Leisure centres, health clubs, hotels, gyms, community centres and the local park – these are some of the places that you might have seen a fitness instructor at work.
Fitness instructors can be self-employed or can work for an employer part or full time. Either way, a fitness instructor creates personal exercise programmes for people, helps them to train and advises on things like diet and lifestyle.
How to become a fitness instructor
You can get into a career as a fitness instructor through an apprenticeship. You could also start out as an assistant instructor, train on the job and progress.
You will need a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check to be completed and a first aid certificate – both of which can be done through your employer.
You will also need to have insurance – public indemnity and professional liability. Again, your employer might sort these out for you.
Needless to say you will need to have the ability to motivate people as well as a good level of general fitness yourself and an understanding of nutrition and health and safety.
If you work on a self-employed basis then chances are you will need to market your own classes / services, so it wouldn’t hurt to get to grips with the basics of marketing yourself effectively.
Job prospects and earnings for a fitness instructor
The average starting salary for a fitness instructor is £14,000, rising to about £15 - £20,000 with experience. The workforce is predicted to grow by 6.6% between now
Other careers you might be interested in
- Personal trainer
- PE teacher
- Sports coach
- If swimming is your thing, then check out our careers on page 19 which include lifeguarding – both pool and beach.