Aerial Teacher Training Certification Levels

AERIAL TEACHER TRAINING
Certification Levels

Aerial Teacher Certification is proof of in-depth safety and technical training for anyone who is currently teaching or wants to teach (or co-teach) Circus Arts to others. Gaining certification in one of the 3 certification levels is a way to verify to students that you are highly qualified to teach and have the highest professional standards and education.

3 levels of certifications are available through CAI: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
There are different requirements for Teachers and Studio Owners.

Teacher Certification LEVELS

Level	You Are Certified to Teach	Requirements	Prerequisites
Beginner	Beginner-level group classes and private lessons on the apparatus you trained on.	• 25 hrs in-class instruction Practice Requirements* • 5-10 hrs observation/co-spotting • 30-60 hrs co-teaching (at a beginner level) • 5-10 hrs supervised teaching Supervision Requirements* • 5 hrs one-on-one trainer supervision *See Beginner Application here Written assessment of material covered.	- Beginner Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all beginner-level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other beginner-level tricks not found in the manual on your chosen apparatus. AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification
Intermediate	You are approved by the Circus Arts Institute to teach Intermediate-level group classes and private lessons on the apparatus you trained in.	• 25 hrs in-class instruction Practice Requirements* • 30-60 hrs co-teaching (at an intermediate level) • 10 hrs teaching (at an intermediate level) Supervision Requirements* • 5-10 hrs one-on-one trainer supervision • 6+ hrs rigging education (in addition to the material covered in the in-class instruction at CAI) *See Intermediate Application here Written assessment of material covered.	- Beginner teacher training (requires assessment and skill demonstration) AND - Intermediate Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all intermediate level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other intermediate-level tricks not found in manual on your chosen apparatus AND - Have purchased and read the book Introduction to Rigging: Aerialist Essentials AND - Minimum 2-5+ years as a Beginner teacher AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification
Advanced	Any-level group classes or private lessons and can train beginner teachers on the apparatus you trained in (with trainer supervision).	• 25 hrs of in-class instruction depends on previous instruction Practice Requirements* • 80-100 hrs co-teaching (at an advanced level) • 80-100 hrs teaching (at an advanced level) Supervision Requirements* • 10-20+ hrs one-on-one trainer supervision • 12+ hrs rigging education (in addition to the material covered in the in-class instruction at CAI) See Advanced Application here • Complete Emily Scherb's "Complete Aerial Anatomy" course (email us for the CAI trainee login) • Make up/Create (provide us for review) your own skill progression on your chosen apparatus • Create a document differentiating Intermediate from Advanced tricks similar to our document comparing Beginner to Intermediate • Discussion of your use of Evidence Based Teaching practices • Document “Apparatus Specific Standards” for your chosen apparatus Written assessment of material covered.*	- Intermediate teacher training (requires assessment and skill demonstration) AND - Advanced Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all advanced-level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other advanced-level tricks not found in manual and more on your chosen apparatus AND - Minimum 5-10+ years as a Beginner and Intermediate teacher (at least 500+ hours of instruction with students) AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification

STudio owner Certification LEVELS

We require studio owners to have rigging education at every level and more, they are the ones ultimately responsible for the safety of the physical space. This additional training requirement ensures that the studio owner has ample rigging knowledge.

Level	You Are Certified to Teach	Requirements	Prerequisites
Beginner	Beginner-level group classes and private lessons on the apparatus you trained on.	• 25 hrs in-class instruction Practice Requirements* • 5-10 hrs observation/co-spotting • 30-60 hrs co-teaching (at a beginner level) • 5-10 hrs supervised teaching Supervision Requirements* • 5 hrs one-on-one trainer supervision Rigging Requirements* • 4+ hrs rigging instruction (in addition to the material covered in the in-class instruction at CAI) *See Beginner Application here Written assessment of material covered.	- Beginner Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all beginner-level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other beginner-level tricks not found in the manual on your chosen apparatus. AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification
Intermediate	Intermediate-level group classes and private lessons on the apparatus you trained in.	• 25 hrs in-class instruction Practice Requirements* • 30-60 hrs co-teaching (at an intermediate level) • 10 hrs teaching (at an intermediate level) Supervision Requirements* • 5-10 hrs one-on-one trainer supervision • 6+ hrs rigging education (in addition to the material covered in the in-class instruction at CAI) *See Intermediate Application here Written assessment of material covered.	- Beginner teacher training (requires assessment and skill demonstration) AND - Intermediate Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all intermediate level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other intermediate-level tricks not found in manual on your chosen apparatus AND - Minimum 2-5+ years as a Beginner teacher AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification
Advanced	Any-level group classes or private lessons and can train beginner teachers on the apparatus you trained in (with trainer supervision).	• 25 hrs of in-class instruction depends on previous instruction Practice Requirements* • 80-100 hrs co-teaching (at an advanced level) • 80-100 hrs teaching (at an advanced level) Supervision Requirements* • 10-20+ hrs one-on-one trainer supervision • 12+ hrs rigging education (in addition to the material covered in the in-class instruction at CAI) See Advanced Application here • Complete Emily Scherb's "Complete Aerial Anatomy" course (email us for the CAI trainee login) • Make up/Create (provide us for review) your own skill progression on your chosen apparatus • Create a document differentiating Intermediate from Advanced tricks similar to our document comparing Beginner to Intermediate • Discussion of your use of Evidence Based Teaching practices • Document “Apparatus Specific Standards” for your chosen apparatus Written assessment of material covered.*	- Intermediate teacher training (requires assessment and skill demonstration) AND - Advanced Skill Training on your chosen apparatus. Must know or be in the process of learning all advanced-level tricks in the Aerial Circus Training and Safety manual and other advanced-level tricks not found in manual and more on your chosen apparatus AND - Minimum 5-10+ years as a Beginner and Intermediate teacher (at least 500+ hours of instruction with students) AND - Current CPR & First Aid certification

You may also be interested other trainings at the Circus Arts Institute:

If you have a current program and are interested in offering classes to neurodiverse persons, you may be interested in Adaptive Aerial Teacher Training.
If you are interested using the Circus Arts in therapeutic settings, check out Circus Arts Therapy® Training