Fitness Industry Careers & The Perks That Come With It

Imagine being able to eat breakfast and sip an espresso overlooking the Mediterranean from the top deck of a luxury liner. Or perhaps you may be completing a yoga session on the deck of a cruise ship as the sun sets behind you. As a cruise ship personal trainer, this idyllic lifestyle is entirely possible. In fact, there are a number of different avenues that a career in the fitness industry can take you. If you’ve been thinking about working in the health and fitness industry, but thought you might just get stuck working in the one place all day, every day, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Unless you want to work in one location every day (which is also possible), your new career can take you to many different places all over the world.

Draw on the knowledge of your connections

One of the best ways to get into this career is by building your reputation as a great personal trainer and gaining excellent references along the way. You may already have friends or past colleagues who work within the health and fitness industry, and they may be able to provide you with some tips and ideas on how to get started. After all, they have already gone through the journey you’re about to embark on.

The first thing you will need to do though is get a personal training qualification, along with other skills and expertise that will help you to stand out from the crowd. If you want to further improve your career prospects, add a massage qualification or other discipline to your portfolio, such as tai chi or Pilates, to help you market your services to the cruise ship’s client base. If you have a speciality in a couple of different workouts and can say you have some knowledge and expertise to cater to a couple of niche markets, you will find that you can gain a job on a cruise ship a little more easily, as you can provide a number of services.

Do some market research on people who travel on cruise ships and the type of services they are looking for. You may want to be able to cater to both young and old clients to show that you can adapt to a number of different client needs. Opportunities and recommendations can evolve from a strong network of trusted colleagues in the fitness industry, so ensure you maintain your connections with those people.

Meeting amazing people through personal training

There are many other places that a career in the fitness industry can take you. High end condominiums, luxury hotels and resorts or fitness retreats all require the services of health and fitness specialists for their clientele. There are a wide number of different clients and group sizes that you can work with to suit your needs and what you will enjoy more. If you prefer to provide high-quality services on a one-on-one basis, working with celebrities and high-profile clients is always a possibility. On the other hand, if you’re a little more social and love the feeling of getting a large group of people together to workout and train as a team, a group class trainer may be better suited to you. Even luxury resorts and spas still require personal trainers and group trainers, so you can certainly find work in this area if that is what you prefer.

Make sure you know the rules and regulations

There’s always the opportunity to travel as a personal trainer. You will just need to check with local rules and regulations about working as a personal trainer in other countries, to ensure you can provide your services legally and safely. You may decide to work overseas for a year or two before returning back to Australia. There are plenty of options as a personal trainer. If you prefer to work with individuals or small groups, you could offer an elite personal training service to the high end market or offer a personal training package to a sports club or corporate business. Combined with any other qualifications such as nutrition certifications or massage therapy qualifications, you can further extend your potential. Of course, this depends on what your passions are and whether you would want to pursue that side of your career.

Travelling the world with health and fitness

Depending on your aspirations and goals, a career in personal training can take you all over the world and open doors that you never dreamed of! Many people think a career in personal training can only land you a job in a gym and that’s about it. However, with an increase in the amount of people looking to improve their overall health and wellbeing, there has never been a better time to get qualified in the health and fitness industry and grow your career. It’s important to have a think about what you’re passionate about and what kinds of clients you would like to work with. You may want to help older clients or perhaps a younger generation with nutritional advice and massage therapy. Whether you want to be on a cruise ship or helping well-known clients get in shape, the choices are endless when working in the fitness industry.

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AIF

The Australian Institute of Fitness

The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is the largest and longest established fitness training organisation in Australia, with dynamic training methods and expert course coaches nationwide - spanning fitness, massage and nutrition. The AIF qualifies more fitness professionals than any other provider in Australia, as well as offering a broad range of continuing education courses (CEC), upskilling resources and partnership programs for existing industry.