Set up a teacher training program

A teacher training is one of the most complete things you can build with Communities. It uses every part of a community — a live class schedule, on-demand videos, downloadable resources, flexible pricing, and an optional forum. If you can set up a teacher training, you can set up any other program.

This guide walks through a yoga teacher training from start to finish. The same steps apply to any multi-week or multi-month program, such as Pilates or barre teacher trainings, personal trainer certifications, coaching programs, and workshop series.

Watch the webinar

This recording walks through the full setup, including what the program looks like from your client's side.

What you'll set up

Part of the program	Where it lives
Live training sessions	The community's Classes tab
Recordings and lesson videos	The community's Videos tab
Training manual and handouts	The community's Resources tab
Pay in full and payment plan options	The community's Pricing tab and Setup → Pricing Options
Dates, enrollment, and welcome message	The community's Settings tab
Discussion space (optional)	The community forum

Step 1: Create the community

1. Go to Products → Communities
2. Click Create new
3. Choose a community type. For a training with a live schedule, choose Event Series. 30-Day Challenge and Membership Community also include a schedule and work the same way.
4. Add a name, description, and preview image, and set a capacity if you want to cap enrollment (for example, 12 participants)
5. Click Create

See Create a community for all community types and what each includes.

Step 2: Build the live schedule

1. Open your community and go to the Classes tab
2. Add your training sessions, choosing the service type, instructor, and start date
3. Set the sessions to repeat weekly, with the days, start time, and length you need. For example, every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 AM for 360 minutes
4. Set an end date for the last session. A six-month program starting March 1 would end in late August.

Every session now appears on the community's schedule.

Step 3: Add videos

Use the Videos tab for content that participants can watch between live sessions.

• Reuse videos you already have. In Products → On Demand Video, click the ... menu next to a video, click Duplicate, and choose your community as the destination. See Video in communities.
• Organize with categories. Create a category for each week or module (Week 1, Week 2, and so on) so participants can find content easily.

Step 4: Add resources

Use the Resources tab for your training manual, reading lists, or any handouts.

1. Open the Resources tab
2. Add a new resource and give it a name and preview image
3. Upload your file (such as a PDF) and save

Resources can also be grouped into categories by week or module.

Step 5: Set up pricing

Most trainings offer two ways to pay: in full, or on a payment plan.

Pay in full

1. Open the community and go to the Pricing tab
2. Set Payment type to One time payment
3. Enter the price (for example, $2,500) and save

Payment plan

A payment plan is a membership that includes your community. It charges an initial fee at checkout, then bills monthly on a schedule you choose.

1. Go to Setup → Pricing Options and add a new Membership
2. Name it clearly, such as "Yoga Teacher Training – Payment Plan"
3. Make it an Unlimited membership billed monthly, and enter the monthly price
4. Remove any default class access that doesn't apply, such as livestream classes
5. Open Advanced Access Settings, find Includes Communities, and select your training community
6. Under Billing Options, set up the payment schedule:
   • Initial setup fee — the amount charged at checkout, such as $500
   • When will clients first be billed — choose On a specific date, then pick the first day of training. This controls the first recurring charge, not the initial fee.
   • Number of billing cycles — how many monthly payments to collect, such as 6
7. Save and make the pricing option active

In this example, a client pays $500 at checkout, then $334 per month for six months starting March 1. Once the payment plan includes your community, it appears as a payment option at checkout alongside your one-time price.

See Community pricing for all payment types, including rental and promo code access.

Step 6: Finish the community settings

Open the Settings tab to configure the details that make the program run smoothly:

• Start and end dates — control when access begins and ends. For a training that runs March 1 through August 31, set those as the community's access dates.
• Display options — choose whether to show dates to clients and whether training sessions appear on your public class calendar.
• Auto-enroll — automatically enroll participants in every scheduled training session when they join.
• Reminders — send class reminders for training sessions.
• Agreement terms — add terms clients accept when joining, such as "non-refundable, non-transferable."
• Confirmation email — customize the message clients receive after enrolling.
• Bulletin board message — add a welcome note that appears at the top of the community page. Update it weekly to keep participants engaged ("You made it through week one!").
• Bonus items — include extras with the program. For example, unlimited in-person classes at your studio for the length of the training, or access to your livestream classes and on-demand library. See Bonus content.
• Visibility — set the community to Live and Open so clients can sign up.
• Community forum — check Turn on Community Forum to give participants a private discussion space. See Community forum.

Click Save changes when you're done. See Community settings for the full list of status and access options.

Step 7: Share it with clients

If your website uses Arketa embeds, add the Communities embed to show all of your communities in one place. Clients click View on your training, choose a pricing option, and complete checkout. You can also share the community's direct purchase link. See Share a community.

After enrolling, clients return to the same community page to see the schedule, bulletin board message, videos, resources, and forum.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

• Create a community
• Community examples
• Community pricing
• Include community in a membership