Thread: Certification...

Here is a question. Or perhaps more like thinking out loud on my part.

When you go to a dance studio to present yourself as a candidate to teach belly dance classes, what do you show as your credentials? Do you have certification, awards, anything to prove you know your stuff? What do you do if there is no certification program in you area? What can you do to "prove" your knowledge on paper? Do studios even care about that stuff for bellydance? Do they expect it, or are they surprised to find out such a thing exists?

If you have certification, how hard/expensive was it to get? Did you feel like it was it worth it? What did you learn? How did people react when it came time to hire you to teach?

I ask this because I am gearing up to teach, and am considering applying to some local dance schools, but I am not sure how to prove to them I have training and can actually teach and dance! So it's got me thinking about certifications and awards. As far as I know there are no schools in my area that can offer any kind of certification in belly dance, so what would someone like me have to do to get some credentials on paper?

Thoughts? Opinions? Rants? Rambling?

My dance instructor resume lists my ACE Group Fitness Instructor certification, my Yoga Alliance certification, and the fact that I was an Exercise & Wellness Instructor under 'training' as well as my years of continuous bellydance study and a representative sampling of workshops I've taken (I usually stress the ones I've travelled furthest for, since hiring parties won't know instructor names. Traveling to workshops shows dedication in any field).

Under 'experience' I mention my former troupe affiliation, long-standing restaurant gigs, high-profile stage shows in the area, etc.

I mention also my CPR & First Responder certifications.

Not having a bellydance specific certification has never been an issue, no one's ever asked.

Most dance studios seem more interested in renting studio space to you as an independent contractor than in hiring, per se. They want proof of insurance, mostly.

Out of curiosity, how much does ACE certification cost? I tried to figure it out on their website but it hates me.

I was thinking I should get CPR + First Aid for sure, but I'm wondering if other certifications help at all.

The exam fee is $249, plus whatever study materials or classes you need.

I'm very glad I did it, more for the knowledge I gained than any value the piece of paper gave me.

There is teacher training here in the UK but there are also very experienced teachers without forail "certificates".I
If you do not have "pieces of paper", you point to your experience,your knowledge, your successes in performances and with students. There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say and training schemes can only be prescriptve whereas this dance realy isn't. Personally I listen to what a dancer has to say about the dance. If she spouts misinformation/is vague/airy fairy/fanciful..I wouldn't place my trust. Of course for the non-belly dancing hiring a teacher, that poses problems..does this wo/man know what their doing and that's were the bits of paper come in handy. References for well-known dancers/former teachers might be a way. And I would expect someone to have some kind of first aid training and be able to get PLI

Originally Posted by dima

When you go to a dance studio to present yourself as a candidate to teach belly dance classes, what do you show as your credentials?

I only had to do this twice, once with a hospital and once with a dance school, where I would have been an employee and not an independent contractor.

What I gave both was a formal resume with my training listed as "hours of continuing education" with my primary workshop instructors. I did NOT list every workshop -- just the extended time spent with the 3 instructors I have studied with the most, as well as mentioning current continuing education with regional instructor X.

I also listed the contract jobs I've had -- other dance schools and hospitals/clinics, teaching in the schools, work with girl scouts and the parks dept. etc.

During the interview I made it clear that I've taken non-credit classes on adult learning, studied teaching methods, and continue to study the subject of education in general. I mentioned my fitness training study (had just started the ACE training at the time) and the teacher training programs I had participated in.

Nobody questioned my knowledge, but one job at the hospital was declined because I did not have the clinical training required for the class to be considered a "therapy" (and that was the only way they could introduce that program.) I declined the job offer at the dance studio because of low pay and the distance to travel, but ended up as a faculty member AND independent contractor at another more local school.

As it was with Lauren, nobody has ever asked me about certification other than CPR and first aid. I have had to agree to criminal background checks when working with the schools, but I actually expected that and frankly would have been weirded out if they hadn't asked for that.

When I appleid for my current belly dance teaching job, they wanted my resume and an interview. My resume looks like what Aziyade describes: a global overview of training, theater shows, teaching jobs and performances. In addition I provided a link to the website containing the articles I wrote on belly dance and gave the option of calling my references for extra background info.

I am hired per hour, and the insurance is covered by the university that I work for. They have not asked me for certifications so far, and they didn't ask me to get a certification in order to teach.