Become a Teacher
To become a teacher at Down Under, please send cover letter and resume to Teacher Leadership Co-Chair, Kate Heffernan at kate.heffernan@downunderyoga.com
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As Co-Chairs of the Teacher Leadership Council, we welcome you to our school. We are the only independent studio in America to have a teacher-written employment agreement, a Teacher Leadership Council for accountability, formal HR with multiple avenues for teacher feedback, and employee benefits that include healthcare, matching retirement, sick days, maternity/paternity and unemployment benefits, and more.
Down Under is teacher-led and teacher-focused. Our teachers enjoy seasonal faculty meetings with Directors and studio managers who handle student care, outreach, educational and marketing support. Our loyalty to each other and smart strategy ensured that every Down Under teacher and manager remained robustly employed during a pandemic that saw most yoga teachers lose their jobs.
Our Teacher Leadership Council (TLC) meets seasonally to oversee all major decisions, shape our school's trajectory, and spotlight areas we can evolve further. We, as teachers, created our own employment contract, a simple, accessible document we are deeply proud of that provides multiple levels of commitments, so teachers choose the employment arrangement that best suits them.
Our TLC’s Codes of Collaboration affirm the supportive, respectful environment we all work in and holding each other accountable for inclusivity and professional excellence. Over two decades, we’ve grown from a group of friends in a parish hall to one of the country’s premier yoga schools. The beauty of our school is we all teach wildly different traditions united by a shared love of the craft of teaching.
Different philosophies cohabitate happily under the same roof because we all deeply respect each others’ integrity. We are so excited for you to learn more about our philosophy.
Welcome to our community. With deep appreciation,
Kate Heffernan, Co-Chair, TLC | Vinyasa School
Stephen Gresham, Faculty Director & Co-Chair
Ashley Mitchell, Co-Chair, Fitness
Nadja Refaie, Co-Chair, TLC Council | Iyengar School
Dr. Sabbi Lall, Co-Chair, Teacher Leadership Council | Restorative School and BIPOC Faculty Collaborator
