How To Become a Personal Trainer in Australia

Turn your love for fitness into a rewarding career by graduating as a Personal Trainer. Enjoy the flexibility of being your own boss and feel the satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference to people’s lives, dictate your own wage and make the most of upskilling opportunities.

As a reputable Fitness Education Provider we often get asked ‘How do I become a Personal Trainer?’ so we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you through the process.

1. Research Study Options

The combined Certificate III and IV in Fitness are a nationally recognised personal training qualification.

The Certificate III in Fitness give you the knowledge and skills you need to enter the industry as a Gym Instructor or Group Exercise Instructor and start working in a field you are passionate about. This qualification will teach you how to conduct health and fitness assessments on clients and use the information to develop tailored fitness programs to achieve their goals. You will also learn how to analyse movement to enable you to assist gym members with correct technique and equipment usage.

The Certificate IV in Fitness allows you to become a fully-fledged Personal Trainer.

Some training providers offer a discount if you opt to study both Cert III and IV concurrently. Having both qualifications makes you far more employable by giving you a lot more options in the future, like running bootcamps, training clients one-on-one or groups etc.

Study Mode:

Your course needs to fit in with your busy lifestyle. If you are balancing work commitments, other studies or a family, it is important to have the flexibility to choose a study option that works for you and online may be best.

However if you are someone who thrives in a classroom environment and enjoys a hands-on learning experience, studying face-to-face may be the best option for you.

Payment Options:

You’ll also want to research course costs and whether pay in full or a deposit and payment plan option is best suited to you.

 

2. Choose Your Fitness Study Provider

When choosing a provider, it’s important to look at their experience within the industry…Find out how long have they been teaching fitness courses. Read press articles about them, research their social media and read some of their blog posts.

Price point isn’t always an indicator of course value but some providers cut costs by not having a physical campus, Student Support or making it available at an additional cost. Due to the low price point and high demand of such courses they can tend to have extended marking time frames, meaning that it takes you longer to qualify etc. Government funded courses can be quite hard to get through due to being fulltime across a long duration of time in comparison to a self paced course for example.

When speaking to a Course Advisor enquire to see if they offer a sample course to get familiar with their learning management systems, course content style and ask about what style assessments there are, to get the best student experience for yourself.

 

3. Become a Qualified Fitness Professional

 

The nationally recognised Certificate III & IV in Fitness will equip you with all the knowledge and practical skills you need to work as a Personal Trainer in Australia.

4. Gain Industry Registration

We definitely recommend that you register yourself with one of the fitness industry bodies. The idea behind this is that you receive the following benefits:

• Registration for Fitness Professionals and Businesses
• Code of Practice for Professionals and Businesses
• Insurance
• Advocacy and Representation to Assist with Government and Legislation Impacting on the Fitness Industry

There are several industry bodies within the fitness space, so we recommend doing your research on each organisation and choosing whichever best meets your needs as a fitness professional or business.

 

Here is a list of the three main industry organisations below:

AUSactive

Formerly known as Fitness Australia, AUSactive is a not-for-profit industry association that exists to professionalise the exercise & active health industry. AUSactive focuses on developing industry standards, curated continuing education programs, and strong partnerships with education providers.

FITREC

FITREC is a modern recognition and support service for fitness professionals, whose key role is to provide a platform for qualified fitness professionals to easily communicate their education, experience, background and references.

Physical Activity Australia

Physical Activity Australia has been registering exercise professionals for over 30 years and is dedicated to advocacy, supporting people to be more active and representing fitness professionals.

 

5. Begin Your Fitness Career

Career opportunities in fitness are flexible and varied, allowing you to work in a range of different settings and in a way that suits your lifestyle. Start your own business, be your own boss or work for a range of employers, the choice is yours!

AFA industry partners not only assist students to bridge the gap between study and employment through Practical Placement, they also play an important role in providing a pathway for career opportunities and ongoing employment.

Our partners regularly contact us with available Personal Trainer and Gym Instructor positions at their fitness facilities. The reason they want to promote their job opportunities with us is they know our graduates are of the highest quality and have the knowledge and skills to excel in the industry!

Visit the AFA Job Board or Visit the Sports People Job Board

 

6. Define a Niche or Specialty

As well as gaining some much needed experience it can be a good idea to identify a specialty. Something you can become a leader in, or an expert in. This is great to help you target more specific clients. It’s good to focus on something you’re interested in, as it will make your job more fun.

Once you have a niche in mind—be it training the elderly, children, sports teams or weight-loss clients—you can focus your efforts and outreach based on that niche. Your marketing material and website will become more targeted and it will make professional development easier. You’ll be able to relate to your clients well and have an understanding of any trends within that niche.

To reiterate, the advantages of specialising are that you will attract clients from that niche more easily, your professional development can be very specific, and you’ll enjoy working with people with the goals you’re interested in.

 

7. Professional Development

As a qualified Fitness Professional registered to work within the fitness industry, it’s important to keep your knowledge up-to-date and relevant through continuing education. Completing the Certificate III & IV in Fitness sets the foundation for working as a Personal Trainer in Australia, but it is really just the starting point in your career as an exercise professional.

Both AUSactive and Physical Activity Australia require a certain amount of continued learning in order to maintain your membership. This is important as it shows you are maintaining your knowledge and growing as an exercise professional. Taking CEC workshops is a great way to maintain those qualification and accreditations.

If you would like further information on a career in the fitness industry you are welcome to contact us and chat to our careers consultants.