Tips, Tools & Career Opportunities you need to know after completing your Cert 3 in fitness Course.

Firstly, congratulations on passing your Cert 3 (III) in Fitness! You’re now a qualified gym and group fitness instructor. It’s an exciting time as you enter the opportunity-filled world of health and fitness. But, with so many different directions you can go in, where do you start? Here’s everything you need to know to hit the ground running and get your career moving in the right direction.

What You’ve Learnt in Cert 3 Fitness Course

After completing your Cert 3 fitness online with Fit Education, you’ll be fully qualified and ready to start working in the fitness industry.

During the course you’ll gain a thorough understanding of how to:

• Screen and assess new clients
• Evaluate a client’s fitness level and progress
• Design exercise programs
• Demonstrate and teach others the proper form required to complete exercises safely
• Provide information on healthy eating to clients
• Motivate and encourage
• Instruct and help clients with exercises in gym
• Instruct community and group fitness programs
• Complete administrative tasks associated with the running of a fitness centre
• Explain the basics of exercise science, anatomy and physiology
• Perform first aid if, and when required

Through our practical training modules, you would have already practiced these tasks so you feel ready and confident to provide these services in a commercial setting.

Career Opportunities

Cert III Fitness from Fit Education is your entry into the following careers:

1. Gym Instructor – As an instructor in a commercial gym, you’ll be required to show new members how to use equipment and set them up with a basic program.

You’ll also be responsible for supervising people on the gym floor, answering queries and maintaining general safety and cleanliness of the facility.

2. Group Exercise Instructor – You’ll be able to deliver group exercise sessions to a range of clients of varying ages and ability levels.

Sessions may be pre-choreographed, circuit style or freestyle. By demonstrating the exercises and working out alongside clients, you’ll help to motivate and correct form with minimal one-on-one interaction.

Studying with Fit Education will give you access to our extensive job network. While there are numerous options for companies you can work for as a fitness professional, most of our graduates find employment in commercial gyms, boutique training studios and sports clubs.

Browse our Jobs Board for currently available job opportunities with our Partners.

Options for Further Study

Cert III Fitness is the entry-level qualification required for you to work in the fitness industry in Australia or overseas. It’s also the pre-requisite for Certificate IV in Fitness (Personal Training) and the Diploma of Sport.

While Cert III Fitness is all you need to start and develop a great fitness career, you might want to consider further study (now or down the track) to add to your skills and open up further career options.

1. Cert IV Fitness Course

For one-on-one training with regular clients (personal trainer), in or outside of a typical gym setting you need Certificate IV in Fitness. This allow you to conduct group-training sessions in public places, work on a cruise line or start your own personal training business. Check out the latest personal training employment statistics here.

This course is a more advanced extension of Certificate III. It focuses on further developing your skills in working with clients long-term, selling and marketing yourself as a fitness professional. It also gives you knowledge about working with sports teams, children and adolescence.

2. Diploma of Fitness

Following Certificate IV, the Diploma of Fitness is an advanced course for fitness professionals who want to move towards management (Gym Managers , Personal Training Managers, or Group Fitness Coordinators).

Get skills and knowledge about high performance training, working with athletes, managing larger sports organisations and tips on effective marketing of fitness businesses. It’s a great qualification for anyone who’s serious about building an incredible fitness career and growing their income potential.

3. Diploma of Sport

Work in sports as a Sport Coach, Sport Development Officer, or Sport Manager with a Diploma of Sport. Sport Coaches are in demand and coaching is rated as a “high growth” sector. Read the latest employment data here.

Equipment and Tools to Get You Started

Passing your Certificate III exam was number 1 on your list of things to do to get your career in the fitness industry started. However, there are a few other things you’ll need to get sorted including:

1. First Aid Certificate –

Upon completion of your Cert 3 fitness, you should already have a valid First Aid Certificate (required to complete course).

An Australian First Aid Certificate is valid for 3 years and a CPR certificate is valid for 12 months. Both must be maintained in order to work in the fitness industry.

2. Registering with Fitness Australia –

Registering as a fitness professional with Fitness Australia isn’t compulsory but it does show your clients that you’re properly qualified and committed to providing quality services.

You’ll also gain access to a library of resources for further learning and development. Depending upon the type of registration, you can also include the relevant insurances you need to work in the fitness industry as part of your membership.

3. Insurance –

If you’re not registering with Fitness Australia, you’ll still need to make sure you take out relevant insurance to protect yourself from potential claims. Most (if not all) commercial gyms require you to have proper insurance before they can employ you.

4. Working with Children Check –

For working with young people under the age of 18, you’ll need to obtain a ‘working with children check’ for the state/territory you’ll be working in. You can read about it more here.

For example- In State of Queensland, it is called Blue Card.

5. Simple Gym Equipment –

Depending on your fitness service offerings, you may need to purchase some basic gym equipment to help you run fitness sessions.

6. Website and/or Social Media Profiles –

Regardless of what type of facility you’ll be working in, building a personal profile as a fitness professional is a valuable tool to attract clients and build your overall earnings.

Consider setting up a simple website or establishing a Facebook page where you can display your professional bio and share useful information with potential and current clients.

 7. Professional Active wear Uniform –

While some employers may provide you with a uniform, it’s best to have some new, well-fitted, modest, active-wear and training shoes. It is a great way to display professionalism and your own dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.

Get Your Fitness Career Started Today

Just because you’re now fully qualified, doesn’t mean we’re not still here to help. If you’ve got questions about where to go from here, talk to your lecturer or contact us directly.

If you found this article useful you may also like to read Pro Guide On How To Become a Successful PT, or Fitness and Gym Lingo.