“The worst time to hire is when you need to hire, and retention starts with your job posting. When the role is clear, the fit is right and the instructor can see a future at your studio, you’ll build a team that stays,” says Hannah McMullen, co-founder of PlankeApp and owner of The Reformery.
For studio owners, retention starts well before an instructor teaches their first class. Recruiting consistently, setting clear expectations and offering room to grow can help you build a team that wants to stay. Here are five places to start.
1. Build your instructor pipeline all year, not when someone quits
A resignation, leave or schedule expansion can put pressure on a studio to hire quickly. Building relationships before you have an opening gives you more time to find the right person.
Stay in touch with local instructors, even when you have no permanent opening. A sub shift can be the start of an ongoing relationship.
Use subbing to get to know potential hires and give them a chance to experience your studio.
Connect with teacher training programs and newly certified instructors. If you run your own training, consider how graduates could grow into teaching roles.
Treat recruiting like client acquisition: you do not stop introducing people to your studio because today’s classes are full.
Keep your studio profile active on a hiring platform such as PlankeApp and check which instructors are available in your area.
Hannah, who also owns two Pilates studio locations, says she consistently builds relationships with instructors through PlankeApp and her wider network. She says her studios run approximately 125 classes a week and have cancelled fewer than five classes due to teacher absences in four years.
2. Hire for your studio, clients and culture, not just the certification
A comprehensively certified instructor may be an excellent teacher and still be the wrong fit for a particular role. Be specific about what success looks like in your studio.
Define the teaching style, apparatus experience, availability and values the role requires.
Consider your clients and class format. A private studio focused on rehabilitation may need different strengths from a high-energy group reformer studio.
Describe your actual environment in the job post, rather than relying on a generic request for a “passionate, 450-hour certified instructor.”
Use auditions to see how a candidate connects with clients and represents your studio, as well as how they teach.
Ask what the instructor wants from the role. A mismatch in hours, income, class format or career goals can become a retention issue later.
3. Be transparent from day one
Pay and working conditions shape whether an instructor accepts a role and whether they stay. The Pilates Journal’s 2026 Global Industry Report found that half of instructors had turned down work because the pay was too low. Yet, according to PlankeApp, just over a third of permanent job posts on its platform in the past six months listed pay.
Publish the pay or a realistic range, and explain how it works: flat rate, per head, hourly, commission, employee or contractor.
State the days and times that need coverage.
Spell out responsibilities beyond teaching, such as opening and closing, cleaning, meetings, social media, client follow-up or sales.
Make sure the role described during recruitment matches the job an instructor experiences six months later.
Hannah recalls going through multiple interviews and receiving offers early in her teaching career before learning what the roles paid. In some cases, the compensation was well below what she would accept. Sharing it earlier saves time on both sides.
4. Treat onboarding as a retention tool
A strong hire still needs support to succeed. Onboarding should introduce an instructor to how your studio works, what your clients expect and where they can turn for help.
Give new instructors an introduction to your brand, clients, policies and teaching standards, not just a place on the schedule.
Arrange opportunities to shadow experienced teachers.
Give specific feedback after their first classes, rather than waiting for a problem.
Pair newer instructors with a mentor or senior teacher. If you do not have someone in house, PlankeApp also lists mentorship opportunities.
Schedule check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days to discuss what is working and what support they need.
5. Give great instructors a career with you, not just a few classes
In the same Global Industry Report, only 8% of instructors named limited teaching opportunities as their biggest challenge. Income sustainability (39%) and workload or burnout (35%) were more common concerns. More classes alone may not make a role sustainable.
Review pay against the market, including whether longstanding instructors are earning less than new hires.
Ask each instructor what they want next. That might be more private clients, fewer group classes, mentoring, management, teacher training, workshops or greater schedule flexibility.
Show what progression could look like in your studio, and promote from within where you can.
Support continuing education financially through workshops, visiting educators, stipends or discounted courses. Instructors can also find training and workshops on PlankeApp.
Invite instructors into conversations about studio goals, seek their feedback and share positive client feedback with them.
Allow reasonable flexibility for subbing and schedule changes.
Keeping instructors starts with understanding what they need to do good work over time. A clear job post helps establish the fit; thoughtful onboarding and regular conversations help sustain it. For studio owners, that makes hiring an ongoing part of building the business, rather than a task that begins when a class suddenly needs covering.
PlankeApp is a hiring platform and professional network for Pilates and boutique fitness. Studios can post permanent roles, sub shifts, teacher training, workshops and mentorship opportunities, browse instructor profiles and connect directly. Everything is free for instructors. Their profile works as a digital resume, and they can apply to any post or message studios directly. PlankeApp says more than 4,000 studios and instructors use the platform across web, iOS and Android. It was founded by McMullen, a Pilates instructor and owner of The Reformery in Rochester, New York, and software developer PJ McMullen.