Jojo,
Certification is a great idea. Although you don't need to be certified through any particular organization in order to teach ballroom dancing, it does give you a certain degree of credibility as an instructor. And in the process of studying for your exam, your dancing and your teaching skills will improve tremendously.
The two things you must have in order to prepare for your exam are: (1) An ISTD certificed teacher, and (2) an ISTD manual. Oh, and you will need a partner for the exam itself, but if you don't have one, your teacher can fill the role.
For Standard, you want the little gray book entitled "The Ballroom Technique", and for Latin, there are actually 5 books (one for each Latin dance). These books are considered the "bible" of dance technique for people studying for exams. If you don't already have them, they are available through our web store at
https://www.ballroomdancers.com/Shopping/.
Another good source of study material is the "Questions and Answers" series. We do not currently carry them in our store, but they are available through the USISTD website at www.usistd.org.
As far as setting up an exam (getting an appointment with an examiner, doing the paperwork, etc), you don't need to worry about that part of it. Your teacher will take care of all of that, when he or she feels that you are ready. All you have to do is show up.
Do not attempt to study and set up an exam by yourself without the guidance of a teacher. I'd sooner recommend that you represent yourself in court without an attorney. Your chances of success are slim and none (unless you have a considerable amount of previous exam experience, which I imagine is unlikely or you wouldn't be asking the question in the first place). When you do have a teacher to guide you, not only will you improve your dancing and understand what and how to study, but you'll also have someone who can set up the exam for you, allowing you to focus on the important stuff (like studying!).
To find a studio and/or teacher in your area, start by checking our directory of studios and teachers. You can find the directory at:
https://www.ballroomdancers.com/Directory/Make sure to ask lots of questions about any prospective teacher or studio. Is the teacher certified through the ISTD? How often does the teacher or the studio schedule ISTD exams? What is the success rate of the examinees in the school? Are there any certified examiners who teach regularly at the school?
And by the way, I also recommend the USISD website for finding certified teachers and examiners. If you can get an actual examiner as a teacher, that's even better. (However, note that you can't take an exam from your own teacher, so your exam will be scheduled with somebody else).
I hope you find this information useful. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Regards,
Jonathan
