FAQ

Participation in a Feldenkrais training program

Even though many of our students are doctors and therapists, there are generally no requirements to be able to participate in a Feldenkrais training program. The training program is designed in such a way that by the end of the course each and every student will have successfully acquired the necessary knowledge to be able to work as a Feldenkrais practitioner.

Recognized and accredited training programs

Our training courses fulfill the international training program regulation requirements set by the EuroTAB (European Training Accreditation Board). This means that upon completion of our training programs, Feldenkrais associations worldwide recognize you as a certified Feldenkrais teacher. No matter where you are or move to in the world, be it Switzerland, Argentina or USA, for example, having our certification allows you to officially teach Feldenkrais lessons and individual sessions.

How long is a Feldenkrais teacher training program? What’s the date structure like? 

A Feldenkrais professional training program has 40 class days per year and lasts 4 years. Every class day consists of 5 class hours, so in total we provide 200 teaching hours per year or 800 teaching hours over 4 years.

Since working 40 class days in a row would not be advisable, we divide the class days into segments. Our training programs usually has 3 or 4 segments per year. But a training is always 40 days per year no matter how the segments are divided. Please see the time table of the training you are interested in for more details.

Are your training days always 5 hours long?

Yes, usually they are. But of course we also need to take breaks, so a typical training day has a schedule like from 10am to 5pm with a 90 minute lunch break and a short morning and a short afternoon break.

If training days are shorter than 5 hours, we make up the time on another day by adding training hours or we make up the time by adding more training days to a segment.

Our online training days are often shorter for example. We don’t work 5 hours per day but only 3,5 hours or 4 hours per day. So a segment that would usually take 10 calendar days is stretched to 12 or 13 calendar days.

Please see the time table of the training you are interested in for more details. You can find the dates of each training and the time table for each training segment if you click on the program you are interested in.

Are there online training programs for becoming a Feldenkrais teacher?

No, it is not possible to become a certified Feldenkrais practitioner only through online training. Feldenkrais professional training programs are in-person events due to the importance of the participant’s direct sensory experience. Also, since we teach our participants to work with Functional Integration (the hands on work in the Feldenkrais Method) it is not possible to learn the skills an excellent Feldenkrais teacher needs by long distance learning.

This being said: we are aware of the advantages in working online and we have carefully identified and selected single segments of our training programs where our groups will meet online and not in-person. Please check the timetable of the specific program you are interested in to see which segments will be happening online.

We are very proud to be able to offer to our students to repeat every online training day a second time in-person later. At no extra cost. Please note that this is an offer you will not find with other training institutes. The chance to repeat your online training days for free gives you the possibility to deepen your learning and become the best Feldenkrais professional you can be.

Joining a training program that has already started

It is possible to sign up for programs that have already started. During the first year of the training, anyone interested can join the course. However, you will need to make up the days you have missed. (Please also see below for more information.)

How often do you start new training programs?

We offer professional trainings in Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, San Sebastian, Lisbon, Stockholm and Moscow. We usually start a new program in each of these places every 2 to 3 years (with the exception of San Sebastian where we will stop offering trainings after the current training San Sebastian 2 is finished).

Making up for missed days

You can make up for missed days in another training program. For specific details, contact your organizer who will help you (together with the educational director) to establish a personal make-up plan.

We are aware that it is impossible to plan ahead for unexpected events that may arise throughout the 4 years of the training. It might be that at some point students have to miss out on training days or a whole segment. We offer all our support to students in making up their absences in the easiest possible way.

If you know fro the start that you will be absent on certain days or a specific segment, please let us know so we can plan ahead and figure out a make-up schedule for you.

Why are there no Feldenkrais training programs that only take place on the weekends?

There’s a lot to learn in 4 years of a Feldenkrais training program. You might not realize it until you have visited your first training segment, but in a Feldenkrais training you don’t just learn things on an intellectual level but you also enter a process of self-discovery and development. Over the course of a training program you will experience the method on yourself and then, drawing from your own rich learning experience, you will be able you to teach Feldenkrais to others and help your clients change, evolve and develop.

A process like this cannot take place if we only met for 2 or 3 days, thus individual segments of the Feldenkrais training program are usually at least 7 or 10 days long. This allows us to profoundly enter into the rich curriculum that often consists of lesson series that we work with for an entire week or longer.

Another, more practical reason for having longer segments is that our team as well as many of our students come from far away. It would be impossible to meet 20 times per year. This would make travels very expensive and extraneous. So most of our training programs have 3 or 4 segments per year. For details please check the schedule of the training program you are interested in. (Please also read the question above “MAKING UP FOR MISSED DAYS”.)

Teaching Feldenkrais classes

Students receive a „teacher in training certificate“ once they have successfully completed an „ATM practicum“ at the end of the second training year. This consists of a supervised group ATM lesson taught by the student. After successfully passing this supervision and after having attended a minimum of 80 full days of class, students are authorized to teach group Feldenkrais classes („ATM classes“), advertise them, use the title „Teacher in Training“ and be paid for their work.

This authorization is only valid throughout the duration of the training program. If the student were to leave the training course before completing it fully, this authorization will lose its validity.

We think that practicing the method is an important part of the student’s learning and should be carried out throughout their training, enriching their own learning process. We encourage our students to practice everything they learn during the course and to apply it in their own classes.

However, it is important to emphasize that the student must successfully fulfill the 4 years of training (or 160 class days) in order to graduate and obtain the certificate as Feldenkrais Practitioner, which will enable him or her to teach group classes (ATMs) as well as private lessons („FI“ or „Functional Integration“).

Training schedule

Depending on the training program, classes will take place during weekdays and weekends. For further details, please view the specific training program details.

The normal class schedule is from 10am to 5pm (with a 90 minute lunch break).

The Functional Integration session will take place outside class time.

For further details, please view the specific training program details.

Becoming a teacher of the Feldenkrais Method

Not all course participants have the intention to become a Feldenkrais teacher. A percentage of the students enrolled on a Feldenkrais program actually do the training for their own benefit and personal development and not with the intention of becoming Feldenkrais teacher.

Something common that also occurs is that throughout the four years of the training, people who enrolled on the training program for their own benefit later decide to teach Feldenkrais. Some even donate their work and teach Feldenkrais in community projects free of charge.

Observation: Suffering from physical or mobility difficulties does not make it inconvenient to participate in a Feldenkrais training. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Individual lessons in Functional Integration

Each participant will receive a minimum of 12 FIs throughout the 4 year training program. The purpose is to deepen what is learned in class or as a tool to address a specific need a student might have. These sessions are included in the cost of the training program; they are not an extra expense.

If you wish to, you can also have more sessions at a special reduced price. These discounts apply only to participants of our training courses.

Audio mp3 recording of the entire training program

The whole training program will be recorded in audio format (mp3). The recordings of all our trainings (this is the trainings of the Instituto Feldenkrais España) are already included in the training price. A few weeks after the end of each segment participants receive the mp3s for their own personal use.

Student evaluation

Strictly speaking we do not have exams. During the second year, students undergo an „ATM practicum“. This consists of a supervised practicum in which students participating in the training teach „Awareness Through Movement“ lessons (ATM). These lessons are taught in small groups and they are supervised by the teaching staff who give feedback. After successfully accomplishing this practicum, the student is apt for teaching ATM classes.

At the end of the fourth year, there is an „FI practicum“. This consists of the students teaching FIs (Functional Integration lessons) in a 1 to 1 situation, supervised by our teaching-staff.

Cost of the training

Please check the specific training program’s details in order to find out about the tuition fees.

Teaching staff

All of our Feldenkrais trainers are internationally recognized Feldenkrais trainers. The Educational Directors, Mara Fusero, Paul Newton and Thomas Farnbacher, are in charge of teaching 50 to 60% of their training courses. The remaining training days will be taught by Feldenkrais guest trainers from different parts of the world. With such diversity of teachers, our students will gain a broader view of the method, obtaining greater variation and a richer learning experience.

Highly qualified assistant trainers also participate on our training courses.

Interaction between the students and the trainers & assistant trainers is constant, the number of Assistant Trainers will depend on the number of students participating in the training program. The larger the group, the more trainers the program will have.

We also have the support and collaboration of guest teachers or mentors, who have finished their training program and work as Feldenkrais practitioners. Read more about our team.

Payment

The student will receive a contract, as a participant of the training program, with a detailed payment schedule for each segment. The price of each segment varies depending on the amount of teaching days. For further information, please check the specific details for each training program.

Language of the training programs

Most of the training segments are taught in English with translation into the national language (Spanish, Portuguese or Russian).

If a segment should be taught in the national language because it is the trainer’s mother tongue, the classes will be translated into English.

We have great experience with teaching the method with simultaneous translation and can pretty much guarantee you that your learning experience will be pleasant. No inconveniences should arise due to language issues.

Number of participants

This will depend on how many students enroll for each training program. The average program has between 25 and 45 students.

The amount of Trainers and Assistant Trainers will also depend on the amount of participants, therefore, the more students, the more trainers there will be.

Housing options

The training program is not responsible for the students‘ housing, however, we are always available to help you, informing you of accommodation, special rates or discounts we might know about.

Much of the information we have on housing we publish on the webpage that shows the training location. So check the location of the training you wish to attend, scroll down a bit and click where it says „TRAINING LOCATION“.

Contact us if you need further details concerning housing options.