Sport Level 1

Personal Trainer

If you are keen on health and fitness and you would enjoy working with a variety of different people, this job could be ideal for you. Personal trainers help their clients achieve their personal health and fitness goals.

To become a personal trainer you would first need to be a fitness instructor with a high level of experience and recognised qualifications.

You will also need good 'people' skills and an outgoing, friendly personality. A knowledge of the way the body works is important too.

Sports Coach

Sports coaches teach sports skills to individuals and teams of all sporting abilities. They teach everyone from beginners to international professionals. They help people to reach their full potential and take part safely in their chosen sport. If you love sports and want to help people perform at their highest level, this could be the career for you. To become a sports coach, you will need to have a coaching qualification that is recognised by the governing body for your sport. As a sports coach, you will need to be able to plan and deliver training sessions. You will also need to inspire confidence and motivate your students. You will need determination, patience, and a supportive approach towards those you coach.

Sports Development Officer

Sports development officers organise sports based projects and training to encourage people to take part in sport and to have a healthier lifestyle. Their aim is to make it easier for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy sport. If you are enthusiastic about sport and you have great communication and leadership skills, then this could be the role for you. You will also need strong organisational skills and the ability to manage projects and budgets. To get into this work you’ll need to have knowledge and experience of how to encourage people to take up sport. Many sports development officers also have a degree or equivalent, in sports development or sports coaching. If you are able to show that you have relevant experience, you may not need a degree. You can often get experience by volunteering for local sports projects.

Sports Physiotherapist

Sports physiotherapists help sportsmen and sportswomen perform at their best by identifying and treating sports injuries. They develop treatment programmes to help recovery, and also give advice on how to avoid sports injuries. If you are enthusiastic about sport, and you want to help athletes and sportspeople be as good as they can be, then this could be a perfect career for you. You will need strong communication skills and a patient and caring personality in order to help people recover from their injuries. To become a sports physiotherapist you will need a first degree and postgraduate master’s degree in sports physiotherapy, and some work experience as a physiotherapist.

Nutritional Therapist

Nutritional therapy is a complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). A nutritional therapist helps people improve and maintain their health and sense of wellbeing through diet and nutrition.

In this job, you would use your knowledge of food and nutrition to give advice on diet, which may encourage the body’s natural healing process.

If you are interested in nutritional science, would like to help people, and you have good communication skills, then this may be the career for you.

To prepare for work as a nutritional therapist, you will need to do a course in nutritional therapy that is recognised by a professional body. Once qualified, you can register with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).

PE Teacher

Physical Education (PE) teachers work in secondary schools and colleges, teaching sport and fitness to young people. If you’re interested in passing on your skills, and enjoy helping young people to learn and develop, this job could be ideal for you.

In this job you’ll need to be physically fit and know how the human body works. You’ll need to get on well with young people and be able to motivate them to take part in sport.

The most common way to get into this job is take a degree and then gain qualified teacher status (QTS). You’ll also have to pass criminal record checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Physiotherapy Assistant

If you are interested in physical health and you want to help people, this job could be perfect for you. Physiotherapy assistants aims to help those with physical problems caused by injury. They also help people with an illness or disability.

You will need to have an understanding and caring attitude. You’ll need to be able to encourage your patients to complete their treatment. You’ll also need to be sensitive and tolerant.

There are no formal requirements for starting in this role. However you will need to have a good standard of general education. Some employers will expect you to have four or more GCSEs including maths, English and science.

Fitness Instructor

If you are keen on health and fitness and enjoy meeting different people, this could be ideal for you.

To be a fitness instructor, you could complete a recognised qualification before starting work. Or you could start as an assistant instructor and complete on the job training.

To become a fitness instructor, you will need to be outgoing and friendly. You’ll also need to motivate and inspire people.