If you would like to teach yoga in Germany, it's best if you speak German well enough to use the language to follow a teachers' training program and teach your classes. While there are some studios that offer yoga lessons in English, you will have far more hiring opportunities if you speak fluent German.
Teacher Certification in Germany
If you are going to teach yoga in Germany, it's a good idea to do a yoga teacher certification course in German. Even if you speak fluent German already, the specialized vocabulary of yoga will be easier to learn in a formal setting such as a teachers' training than simply learning it from yoga books or magazines.
At the Institute for Yoga and Health in Cologne, several different teacher training programs in German are offered. The programs cost under 2,000 Euro each, and are accredited by the Yoga Alliance. You can choose between several different formats according to whichever one fits your schedule, with the quickest certification option being a 3-week intensive training. Regardless of the format you choose, the same principles and information are offered in all training programs.
Yoga Vidya offers four-week yoga teacher trainings in three different locations around Germany. With programs starting every month, this school's programs are easy to fit into any schedule. Accredited with the Yoga Alliance, Yoga Vidya offers a few different formats for completing the yoga teacher training, and all formats cost between 2,000 and 3,000 Euro.
Teach Yoga in Germany
Finding a job as a yoga teacher in Germany is similar to finding one in the United States. Simply make sure your credentials and philosophy match those that a yoga school requires before you apply. To find potential job openings, you can either browse classified ads in newspapers and online, or simply send out solicitation letters to studios that you believe would be a good fit for your areas of specialization and your philosophy towards yoga. You may also find job announcements on the websites of individual yoga studios.
Do keep in mind that in order to teach yoga in Germany, you must have the appropriate visa in order to be put on the payroll. Most yoga studios will not be willing to apply for a work visa for you, so you should already have the valid documents before applying. Of course, if someone at a German studio has contacted you specifically requesting that you come teach there, he or she will probably be willing to make arrangements for you, including a work visa if necessary.
Teaching Yoga in English
If you don't (yet) speak fluent German, you can look for yoga studios that offer classes taught in English. Bigger cities have considerable expat populations, so it is not uncommon to find yoga studios where English classes are taught on a regular basis. You can always send a cover letter expressing your interest in joining their team even if the studio is not advertising a position. A few examples of studios offering English-language yoga classes are: Yoga-Hamburg and The Yoga Loft in Cologne .
Independent Teaching
Another route is to organize private or small group yoga lessons in English and advertise them on websites frequented by native English speakers, such as Expatriates or Expatica. There are also Craigslist listings for Germany, where you could post an advertisement for English-language lessons. These websites are also great regional resources for posting questions about English-language classes and studios in the region of Germany where you are living or where you plan to start living.
Yoga in Germany
As in much of the world, yoga is a growing trend in Germany. Teaching yoga in Europe can be a fun way to expand your cultural and linguistic horizons as well as further your personal journey in yoga.
