Personal Training Courses and Qualifications
Whether you choose to be a freelance personal trainer or an employed one, quite early on in your career, probably before you even get started, you will need to get qualified. While it is true, sadly, that here in the UK anyone can set themselves up as a personal trainer without qualifications or experience, you are unlikely to get a job without at least a basic fitness instruction certificate e.g. Foundation Certificate in Fitness Instruction, and/or a willingness to learn. And, if you are self employed, with so many qualified personal trainers available, why would a customer choose someone who is unqualified?
There are now many fitness qualification training providers, offering hundreds of different courses, from basic certificates in gym instruction, to diplomas in personal training, degrees in sports sciences, speciality fitness qualifications and everything in between. The cost of each course varies dramatically from £70 for a one day workshop to thousands of pounds for an intensive 3 month diploma, or even a 4 year degree. So how do you know which one is right for you?
First
of all your age or life stage, will play a major part. For
example, if you have just finished school or college, have the support
of your family and are in no rush to jump into the real world of salaries
and responsibilities then a university degree based on sport, fitness,
nutrition and/or general health is undoubtedly the best way to go. You
will likely still have to do some sort of personal training qualification
when you have completed the degree, as by their nature degrees are
more general than to stream you towards one career. However, a
lot of the same material and much more will be covered which
will give you a head start when you specialise later. Degrees also
tend to give a greater insight into other possible career paths in
the fitness industry. Furthermore, young personal trainers always
face the obstacle of not being taken seriously by potential clients. An
extra four years of growing up and confidence building will not do
you any harm at all, and during that time when you will undoubtedly
want to grab some part time work to pay for your social life, there
is a great opportunity to gain some relevant work experience in the
fitness industry, by working part time at gyms, hotels and swimming
pools etc.
If
you are a little older or do not have the finances to take 4 years out
to complete a degree then you will be better off seeking out a course
from an approved specialist fitness training provider, e.g.
Discovery Learning,
Premier Training
International,
YMCAFit, FutureFit etc. It
is important to make sure that whoever you choose is approved with
a recognised professional body, the most significant of which in the
UK is REPs. If
they are not an approved training provider by REPs you may struggle
to get REPs membership yourself and this is something that many clients
will be looking for as it validates your insurance, qualifications
and specialities.
The courses themselves are now available in a number of different formats including intensive full time courses (perhaps lasting 3 months), part time, weekend workshops, distance learning and online learning. Which is right for you will depend on how much free time you have and your budget.
The intensive full time courses are great for getting you up and running quickly, but they are very expensive both in terms of course fees and in terms of taking time out of your current work to complete them. Furthermore, full time means full time. These are not your typical 16 to 20 hours a week full time courses that you may be used to at your local college. These are usually 40 hour weeks attendance plus 10 to 20 study hours per week at home, plus physical training as part of the course. Often they are module based courses so you can choose to specailise towards the end of the course e.g. sports massage, music and dance in fitness, combat training etc.
They are expensive and very hard work. However, in terms of knowledge and qualifications they do equip you with everything you need to be up and running as a freelance personal trainer as soon as the course finishes.
If it is not your intention to go down the self employed route immediately, or you do not have the finances to pursue full qualification on your own, then you may simply be better off getting a basic certificate in fitness instruction (usually a 1 to 2 week course) and then getting a job at an established gym, ideally one of the chains such as LA Fitness, Virgin Active, Fitness First etc. If you show willing and are good with the customers the gym will normally support your development by paying for you to attend various courses on a part time and day release basis. While it takes longer to get qualified, this is a far cheaper route and you are earning and gaining valuable experience at the same time.
In fact whatever route you choose, working for a gym for a period after qualification is a good way to gain experience and earn some additional money while you build your own business. Most gyms will not object to you freelancing as long as you are not poaching their clients and it does not infringe on their time.