Personal trainer career opportunities
Reference: POLICELIFE
Date Posted: 8 Mar 2011
Location: UK
Details:
There has never been a better time to become a Personal Trainer; the health and fitness industry has experienced tremendous growth in the last 10 years, increasing
by an incredible 75% since 2000, and shows no sign of slowing down.
Discovery Learning offer flexible learning options to fit around any lifestyle and have training venues nationwide. Read on to find out how you can become a Personal Trainer.
Qualifications
Before you start working in fitness you need to get qualified. Your first level in the fitness industry is Level 2 (you don’t need to complete Level 1). The Level 2 courses you can complete are a Gym Instructor or Exercise to Music Instructor qualification,
but most people choose Gym Instructor if you want to go onto Personal Training.
Level 3 is a Personal Trainer qualification. There are other advanced courses after Level 3 Personal Trainer, such as Level 3 GP & Exercise Referral, but your Personal
Trainer qualification is your first step. You’ll need to find a company that offers Personal Trainer Courses that are REPs accredited (more on this later) and also provide qualifications from a reputable awarding body, such as Central YMCA Qualifications (CYQ). Once you complete a Level 3 Personal Training Course, you’ll be ready to start training people one-on-one.
REPs
REPs stands for the Register of Exercise Professionals and is the professional body of
the fitness industry. According to its website, REPs provides a ‘system of regulation for instructors and trainers to ensure that they meet the health and fitness industry’s agreed national occupational standards.’
Basically, the purpose of REPs is to provide a certain standard within the industry.
These listings can then be used by employers, consumers and health professionals
to assure them that all REPs members are appropriately qualified and are
competent to perform certain roles. Therefore, it is highly recommended that
you register on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) once you’re a qualified
fitness professional.
Working in the Fitness Industry
There are a number of different career paths you can take with fitness qualifications.
Many people who decide to become personal trainers keep training themselves in
other ways to progress and vary their careers. When you’re qualified as a Level 3 Personal Trainer, you can train people one-to-one either in a gym environment,
outside or in the home. Most Personal Trainers, about 80%, work as freelance trainers. Working freelance means you either work out of a gym whilst paying them rent or work out of your own studio or clients’ houses. The qualification allows you to train people anywhere, but many people find the gym to be the easiest base for their business. After you’re a qualified personal trainer, you can then continue your education in order to progress your knowledge and to help gain more clients.
Continued education courses include Level 3 GP & Exercise Referral, Level 4 Obesity & Diabetes Management and Level 4 Lower Back Pain. All these courses allow you to work with specialist populations and are a great way to gain more clients and boost your income.
• For further information as to how to become a Personal Trainer contact Discovery Learning on 0208 543 1017 or e-mail
info@discovery.uk.com
