Having a personal practice and being able to share your knowledge with others is the real value of training to become a qigong or tai chi instructor.

Additionally, prospective teachers who certify under Paul Cavel's mentorship as TTCS Instructors will:

• Receive a teaching certificate.

• Become eligible to join The Tai Chi Union for Great Britain in order to obtain liability insurance.

• Receive a website profile.

• Become eligible to join instructor-only meetings and trainings led by Paul with personal feedback from Paul and more senior Water Method teachers.

• Become eligible to email Paul with curriculum-related training questions year-round.

• Receive discounted private training from standard rates (TTCS Instructors/Instructor-trainees only).

• Receive training support in core programmes with our fully integrated curriculum — in person and online.

The core curriculum is offered by Paul Cavel and TTCS Instructors through fully integrated in-person courses and online courses:

• Taoist Neigong — four-exercise qigong set, including standing qigong and sinking qi, Cloud Hands, two swings and Beginning Form.

• Yang Style Tai Chi — Mini, Short and Medium Forms, with essential neigong and energetics.

Energy Arts System

Paul is also empowered by Taoist Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis to offer teacher certification trainings in Energy Arts programmes:

• Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong — seven-exercise set, including essential neigong and energetics.

• Foundational Qigong — for prerequisite training, see Taoist Neigong above.

• Energy Gates Qigong — for prerequisite training, see Taoist Neigong above.

• Heaven and Earth Qigong - for prerequisite training, see Taoist Neigong and Medical Qigong above. (New programme coming April 2026.)

Due to the integrated nature of the Water Method, not all training must take place in the specific subject in which you wish to become certified (see complete details below).

The four aspects required to become an effective Water Method arts teacher are:

• A daily personal practice;

• Skill with neigong;

• The ability to teach;

• The willingness to teach.

The desire to maintain a daily practice (minimum five days per week), along with the willingness to teach and help others must come from inside of you, and cannot be taught. Paul's mentorship programme is designed to help you develop and deepen skill with neigong and teaching effectively. 

All prospective instructors who wish to become certified must complete the following prerequisites.

Prerequisite Training Hours

In-person and online course training hours are required to become a TTCS Instructor.

Required In-person Training

In order to become a certified tai chi and/or qigong teacher, a minimum of 80 hours are required over a period of two years as follows:

• 30 hours — through in-person courses, public courses or private tuition in the specific subject in which you wish to become certified with Paul and/or TTCS Instructors (Tier 1).

• 30 hours — through in-person, neigong and teaching skills upgrade courses (or previous instructor certification trainings) offered by Paul. See courses.

• 20 hours — through in-person, public courses or private tuition of supporting Water Method programmes (i.e. Five Element neigong, Taoist breathing and meditation, and bagua) offered by Paul and/or TTCS Instructors (Tier 1).

Note: Typically it takes a practitioner longer than the minimum requirements above to become a certified tai chi and/or qigong teacher. However, with dedication and a consistent daily practice, most students can achieve teacher certification. TTCS online courses give you access to 24/7 training support.

Required Online Training

Completion of TTCS online courses in the subject in which you wish to become a certified tai chi and/or qigong instructor, and any prerequisite material, where applicable.

Assessment

Once you have completed prerequisite training, you will be eligible to schedule an in-person assessment at the next available neigong and teaching skills upgrade course or privately with Paul.

This concludes the requirements for existing TTCS and EA Instructors. Prospective instructors will be required to complete three additional steps.

Instructor-trainees

Once completing the above steps and a one-time admin fee ($50), prospective instructors who are not currently certified by Paul Cavel and/or Master Bruce Frantzis, will become instructor-trainees while fulfilling three additional steps.

Practical Application

First-time instructor-trainees who do not have any other certifications in our system must:

• Practise for six months following the completion of course hours and the initial assessment.

• Teach 20 hours of in-person courses or private lessons in the subject in which they wish to become certified.

Exit Assessment

Once all the above is completed, you can schedule a Zoom meeting or in-person assessment with Paul to confirm you have maintained the quality of your practice and completed all teacher requirements.

Note: If for any reason you do not meet the minimum skills to pass the first module of the subject in which you wish to become certified at the time of your first assessment, you may work with Paul and/or the TTCS Instructors of your choice to develop skill in the areas that require improvement.

This training can be done in any format, in person or online, through public courses or private training. When you are ready for the final assessment, you can book an appointment with Paul at a discounted rate (in person or via Zoom). We do our best to support prospective teachers to become certified once they enter into the mentorship programme.

A teaching certificate issued by The Tai Chi Space School, based in Redlands, California (USA) will be awarded to those who complete all prerequisite training and pass the final assessment.

First-time instructors will also be required to:

1. Practice for six months upon completion of a certification training,
2. Complete 20 hours of teaching (in any format), and
3. Pass an exit assessment with Paul.

Paul Cavel is a senior instructor of the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain, and can sign off for you to join the organisation in order to obtain liability insurance as a qigong/tai chi teacher.

Paul Cavel's fully integrated online programme to support your training and class curriculum planning:

Taoist Neigong — Learn the four-exercise Taoist Neigong set, and essential internal content which defines and underpins all Water Method arts training.

• In modules 1-6, Paul teaches all the material necessary for Taoist Neigong teacher certification (Levels 1-2).

• In modules 7-18, he presents all the material required for teacher certification (Level 3 and beyond).

• A Part 4 course also covers more advanced training in neigong.
  
  

Medical Qigong — Learn the seven movements of Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, along with essential neigong and energetics.

• In modules 1-6, Paul teaches all the material necessary for Dragon and Tiger Qigong teacher certification (Levels 1-2).

• In modules 7-18, he presents all the material required for teacher certification (Levels 3 and beyond).
  
  

Heaven & Earth Qigong with Dragon & Tiger Energetics — Learn the form and essential neigong with a focus on energetics development:

• In modules 1-2, Paul Cavel teaches all the material necessary for Heaven & Earth Qigong teacher certification (Level 1).
• In module 3, Paul Cavel teaches all the material necessary for Heaven & Earth Qigong teacher certification (Level 2).
• In modules 4-6, Paul Cavel teaches all the material necessary for Heaven & Earth Qigong teacher certification (Level 3).
• In modules 7-9, Paul Cavel teaches all the material necessary for Heaven & Earth Qigong teacher certification (Level 4).
• In modules 10-13, Paul Cavel teaches all the material necessary for Heaven & Earth Qigong teacher certification (Level 5 Form and Level 6/Internals).

Yang Style Tai Chi — Learn the form and internal content required for Yang Style Mini Form, Short Form and Medium Form teacher certification (Levels 1-3).

• In modules 1-10, Paul teaches all the material necessary for Yang Style Mini and Short Form teacher certification (Levels 1-3).

• In modules 11-20, he presents all the material required for Yang Style Medium Form teacher certification (Levels 1-3).

• More advanced training is also offered in modules 21-24 and a Part 5 course covering deeper neigong/energetics in tai chi.

TTCS teachers are required to complete 20 hours of in-person continuing professional development (CPD) training each year:

• 10 hours in person with Paul Cavel
• 10 hours with TTCS Instructors of their choice or TTCS online courses.