Do you have aspirations to work closely with elite athletes and sporting teams? Australian Institute of Fitness graduate, RIcha Waititi is doing exactly that, so, we thought we’d best sit down with this fitness professional to find out how she landed her dream job.
With a background in sport, Richa was initially drawn to pursuing a career in health and fitness as she wanted to learn how she could manage and rehabilitate her own recurring injuries she suffered while playing basketball. It was at this time Richa commenced her Master Trainer Program™️, which was soon followed by completing her Massage Therapist Course.
“It was a good friend of mine who recommended AIF to me as she was studying her Master Trainer Program™️. She continued to tell me how much she was enjoying it, so when I found out that I could study both massage and personal training all at the one place, I enrolled straight away.”
During her studies, Richa was juggling evening work in the hospitality industry, while studying two programs back to back, which for anyone can be a lot of work. “I thought that the workload would be quite large, BUT it definitely did give me the knowledge that I needed to get out into the industry straight.”
“My biggest challenge while studying was the theory side of as it has never been a strength of mine, but the coaches were amazing. They were very supportive and understood my situation and learning process, plus there was a good mix of theory and practical which kept me engaged.” In addition, Richa shared that the learning environment and techniques used in class were very engaging. “Our coaches made the content of the course easy to understand by catering to different learning styles, breaking the content down further for us to understand and by making it fun.”
“The most memorable moment of my Massage Course was when one of my coaches was a client of mine for a practical session in class and said that he would ‘pay for that massage!’ It’s something that has stuck by me and a moment I’ll always be proud of.”
Since completing her Master Trainer Program™️ and Massage Therapist Course, Richa has achieved AMAZING things, and has landed her dream job. “I’ve been able to work in New Zealand and Australia helping elite athletes from NRL, AFL, Netball, Cricket, Rugby and many more with their preparation and recovery of their respective sports.”
Today, Richa is contracted to the Australian Institute of Fitness’ national Career Partner Julia Russell Massage, where is where she has been working the past two and a half years, which she says has been one of the best experiences of her life. “I’ve been able to fulfil a dream of mine, to be able to work with elite athletes and having the opportunity to work at major events such as the NRL Auckland 9’s and recently at the Super Rugby 10’s tournament.”
“If you are passionate about fitness, and really want to pursue a career in this field, with hard work, everything has a way of falling into place. I would definitely recommend AIF as it’s an amazing facility and both the staff and coaches are very supportive in helping with your journey, and they are very knowledge about the industry.
“Thanks to the support I’ve received, the industry was actually easier than I thought to breakthrough. I got THE job I have always wanted, practically straight away after graduating from my courses, and I’ve been able to build my own personal clients through word of mouth.
Studying at AIF has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. It’s been a great stepping stone to get into the health, fitness and rehabilitation industry.”
Working with elite athletes and sporting teams is a goal for many aspiring Trainers and Therapists, and this is something we have taken into consideration when creating our Master Trainer Program™️ and Massage Therapist Courses. If this is your goal contact your nearest campus and find out where a career in fitness and massage could take you.
Disclaimer: Where Certificate III in Fitness, Cert III/Cert 3, or Fitness Coach is mentioned, it refers to SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness. Where Certificate IV in Fitness, Cert IV/Cert 4, or Personal Trainer is mentioned, it refers to SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Master Trainer Program™ is mentioned, it refers to Fitness Essentials and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Master Trainer Plus+ Program™ is mentioned, it refers to SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Certificate IV in Massage or Cert IV/Cert 4 is mentioned, it refers to HLT42021 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy. Where Diploma of Remedial Massage is mentioned, it refers to HLT52021 Diploma of Remedial Massage.