGym’s Level 4 Lower Back Pain Management course is a great example of how personal training and yoga can go hand in hand. 

This qualifies you to work with individuals with lower back pain. Lower back pain is a common reason for students to take up yoga, so this qualification is a great compliment for yoga teachers. 

Note: You must have a Personal Training Diploma to be able to complete the Level 4 Lower Back Pain course.

Make Use Of Yoga Teacher Resources

As well as taking a formal qualification, there are lots of other great resources available to help you develop as a yoga teacher, such as:

• Books on yoga 
• Yoga teacher seminars, workshops and conferences- online or in-person
• Yoga teacher blogs, such as OriGym’s dedicated yoga teacher resources section 
• Listen to yoga podcasts 

Check out our complete list of yoga teacher resources for more! 

Maintain Your Own Self Practice

Finally, one of the most important things to do to continue your education after yoga teacher training is to maintain your own self-practice.

When you qualify, it can be easy to get swept into dedicating all your time to teaching. 

This is great, but it can sometimes be at the cost of maintaining your own practice!

Maintaining your own yoga routine and practice is an important because:

• It keeps up your own physical skills 
• It keeps you creative e.g. you may discover a new idea for a transition that you can then use in class
• It keeps up your confidence
• It helps you avoid yoga teacher burnout
• It reminds you what it is like to be a student so you can better understand the needs of your own 

So, even if it means dedicating just a few hours a week to practise at home or making sure you attend that Sunday morning class, maintaining your own practice is one of the most important things you can do after yoga teacher training! 

Before You Go!

So, we hope you now have a better idea of what to do after yoga teacher training! 

Feeling inspired? Take the next step in your career as a yoga teacher by taking a Level 4 Yoga Teaching Diploma with OriGym! Enquire today, or download our yoga course prospectus for free for more information.