If you’re serious about a career as a personal trainer, you’ll first need to embrace all the learning opportunities that come your way. The best way to do that is with a personal training course.
However, just like how some learning institutions can be more esteemed than others, some personal training courses can offer better value too. Knowing who to study with can kick your career off with a bang.
There’s more to check out here than user reviews (though they should undoubtedly be looked at). Below we’ve provided some further tips to help you choose the right personal trainer course for you.
Ask Yourself The Right Questions
First, you must know yourself completely before choosing a personal training course. Only then will you make the best decisions when enrolling on a course.
Start by asking yourself a few crucial questions. They include:
- Where do you want to work? The world of personal training is bigger than most initially realise. Perhaps you’d like to help people with specific disabilities overcome some challenges. Or maybe you’d like to work with other vulnerable groups like refugees or victims of crime, as there can be schemes in place for specific groups sometimes. Alternatively, you may wish to work in a local leisure centre or gym, which is also valid.
- How passionate are you about the subject? Personal training can be about more than about looks. It’s about health, well-being, and nutrition too. There’s a precise science behind the subject, and it can be different for each individual depending on their experience levels and how the anatomy and physiology of their bodies. You will need to embrace the minutia of it all.
- Are you an enterprising sort? If you’re aspiring to your own personal training venture, you’ll also need to invest time in the techniques behind sales, marketing, and other business aspects. You may need to tackle more than the personal training itself.
- Do you like working flexibly? Personal trainers can work regular hours in a set place of employment, but they can also travel around the country and have to fit client schedules too. Being able to work that way could be vital, and any course you choose may shed more light on those requirements.
So, as you can see, there’s a lot to pindown here in terms of your own desires. Your personal training course may cover all or only some of these aspects of the field. Try to have a good sense of your ideal career trajectory before enrolling.
See If The Course And Provider Are Reputable
It’s best to work with course providers that are really celebrated for what they do. That association between you and them will make your credentials all the more robust.
Take a look at this personal trainer course from The Fitness Group. It’s internationally recognised and also considered to be industry-leading. There are multiple levels to enrol on so that learners get a more fully dynamic experience that explores multiple facets of being a personal trainer. There’s also a 100% money-back guarantee, so you’ll have the peace of mind to study with a credible course provider that has your best interests at heart.
The Fitness Group also offer a free career discovery call. Don’t worry; this isn’t an attempt to strong-arm you into signing up. After you take the call, they’ll happily chat with you about your specific situation and, with that in mind, how they can support you to qualify as a recognised personal trainer. We mentioned before that it’s a good idea to know what you want before signing up, and now you know another reason why that’s recommended!
Are the courses accredited? CIMPSA is a chartered professional body in the UK that will endorse worthy offerings. Ofqual is a non-ministerial government department that can regulate personal trainer qualifications too. Active IQ is an educational organisation that can also have a presence in proceedings. Any input from these types of entities should assure you that the courses are of quality and that providers can be trusted.
The Length Of The Course
Personal training courses can vary in length substantially. It doesn’t always mean one course is better than the other, but rather that these learning opportunities are accessible to all in light of one’s personal circumstances.
Some personal trainer courses can be completed in four weeks, while others can be completed in 12 weeks. There are courses that have strict and ardent deadlines and courses that are more flexible with their approach to them. Sometimes there’s a choice between full-time and part-time attendance too, which will undoubtedly influence how long these courses take to complete. So, it’s a good idea to take these factors into account. That way, you won’t feel pressured to move around your personal arrangements overmuch, and you can be confident that personal training is for you irrespective of your wider circumstances. Providers encourage you to enrol and will help you succeed, no matter what.
Consider Online Or In-Person Training
There’s more than one way to enrol on a personal trainer course. You can study in-person or online.
You don’t always need to choose between online or in-person training, either. Some personal trainer courses undertake a hybrid approach to these efforts, mixing online and in-person teaching offerings. Once again, there are opportunities here for you regardless of your lifestyle.
Courses may also offer things like apprenticeships and internships as part of their respective curriculum. Those work experiences can be enlightening, giving you hands-on experience with being a personal trainer. Hopefully, these offerings’ availability should also increase soon, given that organisations like UCAS are working harder to promote them to school leavers. The value of on-the-job work experience is increasingly recognised, which is promising!
Additional Support
Some personal trainer course providers offer additional benefits. However, these perks can incur extra costs, too, so it’s up to you to consider whether these arrangements are worthwhile.
These advantages typically include things like:
- Support finding a work placement – Course providers may help you find a work placement, for example.
- Accessing general career guidance – Finding a work placement is one thing and can provide inspiration and direction, but having robust career plans is important as well. Course providers may help with long-term strategies as well.
- Qualifying for further study – Upon completing your initial personal trainer course, you may be eligible for a more advanced program to build your credibility.
Consequently, some course providers try to keep the ball rolling for you, regardless of the stage in your personal trainer journey. Alternatively, you may prefer to strike out alone. Either approach is valid.
Engage With Professionals
Some personal training courses will have got people very far in life. They will have given fitness centres, gyms, and other organisations some very skilled and knowledgeable workers.
Why not ask these professionals about it? Which courses could they happily recommend? Which courses did they enrol on, and did they enjoy them? If you’ve got your eye on a course already, it might be that asking for the opinions of a professional can either reaffirm your belief or course-correct you on to something better.
Personal trainers are helpful people who enjoy seeing people get the best out of life. Furthermore, they host events with some of the industry’s biggest names for networking opportunities. Put yourself out there and show your interest. Personal trainers will be delighted to speak to you and offer advice on where and how you should study.
