How to become a ballet teacher
Most ballet teachers are motivated to become teachers following their experience of learning dance – whether recreationally or professionally. That is not a rule, but it is a pattern – and one that exists for good reason. Teaching ballet requires understanding of teaching methodology as well as a physical understanding of how the movement is performed and expressed. Teachers who trained as dancers tend to carry that knowledge in their bodies, and therefore it’s a skill that is beneficial to their learning as teachers of dance. Professional performance experience is not a legal prerequisite for any ballet teaching qualification in the UK. What matters more is a working understanding of classical technique, a genuine interest in how people learn and a willingness to study the craft of teaching formally.
At The Royal Ballet School, we have trained ballet dancers for 100 years and, increasingly, we train the teachers who prepare the next generation. This guide sets out what we have learned about the pathway into ballet teaching in the UK, and where our own programmes fit within that landscape.
Do you need to be a professional dancer to teach ballet?
No. Professional performance experience is not required to teach ballet in the UK, and it is not a prerequisite for any UK ballet teaching qualification.
Some of the most effective ballet teachers we have met never danced professionally. They came through academic dance programmes, trained to a high standard without joining a company or arrived at ballet teaching from another genre. What they have in common is enough technical grounding to demonstrate, explain and correct classical work accurately.
Performance experience helps most when it comes to understanding the world a student is training to enter: audition processes, company culture, the physical demands of a performing schedule and the mental weight of a career where your body is your instrument and your instrument ages. Teachers who have lived that experience can prepare students for the reality, not just the technique.
Knowing the steps is not enough on its own. What separates good instruction from good intentions is knowing how to teach effectively- the pedagogy. Much of the training historically available in the private sector has focused on what to teach, rather than how. If you’re interested in learning more about this, head over to our 2019 article Out of step: the need for change in ballet teacher training.
What training and qualifications do ballet teachers need?
The answer depends on where a teacher wants to work. Ballet teaching in the UK splits roughly into three settings, each with different expectations.
State schools require Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), typically earned through a PGCE or school-based training programme. Dance sits within physical education or performing arts at secondary level. The starting salary for a newly qualified teacher in England is £31,650 a year outside London, rising to £40,317 in inner London (2025/26 pay scales).
Further education and sessional teaching demands and expectations are changing. Some HE Institutes – schools, universities and colleges require a Level 6 qualification degree or professional diploma. Others look for a recognised teaching qualification from an awarding body or school, such as The Royal Ballet School, with a minimum Level 4 qualification in dance. Much depends on individual schools, but in general, there are no sector rules. You can find out more on the National Careers Service website.
Private-sector teaching in studios, community halls and independent dance schools has no legal qualification requirement. Anyone can set up a class. In practice, however, credentials from an awarding body validated by the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) matter. Only registered teachers can enter students for their awarding body’s examinations, which is how most young ballet students measure their progress.
Our teacher training qualifications
At The Royal Ballet School, we take a different approach to teacher training. Our programmes do not start from scratch. They pick up where existing qualifications leave off, and they are designed for teachers who already teach and want to go deeper into their practice.
Our Diploma of Classical Ballet Teaching is a two-year part-time qualification for teachers ready to commit to advanced study of the teaching of classical ballet. Graduates gain direct access to our Affiliate Programme, RAD Registered Teacher Status, ISTD Full Teaching Membership and bbodance Registered Teacher membership. That combination of four pathways from a single qualification is not matched anywhere else in the UK.
For teachers who are not yet ready for a two-year commitment, we offer shorter routes designed to slot into an active teaching life:
- Inspire seminars are in-person and online events focused on specific areas of classroom practice, from teaching pointework to structuring a class.
- Enlighten webinars offer online continuing professional development for teachers anywhere in the world.
- The Affiliate Programme prepares and accredits teachers to deliver our System of Training, connecting them to a global network of registered Affiliate Teachers.
You can explore everything we offer on our Dance Teacher Training hub.
Other recognised qualifications
Several other respected routes into ballet teaching exist in the UK, and the right one depends on a teacher’s goals and where they plan to work.
The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) offers the Certificate in Dance Teaching (Ballet), a two-year part-time programme combining distance learning, a five-day intensive study period, and an extended teaching placement. UK fees for 2026/27 are £5,730 plus £135 registration (radprospectus.info). Graduates earn RAD Registered Teacher Status. Degree-level RAD programmes run up to MA level, all validated by the University of Bath.
The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) offers the Ofqual-regulated Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education, studied part-time through approved centres over two to three years. Its membership covers 13 dance genres, so teachers who qualify through the ISTD are not limited to classical ballet.
Other recognised bodies include bbodance, which offers Ofqual-regulated qualifications that are not genre-specific, the IDTA and the BTDA.
What else do ballet teachers need beyond qualifications?
Teaching ballet, particularly to children, carries responsibilities that extend beyond the classroom. Three things sit at the top of our list.
A DBS check. Anyone teaching children in the UK should hold an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, which costs £64.40 in England and Wales. The RAD and ISTD both require current checks for their registered teachers, and the ISTD’s safeguarding policy mandates renewal every three years. There is currently no legal requirement for private dance schools to carry out background checks on staff, though the British Dance and Sport Association is campaigning for mandatory safeguarding legislation across the extracurricular sector.
Public liability insurance. Most teachers working in rented spaces or running their own studios carry it, and many venues will not allow classes to run without it.
First aid training. This is increasingly expected, particularly where venues or local authority lettings policies require it.
What does a teaching pathway in ballet actually look like?
Teaching pathways are rarely linear. A common route begins with assisting at a local dance school while studying for a Level 4 qualification, then building a teaching practice over several years before pursuing more advanced study. Some teachers run their own studios within a few years of qualifying. Others spend a decade performing before transitioning to teaching full-time.
Salary in the private sector varies widely. Glassdoor puts the UK average for dance teachers at working full time within a school at around £28,400 a year, with a typical range of £22,800 to £35,300. Hourly rates average around £20-£30 rising to £30-£40 for more experienced teachers and anything from £50 up for renowned teachers. Teachers who run their own schools and build a full timetable can earn more, but the income is not usually stable in the early years and depends heavily on location, reputation and the number of students a teacher can attract and retain.
Perhaps more important than any single pathway is the habit of continuing to study. We hear this from teachers at every stage of their career.
‘I was always looking for more CPD opportunities,’ says Teacher Training Coordinator Lucy Scott, who completed our Inspire seminars before joining the School’s staff. ‘Inspire was perfect because I had official teaching qualifications and could say I was a ballet teacher, but there was still so much more to explore.’
Harris Beattie, a Soloist with Northern Ballet, attended our Inspire seminars while still performing. ‘I was made to feel at ease in a supportive, safe, judgement-free learning environment,’ he told Dance Informa, ‘something I greatly appreciated being younger and more inexperienced compared to other teachers attending the seminars.’
Lucy came to us with qualifications and wanted more depth. Harris came in from active performance and wanted teaching tools. Both found what they needed through the same programme. The starting point matters less than the commitment to keep questioning whether the way you teach today is the best way to teach tomorrow.
Start your teaching journey with us
If you are considering a move into ballet teaching, or if you are already teaching and ready for deeper study, we would love to hear from you. Whether you are drawn to the two-year Diploma of Classical Ballet Teaching, our shorter Inspire seminars and Enlighten webinars or our Affiliate Programme, we have a pathway designed for your career stage and goals.
Explore our full range of dance teacher training options and find the route that fits you.
Key takeaway
Becoming a ballet teacher is not defined by a single route. The most effective teachers combine technical knowledge, meaningful teaching experience, and a commitment to ongoing professional development: the kind of practice that never stops asking how to serve students better.
