How to Get a Yoga Teaching Job: Where Jobs Are and How to Get Hired
Most first jobs don’t come from job boards. Who hires, where openings are really posted, a 30-day plan, and how to prepare the demo class that gets you on the schedule.
Published 6 min readP-urpose
On this page
Short answer
Most first teaching jobs don’t come from job boards. They come from studios where you already practise, from substitute lists, and from employers that post openly — gyms, recreation departments, universities and community venues. List every place within reach that runs classes, practise at the studios you want to teach at, ask to join the sub list, and have a 15–30 minute demo class ready before anyone asks for it.
This guide is written for the US and UK. The employers are similar elsewhere; where jobs are posted differs by country.
Who hires yoga teachers
| Employer · how they usually hire | What they ask for |
|---|---|
| Independent studiosPeople they know: students, sub list, teacher recommendations; an audition | A fit with their style and students; reliability |
| Gyms and health clubsOnline job postings, careers pages | Life Time lists 200-hour RYT or equivalent plus CPR/AED within 3 months of hire; some YMCA locations ask for a 200-hour certificate and CPR/AED/First Aid within 90 days |
| City parks and recreationPublic job listings, often part-time or contract | Certification or experience; pay is published (e.g. $30 per class in Greenville, NC; $18.77/hour in San Antonio, TX) |
| Universities and collegesCampus recreation or group-fitness roles on the university’s job site | Certification; evening and early-morning availability |
| Companies (corporate wellness)Direct outreach to HR or office managers, or through wellness providers | Invoicing, insurance, classes that work in office clothes |
| Hotels, resorts, retreat centresResort careers pages, seasonal postings | Flexibility, often other duties alongside yoga |
| Community venuesDirect contact: community centres, senior centres, libraries, adult education, leisure centres (UK) | Accessible, beginner-friendly classes |
Studios pay attention to who they know; larger employers pay attention to paperwork. A new teacher usually needs both: an employer that hires openly for steady hours, and one or two studios that get to know you.
Where the openings are
Job boards, gym and leisure-centre careers pages, city recreation listings, university portals, studio websites, local teacher groups and your training school. The full list, grouped by channel with current examples, is in where to find yoga teaching jobs.
A 30-day plan
| Week | Do this |
|---|---|
| 1 | List 20–30 places within a realistic commute that run classes or could: studios, gyms, rec centres, universities, community venues, offices. Set job alerts. Get CPR/AED certified if you aren’t. |
| 2 | Take classes at your top five studios — ideally with the owner or manager. Apply to every open posting on your list. |
| 3 | Send a short email to each studio you’ve practised at (template below). Ask about the sub list and any time slot they struggle to fill. |
| 4 | Prepare and rehearse your demo class. Follow up once on every email, a week after sending. |
An email that gets answered
Hi [name],
I’ve been coming to your [day] [style] classes for [time] and finished my 200-hour training at [school] in [month]. I’d love to be considered for your sub list, and I’m happy to teach a demo whenever it suits you. I’m available [days and times] and can cover at short notice.
Thank you, [name] · [phone]
Short, specific, and it asks for the easiest possible yes: a place on the sub list.
The sub list is the real audition
Substitute teaching is a common route to a first regular slot. When a teacher leaves, an owner naturally looks first at the subs who were reliable and whose classes students liked. To be that sub:
- Answer sub requests fast, even when you can’t take them.
- Teach the class the regular students expect — the studio’s style and level, not your favourite sequence.
- Start and finish exactly on time; the next class and the front desk depend on it.
- Learn names, and leave the room as you found it.
- Have two or three ready-made classes in different styles and lengths so you can say yes at an hour’s notice.
The demo class
Auditions are usually 15–30 minutes, most often taught to two or three staff members rather than a full class (Momoyoga’s summary of how studios run them). What owners watch:
- Clear cueing for a mixed room — options offered without fuss.
- A logical flow toward a simple peak — it shows you understand sequencing, not just poses.
- Timing — finishing exactly when you said you would.
- How you are with people — warm, reliable, easy to schedule.
Ask beforehand whether to include a warm-up or assume everyone is warm. Then build a short class with a real arc: arrive, warm up, one flow, a simple peak with three versions, a short cool-down. The method is in how to sequence a yoga class and peak pose sequencing. Rehearse it out loud, with a timer, at least twice.
Build this class
Plan your demo class
A 30-minute class with a clear arc and a timed, mirrored flow — a solid base to rehearse and adjust for the studio you’re auditioning at.
Grounding · Slow Flow · 30 min · Mixed
Free · no account needed · opens in the editor
Before you say yes
A first offer is often a hard-to-fill slot — early mornings, Friday evenings, a new class with no students yet. That’s normal and often worth taking. Before you do, ask how pay works (flat or per student, what happens if the class is cancelled), whether you’re an employee or a contractor, and whether you need your own liability insurance. Typical pay and the full list of questions are in how much yoga teachers make.
Once you’re teaching several classes a week, planning becomes the bottleneck. How to plan a week of classes in under an hour covers that.
Sources
- Momoyoga: Yoga studio auditions — how they work and how to prepare
- Indeed: YMCA yoga teacher requirements and Life Time yoga instructor postings (position requirements)
- City of Greenville, NC: Yoga Instructor and City of San Antonio: Recreation Specialist (Yoga Instructor) on GovernmentJobs.com
- Yoga Alliance: Careers
Keep planning
Where to Find Yoga Teaching Jobs: Every Channel, With Examples
Five places to look at once — advertised jobs, the hidden studio market, direct outreach, substitute work and private clients — with current US and UK examples and a list to build this week.
5 min read
How Much Do Yoga Teachers Make? US Pay Per Class, Hour and Year
What studios, gyms and job postings actually pay, what that works out to once you count travel and planning, and how teachers who make a living combine their income.
6 min read
How to Sequence a Yoga Class: A Framework for Teachers
Seven decisions, made in the right order, turn a blank page into a class you can teach tomorrow. With a worked 60-minute example and a pre-class check.
7 min read