Guide for studios

The Cover Instructor Handover: What Studios Should Share

A practical checklist, security tips and a printable sheet, so cover instructors can walk in and teach with confidence.

In this guide
  1. Why a good handover matters
  2. The handover checklist
  3. Security tips
  4. Incidents and injuries
  5. Class specifics worth sharing
  6. How FitMatchr helps
  7. Printable handover sheet
  8. FAQ

Most studio owners can run their own space half asleep. A cover instructor can't, because they have never seen it. The gap between "I know exactly where everything is" and "I'm standing outside a locked door at 5:50am" is a handover. This guide covers what to share, how to share it safely, and includes a printable sheet you can fill in once and reuse.

It is written Pilates-first, because Reformer studios have the most moving parts, but it works for yoga, PT, group fitness and cycle too.

Why a good handover matters

Clients get a smooth class. Music works, the room is set up, check-in happens and the session starts on time. Clients rarely know the instructor is covering until something goes wrong.

The cover feels confident. A cover who knows how to get in, where the spare props live and who to call can focus on teaching rather than hunting for a light switch.

Fewer calls at 6am. Every question you answer in advance is a text you don't get before sunrise. The handover is the cheapest bit of risk management a studio has.

The handover checklist

Each group below is a set of one-line items. Tick off what applies to your studio, then turn them into a short document, or use the printable sheet further down.

1. Getting there and getting in

  • Welcome note and who the cover is working with that day
  • Address, a simple map and landmarks for finding the entrance
  • Parking, transport and the best place to arrive
  • Shared building amenities, including where the toilets are and how to access them
  • How to unlock and lock the studio (lock box, keypad, key or other), sent privately; see security tips
  • A short how-to video for the door, so there is no guessing
  • Reminder to double-check the door is locked behind them

2. Front desk and check-in

  • Where the front-desk device is kept and where it charges
  • How to unlock it
  • How to open the booking system and check clients in
  • What to do with walk-ins, late arrivals and waitlisted clients
  • What to do if the system or internet is down

3. Music and sound

  • How to play music through the studio speakers (app, speaker group, volume range)
  • Where the backup speaker is
  • Whether a microphone is used, where it lives, battery location, and wiping and switching it off afterwards

4. Sales, retail and gifts

  • Whether the cover can sell anything, and what they should leave for the team
  • How to sell a product or class pack in the booking system (card on file, entering a card, or the client buying through your app)
  • Discount codes for loyalty or milestone gifts, shared privately, plus any milestone gifts that can’t be bought
  • How to handle a merchandise return or swap: label it with the client’s name and tell admin

5. Equipment and props

  • What is kept out and what is stored at the back
  • Where spare springs, straps, boxes and small props live
  • Reformer reset standard: all springs on, straps placed lightly, not tight
  • Anything that is broken, out of service or not to be used
  • Return everything to where it was found

6. Lights, climate and amenities

  • Light switch locations and which ones stay on or off
  • Aircon and fan controls, plus the target temperature
  • Signage or other items on a timer, and what to leave on at close
  • Heating, hot water or other amenity quirks

7. Closing up

  • Lights off, except the ones you name
  • Aircon and fans off
  • Front-desk device back on charge
  • Props returned and the room reset
  • Both locks locked, door checked, key returned to its place

8. Incidents and injuries

  • Where the first aid kit is
  • Where the injury report form is kept and how to complete it
  • Who the cover emails a copy to afterwards
  • The emergency number and the order of people to call

9. Who to call

  • Contact list in the order to try them: owners first, then coordinators
  • Which numbers are for emergencies and which for questions
  • Who to contact if the cover is running late or can’t get in

10. Getting paid

  • Where to send the invoice (the studio’s nominated invoicing email)
  • What the invoice must include: ABN, date, class and agreed rate
  • When invoices are paid and how

The instructor side of this is covered in our cover instructor checklist.

Security tips

  • Never publish or post access codes. Not in a group chat, a public document, a social post or a job ad.
  • Send them privately and close to the shift. Use the app’s messages or a private message on the day, not a printed page or a long-lived email thread.
  • Change lock-box and door codes regularly, and after each new cover starts. It takes a minute and keeps the studio yours.
  • Short how-to videos beat written instructions for locks. A 30-second clip of the door, lock box and key bolt is clearer than a paragraph, and you can send it privately alongside the code.
  • Ask the cover to confirm that they locked up and double-checked the door.

Incidents and injuries

Put the plan in writing and keep it short. A sensible sequence for the cover to follow:

  1. Look after the client first. Attend to them and give first aid if needed and if they are trained.
  2. In an emergency, call 000. Then call the studio contacts in the listed order until someone answers.
  3. Complete the injury report form (tell them where it is kept) and ask the client to sign it.
  4. Email a copy to the studio, so there is a record on your side too.

Follow your studio’s own incident policy and any legal obligations. This is general information, not legal or medical advice.

Class specifics worth sharing

The building is half the story. The class is the other half. Cover instructors teach better when they know:

  • Class format and level, and how it differs from similar classes on your timetable.
  • Typical numbers, and how many Reformers or mats are set up.
  • Regular clients’ injuries or modifications, shared appropriately and with privacy in mind: first names or initials, only what the instructor needs to teach safely.
  • Spring-setting conventions for warm-up, main work and stretching.
  • Playlist expectations: genre, volume, and whether clients have favourites.
  • Start and finish times, and when to open the door and begin check-in.
  • Early arrival expectations, so everyone is set up before clients walk in.

How FitMatchr helps

FitMatchr is an app that connects studios and gyms with instructors for last-minute cover and permanent roles, across Pilates, Yoga, PT, and Group Fitness and Cycle. It is launching at the end of October 2026 in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney first.

  • Documents on file before you book. Instructors’ qualifications, first aid/CPR and bank and super details are on file and handed over in-app when you book, for ABN-verified studios. Expiry dates are tracked.
  • Arrival check-in. Instructors check in within 50 m of the studio, at least 10 minutes before class, so you know they are on their way.
  • Messages for the handover. In-app messages keep contact details masked, which makes them a sensible place to send door information privately on the day.

Instructors are free to use, and studios pay the instructor directly. See Pilates cover and FitMatchr for studios for more.

FitMatchr

Make the next cover easy.

Post a shift, share your handover in the app, and get on with your day.

Get the app

Printable handover sheet

Fill in the blanks, then print or save as PDF. Prints as a one to two page sheet.
Cover instructor handover sheet

Don’t write door codes on printed copies left on site. Send codes privately, close to the shift.

Class details

Studio
Cover instructor
Date and class time
Class format / level
Expected numbers
Regulars’ notes (privacy-friendly)

Getting there and in

Address / directions
Parking and transport
Toilets / shared amenities
How to lock and unlock (video sent privately?)

Front desk and music

Device location and charger
Check-in steps
Speaker and volume
Backup speaker

Sales and equipment

Selling, returns and gifts
Props: out vs stored
  • Reformer reset: all springs on, straps placed lightly, not tight

Lights, climate and closing

Lights to leave on / off
Aircon target and fans
  • Device on charge
  • Props back
  • Both locks locked and door double-checked
  • Key returned

Incidents and contacts

First aid kit location
Injury report form location
Email a copy to

Emergency: call 000, then call contacts in this order.

Contact 1
Contact 2
Contact 3

Getting paid

Send invoice to
Rate / agreed pay
FAQ

Questions, answered straight.

What should a cover instructor handover include?

At minimum: how to get in and lock up, front-desk check-in, music, equipment and Reformer reset, lights and climate, closing steps, incident steps, who to call and how to invoice. Add class specifics such as format, numbers and regulars’ modifications.

Is it safe to put door codes in a handover document?

No. Never publish or post access codes, and don’t leave them on printed copies on site. Send them privately and close to the shift, for example in a private message on the day, and change codes regularly and after each new cover.

How far ahead should I send the handover?

Send the document and videos once the cover is confirmed, and the access details privately on the day or shortly before. That way the cover can plan their class early without the codes being sitting around.

What should a cover do if a client is injured?

Attend to the client, give first aid if needed, call 000 in an emergency, then follow the studio’s injury report steps and contact list. Follow your studio’s own incident policy and any legal obligations. This isn’t legal or medical advice.

Can I use the handover sheet for yoga, PT or group fitness?

Yes. The groups work for any discipline. Skip the Reformer lines if they don’t apply and add anything specific to your classes.