Do You Need an Aerial Teacher Training Certification to Teach Aerial Arts?

Sara | WakefulAscent
Nov 24
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

At the time of writing this article, there is no governing body overseeing aerial arts instruction. No required national test. No “official” license. No universal standard that every studio follows. So no one can you say that you need an aerial teacher training certification to teach aerial arts - at least legally.

Because of this:

A studio could technically hire someone with zero qualifications
You could technically open a studio with no certification
Anyone could call themselves “certified”

…and no authority is tracking whether that’s true or safe.

Which is wild, considering the risks and nuances of aerial arts.

So the legal answer is no - you do not need a certification to teach aerial arts. But that doesn't mean a certification isn't valuable, meaningful, or important for anyone consider aerial teacher training.

So If It Isn’t Required, Why Do Aerial Teacher Trainings Exist?

While the industry isn’t regulated…the risks aerial teachers manage and the depth of knowledge shared are very real.

A good teacher training gives you enormous context and develops your foundations not only in aerial technique, but also teaching pedagogy.

1. Teaching Context & foundations

How do you assess and respond to risk?
What social, emotional, and psychological conditions support learning?
What are the risks and responsibilities of teaching aerial?
How do you manage group dynamics and multiple levels?
How do you structure class?
How do you employ different teaching methods to reach more students?
How do you teach in ways that empower the student?
What are the actual technical details of foundational skills?
How do you introduce, progress, and regress a skill?
What five things could go wrong in this move?
What movement patterns should you be aware of?
How and when do you spot someone?
What leadership skills do you need to confidently run class?
What are the antomical and physiological foundations of aerial movement?
As the teacher, how do you hold boundaries?
As the teacher, how do you support and advocate for your own needs and well-being?
The list goes on!!!

2. A deeper understanding of the skills you already do

In teacher-training brain, you see:

Pathways
Angles
Balance
Tension
Tiny details that make big differences
Body engagement
Common errors
Emergency exits
Height needs
Theory

aerial-teacher-training-silks-lyra-hoop — Curious about teaching or want to deepen your practice? Join the FREE Empowered Teaching in Aerial Arts masterclass.

3. The ability to teach with emotional intelligence

An aerial classroom is inherently a vulnerable space. It is a space where you are offering people an opportunity to try something that could change their lives. You're working with peoples:

Fears
Confidence
Body image
Trauma history
Perfectionism
Nervous systems
Self beliefs

You don't have to be a psychology expert to be a conscientious aerial teacher, but a good teacher training gives you the tools to handle that with care, clarity, and maturity.

This alone can be career-defining.

4. Professionalism + credibility

Most studios do value structured training.

A certification tells a studio:

You’ve studied safety
You’re not making things up as you go
You take teaching seriously
You’ve invested time and thought
You’re committed to ethical practice
You're thinking deeply about students
You have a growth mindset

A strong program tells studios your values and that you value your role. Studios will recognize that a one-week problem cannot offer the same depth and scope as a three-month program.

5. You learn things you didn’t know you didn't know

This is the part people underestimate.

Most new teachers don’t realize the sheer demands the role requires until they start teaching and go:

“Oh. I was NOT prepared.”

Teacher training fills in all the blind spots you can’t see yet, and exposes you to a wide variety of scenarios and possibilities so that if/when they come up, you're not caught off guard.

So… Do You Need an Aerial Teacher Training Certification to teach aerial arts?

Legally? No. Professionally, ethically, and practically? A genuinely thorough aerial teacher training is highly, highly recommended.

The aerial world is unregulated, which means the responsibility and accountability falls on the individual teacher.

And honestly?

It’s a relief to have guidance. To not make it up as you go. To not scramble under pressure. To not wonder whether you’re missing crucial knowledge. To feel like you actually know what you’re doing when people leave the ground under your instruction.

Quality teacher training gives you that foundation.