Personal Trainer
What is a personal trainer?
Personal trainers help others to achieve their fitness goals. It's an ideal career for anyone who is passionate about staying healthy.
On a daily basis you might:
help clients set short-term and long-term fitness goals
plan a fitness programme to help clients achieve their goals
teach, motivate and coach clients in how to follow their programmes safely and effectively
give advice on health, nutrition and lifestyle changes
help clients with their workouts
check and record clients' progress, using methods like measuring heart rate and levels of body fat
promote your services and do business admin tasks if you are self-employed
Taken from NCS
How to become a personal trainer
To become a personal trainer you need to achieve a level 3 Personal Trainer qualification.
It would be advantageous for it to be accredited through a reputable company such as UK Coaching or Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
It is also useful to hold a First Aid qualification which ideally should include a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation certificate (CPR).
You can achieve this by completing the course through a learning provider/ apprenticeship.
Courses include:
Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness
Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing
Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training
Apprenticeship option standard :
https://findapprenticeshiptraining.apprenticeships.education.gov.uk/courses/321
Useful Links to look into examples of qualifications/ training :
https://www.yourpersonaltraininguk.co.uk/
https://www.futurefit.co.uk/blog/what-is-personal-training/
University options
Although you do not need to have a degree to become a personal trainer it can be extremely useful .
Subjects that would be relevant to this career choice include:
fitness and personal training
health and fitness management
health, nutrition and exercise science
personal training
sport science and personal training.
Employers
There are different types of employer you could work for.
These include:
leisure centres
gyms and personal training studios
health clubs
hotels, resorts or spas
cruise lines
health care charities
the armed forces
self-employed or freelance work in a gym or client's home
a large organisation which provides employees with workplace fitness facilities.