Leisure and Sports - Fitness Instructor
Leisure and Sports - Fitness Instructor
Amber
Fitness instructors organise exercise programmes to improve people's health and fitness.
- Assess people's fitness and create personal exercise programmes
- Demonstrate activities, exercise machines and weights
- Help people exercise safely
- Lead group exercise classes like circuit training or aerobics
- Give advice on healthy eating and lifestyle
- Update client records
- Follow health and safety guidelines and maintain equipment
- Market your classes to gain new clients
As a Fitness Instructor you could work in the community, at a school, at a health centre or in a park.
Your working environment may be physically demanding.
Fitness Instructors tend to work between 32 to 34 hours a week. You could work self-employed. Your working hours may vary depending on the customers demands.
Starting: £14,000
Experienced: £25,000
You can get into this job through a college course, an apprenticeship, working towards this role or specialist courses run by private training organisations.
You can do a recognised qualification like:
- Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing
- Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness
- Level 3 Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training
You'll usually need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course, 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course.
Apprenticeships that may give you some of the skills for this role include:
- an intermediate leisure team member or community activator coach apprenticeship
- an advanced personal trainer apprenticeship.
Some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship. If you have an EHCP you may be able to apply under the DfE exemption which allows the apprentice to use Entry level 3 English and Maths qualifications. The apprentice would have to successfully achieve all other aspects of the apprenticeship requirements, become occupationally competent and achieve Entry Level 3 in English and Maths before the end of their apprenticeship.
You can train in a similar role as a physical training instructor in the armed forces.
You could work as a leisure centre assistant and do part-time qualifications on the job, which would allow you to apply for jobs as an instructor.
You can do qualifications through private training companies who offer specialist courses like:
- fitness instruction
- personal training
- gym instructing