Training and Certification of Alexander Technique Teachers

When F. Matthias Alexander started formally training teachers in his method in the early 1930s, he made three years’ of study the minimum requirement for certification. To a large extent, this pattern continues today; the vast majority of Alexander Technique teachers have completed a three-year training course, consisting of 1600 hours or more of training. For the most part, this training takes place in small groups and, in some ways, can be viewed as a bit like an apprenticeship in the art of effective teaching.

Importance of Proper Training

There are two main reasons why training takes such a long time: First, it is important that teachers own use of themselves (see Key Alexander Technique Concepts) be improved to the point at which they are useful models for their students, and are are less likely to convey harmful kinesthetic information through their hands. The second reason is that even when a teacher has good use, the skill of using hands to give useful kinesthetic information to another person usually takes quite a long period of training and practice.

A few training courses today spread training time out over a longer period, with most of the training taking place on weekends or, at times, summer sessions. A small number of teachers have have trained in a more informal way, usually studying privately with one or more senior teachers. Teachers trained in this manner are required to do some additional training on an established training course to become certified by an Alexander Technique professional society.

Certification of Teachers

The majority of practicing Alexander teachers are certified by one of the major Alexander Technique professional societies (see Alexander Techniques Links to Additional Sources of Information), all of which have similar standards. However, there is generally no legal requirement for a teacher to either be certified, or be a member of a professional society. As a result, there are some teachers today who have been certified at one point but who have chosen not to be a member of a professional society. There are also a few teachers who, because of the nature of their training, cannot be certified, or be a member of a professional society.

To complicate matters even more, the term “Alexander Technique” is not legally trademarked and so there is nothing to prevent anybody from calling themselves an Alexander Technique teacher. In practice, there have not been many instances of “fraudulent” Alexander teachers, but it is important for anyone considering taking lessons assure themselves of the competency of their teacher (see How to Find and Choose an Alexander Technique Teacher).