1. Who is the main Teacher and are they fully qualified?
How long has he/she they been teaching? They should be seasoned professionals.
2. How much of the programme is actually being taught by the main teacher?
Some programmes do not have the main teacher teaching a substantial part of the course. I once attended an intensive programme that was mostly led by someone who graduated from the program one year before. The main teacher advertised only put in guest appearances a few times a week, which diminished the course’s value.
3. How long has the programme existed? How many students have already been trained?
The longer a programme has been around and the more students who have graduated the better. You can then assume that many of the kinks have been ironed out.
4. Who is teaching the anatomy section and what experience do they have?
Often times the anatomy section can be poor, boring or not really relevant to yoga. Make sure the person teaching the anatomy section is a yoga teacher so that they can teach you to apply your anatomy learning in the context of a yoga class.
5. How many teachers are on staff?
A ratio of one teacher for every 10 students is good. Make sure the main teacher will be available to give personal attention and to guide you through the experience.
6. Will you be ready to teach by the end of the programme?
Some programmes require additional projects on completion of the training, which may be valid and helpful. Check whether anything else will be required before you can start teaching.
7. Will you have taught one or more full classes to your classmates by the end of the training? Make sure that you will have this experience, as this will give you the faith in yourself to go out and start teaching.
8. Does the teacher offer any mentorship after the training?
If you need help or advice is there someone you can talk to after the programme?
9. Is it possible to speak to graduates of the program?
Sometimes it is helpful to be able to contact a few graduates of the program to ask them directly about their experience.
10. What style of Yoga is being taught?
Make sure you are familiar and comfortable with the style of yoga that is on offer in the training. Be wary if the course is offering multiple styles of yoga as it could be confusing for a beginner teacher.
11. How long is the program? If it is the basic 200 hours and it is an intensive it should not be taught in less than three weeks. Do the mathematics!
Five additional things you should ask about the venue and training…
- Is accommodation and food included in the program? Some trainings expect you to organise your own food and accommodation. This can be a stressful addition to a busy time.
- What kind of accommodation is provided? Some YTTs offer basic tents or crowded dorms. Make sure the accommodation will be comfortable. You need to be able to sleep!
- Is the food organic? Organic is better ☺ Also it’s very important to check that there options for allergies, vegans or special diets.
- How do you get to the venue from the airport? Are you being met or do you have to make your own way to the place in a foreign country?
- Is there any rest and recreation time in the schedule? While most intensives are intense, it is important to have some down time scheduled to process your learning or allow some time to explore the area. 200 hours crammed into 2 weeks will not allow for any time off!
With all these in mind, we believe our well-established yoga teacher trainings are exceptionally high quality and will give you the answers you seek to the questions above. Why not check out our training pages for more information.
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