How To Get Zumba Certified: Everything You Need To Know
Zumba is a dance-adjacent exercise technique that is enjoyed by over 15 million weekly participants. While it was born in the mid-90s, now is the most convenient time to become an instructor.
Written By
- All of our content is written by humans, not robots. Learn More
Table of Contents
Like TRX, yoga, and other group exercise techniques, you need certification to legally and effectively run a class or studio.
As personal trainers ourselves, we know the drill. Let’s walk through how to get Zumba certified, including the costs and due process. You’ll need the right business sense, training, and attitude to begin.
What is the Zumba Certification Process Like?
Getting certified is the only legal way to run an exercise class or studio. Fortunately, you can get a Zumba instructor certification in as few as ten hours. You must undertake the proper training and pay the certification fee before you earn your proof of mentorship.
Your training, certification, and payments happen through Zumba.com. It is the most authentic and legitimate site, so we recommend it. The training modules and license costs start at around $250 for the most basic plans. Advanced courses cost as much as $400. Thankfully, Zumba.com classes qualify for coupons, discounts, and promotions.
The prices for all courses are comparable, letting you customize your skills and expertise whether you can learn to be an instructor for kids or teach complex rhythms. You can even take your routine to the pool with an aqua Zumba certification.
Each course has three learning options: on-site teaching, live virtual sessions, or modules that you can go through at your own pace. After completing your certification, you’re ready to turn Zumba into your own business.
Zumba License Renewals
A Zumba certification (called a license) is valid for six months after the training is completed. At that point, the instructor must renew one of two ways:
- Become a ZIN™ Member: ZIN, or the Zumba Instructor Network, is Zumba’s version of continuing education that also helps to keep their instructors up-to-date on the latest routines and marketing materials.
- Retake the Basic Level 1 Instructor Training
Is Zumba Certification All I Need?
Getting your Zumba certification online should always be the first step. While it is all you need to legally teach courses, it may benefit you to acquire additional skills.
Remember that a fitness trainer needs critical skills for emergencies. Along with your Zumba prowess, you should prepare by earning a CPR certification from the American Red Cross or other providers. It costs only a fraction of the price of Zumba lessons, and being able to save a participant’s life is a crucial skill for any fitness expert.
If you’re looking for more proof to bolster a resume or aid in advertising your classes, several Zumba-adjacent certifications will help. Try HIIT (high-intensity interval training), GEI (group exercise instructor), or an Fitness Mentors personal trainer title. Any of these additional merits will help expand your reach and integrate Zumba in new ways.
After Certification, What Comes Next?
Once you’re Zumba certified, it’s time to decide what business model you’ll adopt and how you will teach your courses. There are four main options, covering both virtual and on-site spaces.
Starting your own studio to teach Zumba is an ambitious but rewarding direction to pursue. You must pay advertising, utilities, and other operating costs on your own. Set aside money for hiring personnel and digital accounting programs to keep everything running smoothly. It’s expensive and takes time, but starting your studio puts you in complete control.
A popular alternative is to teach Zumba at a local gym or fitness center by renting their space. You get to skip out on utility costs and the price of furnishing your own space. However, you have to share it with others and abide by fitness industry regulations.
The third option saves even more on operation costs by going virtual. As a live virtual Zumba instructor, you can run classes from the comfort of your home. However, this route isn’t free. You’ll still need to invest in advertising, management, and accounting software that keep everything running smoothly.
The final option is creating a hybrid Zumba course to your specifications. You can set up a 1-on-1 live session where you drive to meet your clients personally or a modular episodic system online.
What Will Make Me a Successful Zumba Trainer?
Beyond the Zumba certification requirements, you need to have an entrepreneurial mindset. Even though anyone can get Zumba certified in one or two days, it doesn’t guarantee a successful business. Additional attitudes, practices, and technologies will improve your chances of success.
First, you need good marketing and management skills. Being a freelance Zumba instructor is akin to doing all the administrative work yourself unless you hire others. Helpful technologies like booking software can help you keep track of those who sign up for your classes, and other tools can help you manage your finances as you go.
Second, you need to stay physically fit and practice the craft often. Giving several classes per day with slight breaks takes excessive endurance. If you can’t keep up with the demands of being a trainer, you’ll bring less energy, excitement, and reliability to your students. That, in turn, may affect your business, so get yourself used to it before you start.
Third, be adaptable and empathetic. Whether you like it or not, being a Zumba instructor involves helping people with various needs and conditions. You may have to change your teaching style or be patient with particularly slow customers. Accept people with varying levels of fitness, health, and commitment.
Let’s Dance
A successful Zumba class requires plenty of certification, patience, and initiative, but the result is rewarding. Motivated teachers rake in over $60,000 per year, turning a craft they love into a full-time position. Zumba.com is the best place to start on your journey toward your unique class or studio.
And if you want to become a world-class personal trainer, look no further than Fitness Mentors. We have everything you need to become a certified personal trainer or exercise coach. Get started today and turn your love of exercise into a profitable career.
Eddie Lester
Read more from the category
A Comprehensive Guide to The USAW Certification
Kickboxing Certification: How to Get It and Become an Instructor
