Career change to health and fitness

moomin82

Hi all!
I am really not enjoying my current role as a secretary and am always really stressed and burnt out. My real passion is health and fitness and I have had a lightbulb moment that I would like to make it my job! I have been working with a Personal Trainer for over a year and have fuelled my interest even more due to the results I have achieved in my own journey. I am looking into courses to qualify as a personal trainer in London, the choice is really dizzying and the prices range from about £1000-£4000. My plan is to keep working full time before making a transition into a PT.

I'm looking at all the main training providers such as Premier, Lifetime Training, FutureFit. There is also Be A Better You and some courses that allow you to use a government backed loan called 24+ Advanced Learning Loan, that appeals to me as I still have debts to pay off. I am just desperate to leave the office life and do what I love! Any advice on good courses would be most appreciated.

A blended learning option i.e part online part face to face learning would work well as my weeks are so busy!

Cubanista

Hey,


I don't know too much about personal training courses, but the ones you mention seem to be the biggest training companies i know of.


I have a friend who trained here:


http://www.ymcafit.org.uk/personal-trainer-courses


He also did a degree at university in Sport Coaching too. He got the qualification first. I believe they are on of the best companies though.


Be prepared because just gaining the qualification isn't where it stops. Many people have mentioned how you have to continue attending other courses to keeping learning and also reading/researching in your own time on new exercises and nutrition information.


Hope this helps. If you need any more info i will try as best to help if i can.


Cubanista.

missbiggles1

Some general information on here, with links to appropriate professional registration.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/personaltrainer.aspx

Carl31

Personal training is quite hard to make money from, despite what future fit etc.. tell you.

I started training with Future fit a few years ago, but decided to stick to my previous career choice after i did a few sums regarding income. I managed to stop without losing too much money but these providers are notoriously strict in making people pay the full course fee's in full due to the high drop out rates

A lot of qualified PT's end up in gyms as fitness assistants on quite low salaries, make sure you are certain you can carve a career from it before you go into it fully.

Carl31

Personal training is quite hard to make money from, despite what future fit etc.. tell you.

I started training with Future fit a few years ago, but decided to stick to my previous career choice after i did a few sums regarding income. I managed to stop without losing too much money but these providers are notoriously strict in making people pay the full course fee's in full due to the high drop out rates

A lot of qualified PT's end up in gyms as fitness assistants on quite low salaries, make sure you are certain you can carve a career from it before you go into it fully.

moomin82

Hi all,Thanks for your advice.
I doubt it will be easy, especially as I am an office worker with no previous sports science degree or anything. I just have a love of training, nutrition and exercise for fat loss, strength training. I am not 'set' on only becoming a PT but would also consider teaching pilates or group based classes.
If I went for just Level 2 Gym Instructor or Exercise To Music it looks like the income potential would be more limited than if I got PT certified and could offer more skills.
From online reviews it looks like Premier have had the best reviews. Have read that YMCA is not as highly regarded or up to date with their fitness education? Futurefit seems to get mixed reviews, they come across as quite personable and helpful from the marketing. Unfortunately as it's Sunday no one is open for me to have a chat with. I did ring The Training Room and the chap made it sound like a good option, then I saw some youtube and internet reviews from people who thought they were a bit dodgy. Focus and BeABetterYou seem to run cheaper courses, not sure if the quality would be comprised. The thought of spending up to £4000 initially does alarm me a bit so I am doing careful research before I take the plunge.
That's a shame Carl you went back to your previous career, I hope it all worked out better for you. I do have other interests but the health and fitness is my lifestyle and I would love to help others. I am determined to make something of this interest as I could already see myself as a weight loss coach, teaching classes, PT, and running wellness retreats! Getting ahead of myself ha ha.

theoretica

Hi Moomin - Would you be happy to have as a PT someone who had done any of these courses? Or alternatively do you feel that any of these courses would teach you as much as your own PT knows?

LJamesP

Its only worth it Jan-March and then clients just fall off of the radar. New years resolutions and such..

moomin82

My PT advised me to look into those providers I listed. He doesn't think they are as good as getting a degree in something like sports science as that's his background, but he said one of the shorter courses could be a good starting point. This industry seems pretty unregulated if I'm honest!

ThriftyJeans

Hi Moomin82

I'm new at posting on the forum, but have been lurking around getting lots of money saving advice for quite a while now.
I had to reply to your post as I am in a similar situation at the moment. I would love to become a personal trainer, though only part time at the moment as I currently love my full time job, and wouldn't want to give it up anytime soon. Just thought it would be a good way of supplementing my income, as I'm in the gym pretty much 5 days a week anyway.
I'm just about to enrol on the Level 2 fitness Instructor course with YMCA (who are basically CYQ, who are going through a bit of a name change and rebranding at the moment). I'm doing mine at a local college, it's part time- 6 hours a week for 12 weeks. Once I've completed that I plan to do the Level 3 Personal Training course part time to become a fully qualified PT. I will probably look at local colleges again to do that or even at my current gym, as they have Personal Training Academy, where you are guaranteed a job at one of their gyms after you qualify.

As for it costing up to £4000, sounds very expensive to me! Though I'm not in London, so I'm guessing prices may be a bit more there than they are up here in Stoke. My level 2 course is costing me £475 and then if I was do the Level 3, also at a college, it would be £730. Though my maths is rubbish, I make that just over a grand for the two. Which is a hell of a lot cheaper than £4000!

I would look around a bit, especially at the local colleges and even your gym to see what they have to offer. Active IQ are another good company, have a look on their website, they have a list of places that run their courses, there may be quite a few in London.

Sorry if I have waffled on a bit, just felt I needed to reply.
All the best embarking on your new career!

moomin82

Hiya ThriftyjeansMany thanks for your post. Sounds like you have found excellent deals on your courses! Firstly hope it all goes well, will you be working whilst you study as well? I am still shopping around and have started to speak to a couple of the training providers:
Focus Training seem very helpful, they are a smaller company so not as well known as Premier and places like that. The course would be around £2450 part time. I am looking to do a mixture of online and face to face learning i.e. Blended learning. Seems like you get good telephone support throughout the course. Their only London venue is South Bank Club, in Vauxhall. I would prefer a bit more Central or North London (yes I am a bit of a gym snob ha ha).
Spoke to Lifetime training as they also do the government funded 24+ Loan. As they are a bigger company they had two more convenient training venues for me within Central London. Course content seems good and even includes business planning, TRX and bootcamps and circuits modules.
It seems like the main recognised awarding bodies for this qualification are Active IQ or CYQ. Lifetime Fitness mentioned that their qualification is run by their own awarding body and I'd not heard of theirs before. It was called LAO?!? Apparently REPS registered.


I need to consider whether I can do many weekends consecutively for the face to face part of the course, juggling it all with a job I hate is a bit difficult. I do want to get out of my job really soon it is all a bit overwhelming. Boss not happy with my performance so the pressure is leaving me stressed and anxious. It is really affecting my health. Hanging on for dear life as I have bills and debts to pay, but the job is ruining my mood every day and health. As I was temping for a long time before, I was happy to get this job last summer, it is a permanent post and pays well. I just feel I won't last much longer.


Anyway, back to the courses. When I spoke with The Training Room they seemed quite helpful, amd do the 24+ Loan too. However, their course fee is higher so I'd need to pay about £600 to get started on top of the loan.


Going to keep researching. I will try the local colleges as well. �� Cheers to a career in health and fitness! Best of luck �� If anyone is reading this who has experience in the industry and advice on best providers (or ones to avoid! Please share or message me. Thank you xx