Main Job Roles in Health and Fitness

There are broadly four main job functions, and in smaller clubs these can often be combined, with staff having to be able to turn their hands to anything that is needed to run the business. These include the operational and maintenance aspects of running a facility; the instructional and training capacity of teaching people how to use machines and free weights, designing programmes and helping clients achieve specific targets; the management side of the facility concerned with the business elements of a club; and the sales and marketing element which designs membership packages and promotions. In larger clubs, there are usually managers and staff who only work in specific departments, like the gym, swimming and spa pool, racquets, reception and administration and food and beverage operations.

Fitness Instructors/ Personal Trainers and Group Exercise

Personal trainers provide individual programmes for clients to enable them to achieve their personal health and fitness goals. They educate, motivate and coach clients to help them follow their programmes safely and effectively, and advise them on health, nutrition and lifestyle changes on a one to one basis.

Fitness instructors work with groups and individuals in gyms, health and fitness centres and leisure centres. They supervise customers using the facility, and ensure that they are exercising safely and effectively. They may conduct group exercise classes such as circuit training, aerobics or spinning.

Yoga and Pilates Teachers

Yoga teachers instruct people on the various stances involved in yoga, and also teach controlled breathing, meditation and visualisation. Yoga can be taught either as a form of exercise, to increase physical fitness and suppleness, or as a therapy to combat or control disease and ill-health.

Pilates teachers combine gentle focused exercises with holistic principles in order to develop body awareness. Pilates teachers work with clients on either mats or specially designed equipment in order to enable the body to move with maximum efficiency and minimum effort. They aim to realign the body's structure and achieve a balance within the musclo-skeletal system.

Recreation Assistant

Recreation Assistants are responsible for the cleanliness of the building, and will undertake regular checks to ensure that standards of safety, environmental control and hygiene are maintained during opening hours. Recreation Assistants also put up and take down equipment not in permanent use.

Club Managers and Duty Managers

Leisure centre managers are responsible for the general operation of leisure facilities. Duties vary, but are likely to include arranging timetables for all the activities, organising, advertising and promoting special events, and recruiting and managing staff employed at the centre. Other responsibilities such as managing finances, health and safety, and reporting to the centre's owners on a regular basis are also involved.

Duty Managers are responsible for the day to day operation of the leisure facility. Duties vary, but include either opening or closing of the facility, daily cashing up, regular facility checks, rectifying minor problems and dealing with customers.

Working for a Training Provider

This can include a variety of roles including tutoring and assessing either in a simulated (classroom) environment or the workplace. Training providers offer a variety of courses and qualifications all of which have their own demands, prior knowledge and in most cases practical experience. It is common for tutors to also do assessing but as a rule they will not assessor a course that they have taught.