After choosing the Les Mills program you want to teach, the next step is to enrol in Initial Training (IT). This will see you tap into Les Mills' 50+ years of experience in training world-class Instructors. Here's what 's involved.
Day 3 (Assessment day) is a full, in-person day where you'll showcase and refine all you've learned. At the end of the day, you'll be issued with a PASS or RE-SIT outcome.
Choreography, music, masterclass recording, and education will be provided before your IT starts.
Days 1 and 2 are both full days (in-person or online) spent with a dedicated Trainer and other Trainees, where you'll learn the essentials to start your Instructor career.
Comprehensive resources and handbooks to support your Instructor journey from start to finish.
Our Instructor pathway provides a comprehensive roadmap leading up to your Day 3, where you'll put the skills you learned during training into practice.
Ongoing support from Les Mills Asia Pacific, to help you continue to achieve Instructor greatness.
In-Person Initial Training (IT) are conducted in a Les Mills licensed club or facility, delivered by a Les Mills trainer. In this format you'll attend all 3 days of training face-to-face.
Any equipment required (e.g. weights, bars, mats) will be provided onsite.
Now that you understand what an IT involves, and the differences between the In-Person and Online training formats, there are just three more steps to kickstart your Les Mills Instructor journey:
Fitness and Familiarity
To become a successful Les Mills Instructor, it's essential that you are familiar with the program you want to teach. Therefore, we recommend that you attend at least 10 to 12 in-person classes, at a licensed facility prior to starting your IT.
Club Endorsement & Mentoring
Club Endorsement is essential as it is confirmation that during your eight-week journey you will have access to an experienced certified Instructor at a club that offers team-teaching and/or mentoring opportunities.
To learn more about Club Endorsement, click here.
Book your spot
Once you've secured Club Endorsement, check the IT schedule below and submit your registration to book a spot in the IT of your choice. Congratulations will then be in order because your life is about to change for the better, forever!
BOOKING TIP: If the program you want to teach is on the IT schedule now, we recommend you grab a spot, as ITs for some programs are offered infrequently. Similarly, while ITs are scheduled as In-Person or Online formats, we do not advise you wait for a specific format. For example, if you want to do an Online IT in BODYCOMBAT® but there is currently only an In-Person BODYCOMBAT IT on the schedule, we recommend you book a place in that In-Person training that is currently on the schedule. This is because there is no confirmation as to when the next Online training may be offered .
If there is no training scheduled for your area, click here to register your interest in future training.
Approximately 9 days prior to your IT, you’ll receive a link to download your Release Kit. This Kit will contain your Training Release, and from it you’ll be allocated one or two tracks to learn.
Your first task is to familiarise yourself with your Training Release. This means trying to learn your allocated track/s as best you can before Day 1 of your IT. You will also receive access to your program-specific Handbook and other documents and videos that will help you prepare for Days 1 and 2.
If you’re attending an Online IT, there are also two short videos that you will have to record and submit before and after Days 1 and 2 of your IT. 5 days prior to Day 1, you will need to submit a video of yourself participating (not coaching) in your allocated tracks/s, as well as demonstrating the 5 Key Moves for your program. This will provide your Trainer with an indication of your current ability. 3 days after Days 1 and 2, you will then need to submit another video of yourself teaching your allocated track/s. Your Trainer will assess this video and provide you with feedback to work on, as you commence your eight-week journey to Day 3.
For both In-Person and Online IT formats, you will need to bring to Days 1 and 2:
After Days 1 and 2, you’ll head back to your Endorsing Club to practise and learn via Team Teaching. You’ll be provided with a Roadmap, which is a practical plan to help you set weekly goals and keep you progressing along your journey. And you'll be supported at every step, thanks to our Instructor Specialist Team and your Mentor, who are available to help you refine and put into practice what you’ve learned from Days 1 and 2. The length of your Instructor Pathway between Days 2 and 3 may vary depending on which Instructor Training you are completing.
You will have spent the last eight weeks in the lead up to your Day 3, working super hard to master your choreography, technique and coaching. So now it's time for it all to come together! On your Day 3, you'll be randomly allocated a minimum of 3 tracks from your training Release, which you’ll then need to present. Upon meeting the criteria to receive a "PASS" you will then have become an internationally certified Les Mills Instructor!
Days 1 & 2: At the completion of your second day you will be marked as "Attended" or "Support Requested". An "Attended" outcome means you are on the right track to begin your eight-week pathway and your journey towards certification. An "Support Requested" outcome simply means there are some areas your trainer has identified where you need a bit of extra help - and that's OK! Our amazing Instructor Specialist team will be available to support your continued certification journey, and to help ensure you are on track to pass.
Day 3: At the completion of your Day 3 training you’ll receive a "Pass" or a "Resit". A "Pass" outcome means you have met the required criteria and are now an internationally certified Les Mills instructor.
A ‘Re-sit’ outcome means that you have not met one or more of the required criteria. If you receive a Re-sit outcome, our Instructor Specialist team will contact you to advise of the options available, so that you can attempt another Day 3*.
*additional fees apply
No. You may only purchase music once you are fully certified (i.e., have successfully gained a 'Pass' outcome from your Day 3). Once certified, you can then purchase only the Release Kit for that program you are qualified to teach.
If a Quarterly Workshop falls in the eight-week period between Day 2 and Day 3 then, yes you can attend. However, you will be unable to purchase new music until after your Day 3 training has been successfully completed and you have been Certified.
Day 3 is always an in-person training day, as this enables your Trainer can accurately assess your track presentations against the international standards required for certification.
The GEL (Group Exercise Leader) program is relevant only to Australian-based Instructors.
If you require the GEL qualification for your fitness registration, or if you want to find out more about what GEL is, then click here to request info, and we'll come back to you with details (including how to access a discounted price for GEL).
We have a dedicated Instructor Specialist team here to help! Simply email ask@lesmills.com.au and our team will endeavor to get back to you as soon as they can.
