Is becoming a Personal Trainer your chosen career path?
With the ability to be your own boss, follow your passion, motivate others to lead a healthy lifestyle and control your own work hours, it is becoming quite apparent that a Career in Personal Training is a very fulfilling and rewarding career that can open up a vast array of opportunities within the Fitness Industry!
So, you decided to take a leap! You have your heart set on becoming a qualified trainer, but you have no idea where to start or what qualifications you actually need?
By simply downloading this guide, it already means you are keen to get started, and by following the ten easy steps mentioned below, you will already be on your way by learning how to make it all happen!
SET A CAREER GOAL
What role do you want to perform in the fitness industry? It’s okay if you don’t know the exact work you want to do. By getting a Cert III or Cert IV in Fitness a heap of options open up to you. The key is to set a goal and make a commitment to get the qualification you need.
SIS30321 – Certificate III in Fitness
SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness opens the door for you to become one of the following:
Gym Instructor: Give you the ability to write and demonstrate programs and conduct fitness testing/appraisals in a fitness facility)
Group fitness instructor: Gives you the ability to conduct organised group fitness classes in an indoor environment or fitness facility. *Please Note: To be a LesMills® Instructor (for example, Spinning® or Zumba®). You will also need to obtain specific LesMills Training in addition to your SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness.
Aqua Exercise Instructor: Give you the ability to deliver water-based exercise sessions designed for participation by a group of clients.
Hot Tip:
Not all training organisations or Certificate III in Fitness Qualifications allow you to become a ‘Group Fitness Instructor’ – majority only allow for the ‘gym instructor’ specialisation, so be sure to check this before enrolling because you do not want to get caught out after you graduate. At Vast Fitness Academy we enable you to become qualified in BOTH Gym Instructor + Group fitness instructor!
SIS40221 – Certificate IV in Fitness
SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness allows you to become a fully-fledged Personal Trainer. To begin this qualification, however, you will need to complete the SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness first!
Having both qualifications will make you far more employable. Not only this, but it gives you a vast array of options for your future. For example, running boot-camps, training clients one-on-one or in groups sessions and the ability to train clients in any environment you choose, such as outdoors in parks or at the beach.
Hot Tip:
By choosing to complete both the SIS30321 Certificate III and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness combined (Vast Fitness Academy’s Complete Personal Trainer package), you can usually take advantage of discounted course fees.
WORK OUT A SCHEDULE
Like any qualification, you will want to know how much time you will need to commit to the course and then determine what type of study method is best suited for you and your lifestyle. If for example, work on a full-time basis or have young children to look after, a face-to-face study mode might not be the best option for you. Therefore, an online learning environment would suit you best and Vast Fitness Academy have you covered!.
RESEARCH COURSE FEES
When researching how to become a qualified Personal Trainer, the price of the course is also something you will need to consider! Many training organisations charge different prices for their courses, and you will need to be aware of all costs included so that you can determine if it fits into your budget or not. If an upfront fee does not suit your financial budget, always do some more digging around to seek out the types of payment plans that are available.
Hot Tip:
It is also key to bear in mind that ‘cheap’ doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a worthwhile course, and ‘expensive’ doesn’t necessarily mean the course will be fantastic either.
PICK YOUR PROVIDER
Much of the above research will help you when it comes to deciding which fitness training provider you should study with. Online education/online study is becoming more and more prevalent in all fields of study, and Personal Training is no different. For this reason, Vast Fitness Academy has devoted a lot of time into making our online platform user-friendly, and full of all the resource you need to obtain your qualifications. Online study is a powerful way to learn and gives you the most flexibility to suit your lifestyle and other commitments.
Industry Experience
When choosing a provider, it’s important to look at their experience within the industry. Some providers don’t last long in the industry because they simply don’t have an understanding of the needs of the student. Find out how long have they been teaching fitness courses. Search for any press that might be out there. Visit their Facebook page, Instagram page, and read some of their blog posts. If they are not active, they might not be as heavily invested in the industry as they might appear.
Hot Tip:
Find out how long the training provider has been teaching fitness courses and how long their trainers or assessors have been in the industry.
Search for any press that might be out there – Find their Facebook page, Instagram page, their website, and read some of their blog posts. If the provider is not actively engaging or provide relevant content, they might not be as heavily invested or interested in the quality of the fitness industry as they might appear.
Student Support:
Another important factor to consider when choosing online study is the level of assistance or support you will receive from their admin team right through to the trainers and assessors. It is also important to find out the average response time it takes for trainers or assessors to get back to your questions so that your study does not get dragged out over an extended period.
OUR SUGGESTIONS:
*Get in touch with each provider and organise to chat with their careers advisors or someone who can give you the information you need. Make a list of questions you want to be answered and make sure you ask them – This is an important step; you want to get the training provider right.
*Look for a provider with a guaranteed 24hr response rate to ensure you are not waiting days or weeks for answers to questions. This is something Vast Fitness Academy goes out of their way to achieve and ensures our students are always supported promptly throughout their studies.
DO THE WORK
Once you have chosen a training provider and have started your course, commit to it and finish it! You want to ensure that you set goals and timelines, and do your best to adhere to them. Utilising every service that your training providers offer such as skype meetings, unlimited trainer support and study management plans will ensure you stay on track and motivated.
Basically what we are saying is to make the commitment and GET IT DONE!
