Continuing education FAQs

Credible certification is becoming increasingly important to employers, insurance companies and consumers. In fact, experts agree that to ensure long-term sustainability and better service the public, the fitness industry will eventually need to make certification mandatory. STOTT PILATES Certification is well respected in the fitness industry due to our high education standards and our mission to stay on top of new research and industry advancements.

The STOTT PILATES CEC program was developed to provide all Certified Instructors and Instructor Trainers with ongoing learning opportunities to keep skills current and maintain a high quality of education. In addition, this will help you stay abreast of the latest advancements in exercise science and the Merrithew repertoire.

All STOTT PILATES Certified Instructors and Instructor Trainers are required to obtain 0.6 CECs annually to maintain their certification.

You are required to keep track of all your Continuing Education Credits (workshops, videos, petitions, private evaluations, etc.) and retain all relevant documents. If you misplace a document or would like a copy of your training history, visit the student resources page and see the links listed under the ‘Forms’ section.

All STOTT PILATES Certified Instructors have one full calendar year to earn credits, beginning January 1 of the year following the successful completion of their exam. For example, if you successfully complete your exams in 2019, your first CEC period begins January 1, 2020 and ends December 31, 2020. CECs are earned every year for the calendar year (Jan–Dec).

You will automatically earn CECs and receive a completion letter in 4–6 weeks, if you:

• Attend any Merrithew education course or workshop at a trade show event, Merrithew Mindful Movement Symposium, Merrithew approved training center or at our Toronto Corporate Training Center. All 0.6 CECs may be earned this way (0.1 CEC/hour). At events, you are responsible for signing into the session with a Merrithew representative to earn STOTT PILATES CECs and a letter of completion
• Complete one or more private sessions with a Merrithew Instructor Trainer
  • This involves a review of Merrithew education content and/or any Merrithew exercise updates. All 0.6 CECs may be earned this way (0.1 CEC/hour)
  • Complete a teaching evaluation with a Merrithew Instructor Trainer. A teaching evaluation involves leading a Merrithew Instructor Trainer or another subject through a workout. You will be evaluated on your current teaching abilities and provided feedback. A maximum of 0.4 CECs can be earned this way (0.1 CEC/hour)
  • Complete a customized repertoire review with a Merrithew Instructor Trainer.* This involves booking a private session with a Merrithew Instructor Trainer to review basic principles, relevant modifications and/or any Merrithew exercise updates. All 0.6 CECs (6 hours with an IT) can be earned with a customized repertoire review. Repertoire review sessions may be booked with the CEC Coordinator to be sure your CECs are accounted for. Please be sure to receive your CEC evaluation form from the IT and send this to Merrithew along with the CEC submission form to prove your attendance.
• Complete a pre-approved Merrithew workshop with a Merrithew Instructor Trainer. An approved Workshop refers to a workshop, seminar or masterclass focused on specific subject matter that is complementary to existing Merrithew workshops and taught by a Merrithew Instructor Trainer. A maximum of 0.2 CECs can be earned this way (0.1 CEC/hour)

You can petition for STOTT PILATES Continuing Education Credits to be considered if you:

• Take a non-Merrithew course or workshop
  • Certified Instructors can take a non-Merrithew course or workshop. A minimum of 2 hours of anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology or other exercise science must be completed. One non-Merrithew petition can be submitted and a maximum of 0.2 CECs per calendar year may be earned this way, regardless of the duration of the course/workshop. Please note: Similar educational content that Merrithew already offers cannot be petitioned for non-Merrithew course or workshop CECs. In addition pre-recorded video, reading material, podcast, or self-study workshops taken at another organization cannot be petitioned.
  • How to petition:
    • Complete the Non-Merrithew education CEC petition form
    • To complete the form you’ll need the following information:
      • Educator’s organization information (organization name and contact details)
      • Course description, outline and hourly content breakdown (include number of hours taught for anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology or other exercise science)
      • List of course objectives
      • Instructor’s biography or CV
      • Proof of completion
    • The petition fee $28 USD/$35 CAD/£15 GBP plus tax, where applicable. The petition fee is a non-refundable administrative fee
    • For this option the form must be submitted no later than December 31 to be considered for the current year

    Merrithew cannot guarantee that CECs will be approved for non-Merrithew courses or workshops. Allow 4–6 weeks to review your request. You will receive confirmation by email. If you do not receive confirmation after 6 weeks, contact us at CECs@merrithew.com

• Study a Merrithew workout and teach it to a client (Video petition)
  • Study a Merrithew workout either digitally through Merrithew Connect^™ or review a DVD (excluding required videos for STOTT PILATES^® certification courses taken, e.g. Essential Matwork) and submit a 15-minute video of you teaching a section to a client* for evaluation. All 0.6 CECs can be earned this way (0.1 CEC/15-minute video)* (i.e. watch three titles, submit 3 - 15-minute long segments to earn 0.3 CECs. The same title cannot be submitted more than once per Certified Instructor)
  • If you wish to submit multiple video petitions, each submission has to reference different Merrithew workout
  • How to petition:
    • Submit the video petition form, upload your video and pay the fee
    • The petition fee is $30 USD/$35 CAD/£15 GBP plus tax, where applicable per 15-minute submission. The petition fee is a non-refundable administrative fee
    • For your video petition to be considered for the current year, it must submitted for review no later than December 31st
    • Video petitions do not count towards STOTT PILATES Specialty Track designations
• Teaching a 30-minute customized workout (Video petition)
  • Submit a 30-minute video of a customized workout you have created, from the Merrithew repertoire and teach it to a client (including family members and friends) or yourself. You must include the following:
    • Client intake and Postural Analysis on the client (if you are teaching yourself, you must still complete this section) prior to taping the video. Before starting the workout, introduce your client and give a brief overview of the information you gathered during the client intake and Postural Analysis for the accessors to reference, including any goals, injuries or concerns
    • Be sure to note any modifications you use during your session and explain the reason for selecting said modifications
    • Clearly verbalize your cues and instructions to the client so that they are heard on the video, and provide any necessary details on why you have made your programming choices
  • You will be evaluated and provided feedback on the following:
    • Ensuring all required aspects of the video petition are included (especially the client intake and Postural Analysis summary)
    • Teaching abilities, cuing, programming, repertoire proficiency and safety
  • A variety of topics including, but not limited to exercises on specialized equipment training or special populations and conditions can be submitted
  • How to petition:
    • Submit the video petition form, upload your video and pay the fee
    • The petition fee is $30 USD/$35 CAD/£15 GBP plus tax, where applicable per 30-minute submission. The petition fee is a non-refundable administrative fee
    • For your video petition to be considered for the current year, it must submitted for review no later than December 31st
    • A maximum of 0.2 CECs will be earned this way (0.2 CECs/30-minute video)*
    • Video petitions do not count towards STOTT PILATES Specialty Track designations

At Merrithew we believe our CEC program is an important part of being a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor. If a Certified Instructor fails to maintain 0.6 CECs for any of the previous 3 years, their certification status will no longer be considered current and they will not appear on the Merrithew instructor finder.

There are two options available to you:

1. CEC extension
   If your require additional time to complete your annual CEC requirement you may request an extension, which will allow your certification status to remain current for an additional period of time
   • If you are unable to complete your annual CEC requirement by the end of the year, you may pay a nominal fee to obtain a temporary extension until May 31 of the following year. During this period, your Certified Instructor status will remain as current. After this period, if the required CECs have not been earned, your Certified Instructor status will be counted as not current
   • The extension fee per 0.2 CECs is $25 USD/$30 CAD/£15 GBP plus tax, where applicable
   • Submit a CEC extension request
2. CEC backdate
   If you have earned more than 0.6 CECs in the current year, you may request to have a portion of your CECs backdated to a year where they are deficient
   • If your Certified Instructor status is no longer current and you have earned more than 0.6 CECs in the current year, you may pay a nominal fee to have a portion of your CECs backdated to a year where they are deficient. Once the previous year has been credited with 0.6 CECs, your Certified Instructor status will be counted as current
   • The backdate fee per 0.2 CECs is $25 USD/$30 CAD/£15 GBP plus tax, where applicable
   • To request to have CECs backdated, contact cecs@merrithew.com

If you complete more than 0.6 CECs you are able to transfer a maximum of 0.2 CECs to the following year provided you pay a $25 USD/$30 CAD/£15 administration fee (plus tax, where applicable). Note, only Merrithew education is transferable. Only CECs taken after the first calendar year after your exam can be transferred. As this is a new policy it applies to CECs going forward only and is not retroactive.

There is no annual renewal fee. The cost of maintaining your CEC status depends on which CEC option you choose.

Graduates and students are welcome to audit courses at the Toronto Corporate Training Center or any Merrithew Training Center, based on availability. Auditing a course will not count toward your CECs, but is a great way to refresh your memory. To arrange a course audit, contact your nearest Training Center.

Instructors are welcome to retake courses or workshops to earn CECs. While this is a great way to refresh your memory, we suggest that Instructors only retake courses or workshops once. We are continually offering new programming that will help you stay abreast of new content.