When you first become a certified Pilates instructor, one of the earliest decisions you'll face is where (and how many places) you want to instruct. For some, the answer comes naturally. For others, it takes a few years (and a few studios) to figure out what actually works for them.
There's no universally right answer here. Teaching at multiple studios and committing to one both have real advantages, and both come with trade-offs worth thinking through before you sign your next contract. Here's an honest look at both sides.
The Case for Teaching at Multiple Studios
There's a reason many instructors start their careers spreading across a few different studios and it's not just about filling up a timetable.
For one your class planning becomes more efficient. When you're moving between studios week to week, you can often run the same class plans across all of them. Rather than building entirely new programming for each location, you're able to refine and repeat. This saves time and mental energy, especially in your earlier years of teaching.
You meet more people and grow faster. Different studios attract different clients. Some lean into advanced programming; others focus on rehabilitation, beginners, or a particular demographic. Teaching across varied environments exposes you to a wider range of experience levels, movement goals, and personalities. That breadth can significantly accelerate your development as an instructor because you're essentially testing your teaching across very different conditions.
You're also exposed to different teaching philosophies. Observing how other studios structure classes, curate culture, and guide their instructors can sharpen your own approach in ways that a single environment can't replicate.
It can also provide financial resilience. Timetables change. Studios go through quiet periods. If one studio reduces your hours, having other income streams means you're not starting from zero. For instructors operating as sole traders (which is quite a few of us!) that buffer matters.
The Realities of Working Across Multiple Locations
That said, there's a version of the multi-studio life that looks great on paper and grinds you down in practice.
Equipment differences are more of a problem than people expect. Reformers vary significantly between brands and studios. Springs, foot-bars, shoulder rests, carriage tension - none of it is standardised. A class you've built around a particular piece of equipment may not transfer cleanly, and adapting on the fly every session adds cognitive load you didn't expect.
Each studio has its own culture, brand expectations, and way of doing things. Some require you to teach in a specific format or use studio-specific cuing language. Holding all of that in your head across three or four locations can get genuinely confusing and clients tend to notice when an instructor seems uncertain or inconsistent.
Community can be harder to build. If you're only in a studio one or a maximum of two times a week, you're less likely to develop the kind of ongoing relationships with clients and other instructors that make the job deeply rewarding. Clients remember instructors who know their names, their bodies, and their goals. That knowledge takes time and repetition to build.
The logistics add up. Travel between studios, managing multiple booking systems, keeping track of different communication channels and class policies, this all takes more time than it seems. For instructors who are already managing the administrative realities of being self-employed (no sick leave, no annual leave, no super contributions, and full responsibility for withholding your own tax), adding operational complexity across studios can quietly contribute to burnout.
And there's a softer reality worth naming: when your time is split across multiple businesses, some studios will treat you accordingly. If your loyalty is divided, you may find yourself lower on the priority list when it comes to preferred shifts, cover opportunities, or continued investment in your growth.
What Committing to One Studio Can Offer
Building a deeper relationship with a single studio looks different and for many instructors, it's where the work becomes most meaningful.
When you're consistently in one environment, you're building genuine community. Clients get to know you. You get to know them. You start to understand how they move, what they're working towards, and where they need challenge or support. It's also more likely you’ll feel part of a team as you consistently engage with the other instructors at the studio, lean on them, support them and have fun with each other! That depth of connection is hard to replicate when you're spread thin.
Studios also tend to invest more in instructors who invest in them. Commitment tends to be rewarded with access to in-house training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities that aren't always available to multi-studio staff. If continued education and growing your skillset matters to you (and it should) that's worth factoring in.
There's also something to be said for the mental clarity that comes with knowing one studio's systems, culture, and client base deeply. Less cognitive switching. More presence in the room.
So, Which is Right for You?
Most instructors end up doing a version of both at different points in their careers! Multi-studio teaching can be a smart way to build experience and financial stability early on. Over time, many instructors find themselves gravitating toward fewer studios or one as their client relationships deepen and their sense of what kind of culture they want to teach in becomes clearer.
The important thing is to go in with your eyes open. Know what you're optimising for at each stage. And if you do work across multiple locations, be intentional about protecting your time, your energy, and your sense of professional identity.
Both paths can lead to a long, sustainable career in this industry. The difference is usually in how well you understand your own priorities and how honest you're willing to be about the trade-offs.
