Q: You teacher might have recommendations or guidelines for breaking in your shoes, so check with them before you begin the process. Your teacher knows your feet, and has probably worked with tons of different foot types. Remember, breaking in pointe shoes is a highly personal process, and every dancer will do it differently. Ask your teacher if they have a specific process for breaking in pointe shoes. Especially for beginners, teachers often rely more on dancing to break in shoes, rather than manual manipulation. Before you follow any of the steps below, get your teacher's approval. Some teachers prefer that students avoid the rougher forms of breaking in shoes, like cutting the shank or removing the toe satin. The shank is the arch-supporting insole of the pointe shoe. New shoes have very stiff shanks, so you'll need to bend the shank so that the shoes mold properly to your feet. Find the part of the shank that contacts the breakpoint of your foot, which is the area where your heel meets your arch. Bend the shank back and forth along the breakpoint, continuing until you have achieved the desired flexibility. Some dancers opt to cut the shank at the breakpoint with scissors. For extra flexibility, you can cut away a quarter of the shank at the heel of the shoe. The toe box refers to the hard part of the pointe shoe that holds your toes. It can be pretty stiff at first, so you should step on or knead the box to soften it up. If the fabric is too tight around your big toe bone, try blotting the area with water and rubbing alcohol. You can use metal, bristled tools called scrapers and roughers to scratch the soles of your pointe shoes. This makes for a better grip on the floor. Make deeper scratches with scissors for even more traction. The pleats are the folds of fabric on the bottom of the shoe, near the toe. These can make noise when dancing, so many dancers like to bang them on a hard surface to make them softer. Beware--banging the pleats makes the shoes wear out sooner. Pointe shoe satin can be slippery. If you want a better grip, consider scraping the satin from the tip of the toe with scissors, or darning the toe platform. To darn your shoe, sew a series of stitches around the platform of the pointe shoe with a needle and thread. The platform is the area that contacts the floor when you are en pointe. If you are younger, ask a parent or other trusted adult for help. Keep in mind that removing the toe satin causes the shoe to break down quicker. Pointe shoes have a nail at the heel that provides structure. If this nail bothers you, or you want a little more flexibility, remove the nail. You can use your fingers to pull out the nail, although you may need to use pliers for more difficult-to-remove nails. Once you have manipulated your pointe shoes to your liking, do some ballet exercises to finish the process of breaking them in. Try walking on demi-pointe, doing a few grand plies, and rolling from demi-pointe to pointe. Your teacher will probably provide some exercises to help break in your pointe shoes. Be patient! It might take a little while to fully break them in. If you find that you want a little more structure, consider applying a thin layer of fast-drying glue or spray-on shellac to the inside of the toe box or around the shank to strengthen it. This should be one of the final steps after your shoes are broken in. Every dancer is different, so you'll have to figure out the best application process for your preferences. Ask your teacher or more experienced dancers for tips. Make sure there are no wrinkles in the fabric when applying the glue, as these will harden and could give you nasty blisters. Use a professional-grade glue like JetGlue or Hot Stuff.
A: Talk to your teacher. Bend the shank. Soften the toe box. Scratch up the soles if you want more traction. Bang the pleats to make your shoe quieter. Remove satin or darn the shoe tip for a better grip. Take out the heel nail for more flexibility. Do pointe exercises. Apply glue or shellac to strengthen your shoes.

Q: If you like working with a larger group to help a diverse number of individuals workout in a safe environment, group exercise might be for you. You'll want to look for training programs that are geared towards group certification. Most training programs are catered for certification to teach group exercise classes. If you like working with one individual to manage and achieve goals, you should look into becoming certified to teach privately. Not all pilates instructor certifications will also include specific training on how to work with individual clients, so make sure you look for a certification that also addresses this. Some pilates studios or gyms will provide you with a client list, while others will expect you to build your client base yourself. You can work with individual clients on the side, if you also enjoy instructing group classes. If you've got a background in physical therapy or sports medicine, you may want to look into becoming a Pilates specialist. You can teach courses for those in rehabilitation or for athletes. You can also get certified to teach special courses, such as pre or postnatal courses, without already having a speciality degree. Think about whether you want to be a basic mat instructor or if you'd like to be certified to teach more advanced courses. If you're newer to Pilates, you'll be more comfortable becoming a basic mat instructor before tackling more advanced certifications. An example of a more advanced training certificate would be one that also includes reformer Pilates. If you're wanting basic training, most training programs are 40-50 hours. For more advanced training, you'll be expected to put in 500 hours of training. The higher your level of certification, the more you'll be paid to teach once you're hired.
A:
Be a group Pilates instructor. Become a private instructor. Work as a specialist. Determine the level you want to teach.