I regularly receive emails from people asking how to become qualified so that they can start teaching Tai Chi and/or Qigong. Until recently I was only aware of one way. The way I had become a Qigong and Kung Fu instructor and many years ago, how I nearly became a Tai Chi teacher.
That route is what I’d call the ‘traditional route’. At some point unknown to you, your teacher approaches you and asks you to start teaching. The amount of training you then receive to actually become a good teacher of Qigong, Kung Fu or Tai Chi varies considerably.
When I was asked to start teaching Tai Chi (way back in 1999) the school I was with had a very clear and structured path. Once asked you were assigned to a teacher and you took the warm up for their class. You were the assistant used to demonstrate any application of technique and you got to hang out with the teachers. You were also given a teachers handbook and required to attend special ‘teacher only’ courses with the founder of the school.
My other experiences of teacher training have been a little less well structured. The result being that the standards, skills and teaching ability of instructors has varied considerably from teacher to teacher.
Until recently the thought of someone deciding that they wanted to start a career teaching Tai Chi or Qigong and then enrolling in a class specifically set up to teach them how to do it, just seemed how can I put it? Untraditional.
Being the chief (and only) Qigong teacher over here at Qigong15 I never really spend much time considering the best way to set up Qigong/Tai Chi teacher training. It’s simply not a subject that comes up very often as I’m sure you can imagine.
I do my best to keep my teaching skills fresh and spend a great deal of time each week, listening to and reading about, what is happening in the world of Qigong.
Perhaps one day I will be interested in training up Qigong teachers, but I don’t feel in any great rush to do so. Whilst I have been involved in the creation of standardised testing protocols for students, it’s not really an area that excites me.
Last year I was considering training to become a locksmith (what can I say? Teaching Qigong hasn’t been the road to fame, glory and riches that I hoped it would be!). I did some research and found various operations and institutes, they all had clear guidelines on what you would be taught, what qualifications you would receive, how much tuition you could expect. It got me thinking.
This is how we do things in the west. We give a clear guide on what someone can expect to receive in exchange for their payment. When you go for a qualification in anything, if you pass the minimum requirement you have passed. There is transparency about what is expected from you in order to qualify.
When I compare this to how I became a Qigong teacher I see a big difference. I have no idea what criteria I was assessed on as to my suitability to pass these skills on to others. I received very little guidance as to what to teach, or actually how best to teach it. As for finding a venue, locating students, how to market myself – that was all up to me.
I used to feel quite strongly that certificates in Qigong and Tai Chi were not worth the paper they were written on because there is no agreed standard requirement for pass, merit, distinction or fail. It varies wildly from school to school.
When I first began my counselling career back in 1994, counselling was in a similar situation. There was no governing body regulating what qualifications, experience and training a counselor should have to be able to call themselves a counselor.
Before I left this career I remember that there were 2 organisations that were competing to be the ‘industry’ standard. The British Association for Counselling and another one I can’t remember. I just did a quick google search and see that there are certainly more than 2 organisations you can belong to now if you’re in counselling.
But the important point is that a member of the public can be assured that if they go to see a counsellor that is accredited by the BAC (now the BACP I notice) then that counsellor has reached an agreed standard of proficiency. This offers a level of confidence and certainty that never used to exist.
Hopefully one day such a standard will exist for those who are interested in teaching Tai Chi and Qigong to the public. I believe that this is a better way for Tai Chi and Qigong teacher training to go in the West, rather than the Traditional route I followed.
For those of you who are interested in Qigong and Tai Chi teacher training there is only one institute I recommend and it is the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. You can find their calendar of upcoming events here: IIQTC Calendar. Their next event is in March and you can find full details here: Level 1 – Community Qigong Practice Leader Training.
Please note I do not receive any payment for endorsing the IIQTC here in this post. I do so because having spoken with Dr Roger Jahnke, the founder of the IIQTC, I am confident that they offer quality training. Training that is systematic, structured and professional.
Teaching Tai Chi and Qigong is a rewarding career and if this is a path that appeals to you I would ask you to remember that your role as a teacher is to help people to activate and learn how to use their bodies natural ability to heal. It’s not you that does the healing, it’s Qi/Chi and that is available to all.
Kindest regards
Marcus James Santer
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Very interesting–thank you!