Certificate III Fitness

[TheParraboy]

Has anyone completed this?

It is basically qualification to work in a gym (but not as P/T, thats Cert IV)

Want to ask what are the pros and cons of doing this certificate?
eg employment opportunities?, practicals during the course?

Do I have to alert my current gym in regards to using the gym for potential work experience there during or after the course?

Cheers

 

[Snoochies]

I used to work in a gym and basically a level 3 allowed you to write programs, conduct classes etc but not personal training and from memory you needed a level 4 to do PT. From memory I had heard you will eventually need a diploma in health and fitness to become a PT as certain institutes such as the AIF (Australian Institute of Fitness) were doing 7 week crash courses in PT and you came out fully qualified. The gym I worked at steared clear of anyone from the AIF unless they had a number of years experience as majority who came out of the course really didn't have a clue. The AIF were good at selling yourself and using basic machinery and motivation but alot of people who came out of the program really struggled in the gym environment.

In regards to Work Experience, you should be able to go to your local gym and follow one of the PT's around which will give you a heads up and when not doing that, they'll more than likely make you wipe down equipment all day. I would approach a privately owned personal training studio instead as it is less busy and more personal. Most gyms who hire PT's will have 10 or more trainers who have to compete with each other to get the clients, the PT's are charged a weekly rent to use the equipment then have to go and find their own clients who are current members. Most gyms won't allow trainers to bring in anyone who is not a member so it's abit of a cut throat industry.

Good luck with it.

 

[Shorty]

^Pretty much, but you don't need diploma as the diploma is for starting to specialise in an area and a bridge to uni etc.
But agree with everything right down to PT studios and sh*tty AIF courses, thankfully FA is working on it being at least a year of study the way it should be.
How someone learns anatomy and physiology in 8 weeks is crazy...

 

[Valderon]

How someone learns anatomy and physiology in 8 weeks is crazy...

Totally agree!

Didn't know FA were working on that minimum 12-month requirement? ... That's good news... will help improve the integrity of the industry I hope!

 

[Jono1987]

I have a Cert 3 and 4 in Fitness. I did both at TAFE and can recommend the courses to anyone wanting to become a personal trainer. Both courses are pretty standard in difficulty, especially Cert 3. Decent mix between theory and practical. I had a job lined up at a Fitness First while I was doing my Cert 3. They're always looking for more trainers.

 

[TheParraboy]

Cheers for the feedback guys

Jono

Yeah I heard that the industry is short on trainers

Are you working for yourself at FF or a set wage?
With the practical side of things at TAFE, Do you do that at your own gym? a gym TAFE gets you to go? or is it a lot of inhouse practical (at TAFE campus)?

 

[Jono1987]

If you work at FF you open up an individual franchise and pay rent to the actual gym. To be honest this is what turned me off FF completely because the rent is not cheap. You could have 20-30 clients a week, but if say 5-10 of them cancel for any reason it hurts in the pocket. There are advantages to working at FF also such as the chance to pickup clients from a large membership base.

The TAFE I studied at (Randwick) has it's own gym that you work out of. It isn't anything spectacular but it does the job. The only time you work out of another gym is when you're required to train two random people as part of the major assessment during Cert 4.

 

[Shorty]

They're always looking for more trainers.

Of course they are:lol:

Yeah I heard that the industry is short on trainers

No it's really not, since these sh*tty 8 week courses have came out, trainers are getting pumped out left, right and center.
Whenever I meet someone who's done one of those crappy courses, I ask in depth questions about anatomy and physiology.

But the industry is probably short on quality trainers, yes.

Are you working for yourself at FF or a set wage?
With the practical side of things at TAFE, Do you do that at your own gym? a gym TAFE gets you to go? or is it a lot of inhouse practical (at TAFE campus)?

TAFE usually has a gym to do all the practical stuff.

 

[Snoochies]

Of course they are:lol:


No it's really not, since these sh*tty 8 week courses have came out, trainers are getting pumped out left, right and center.
Whenever I meet someone who's done one of those crappy courses, I ask in depth questions about anatomy and physiology.

But the industry is probably short on quality trainers, yes.

TAFE usually has a gym to do all the practical stuff.

One of the girls that used to work at my gym rushed down to ask how to write up a split program because one bloke wanted to do one. She hadn't heard of it before.

 

[Jono1987]

Of course they are:lol:


No it's really not, since these sh*tty 8 week courses have came out, trainers are getting pumped out left, right and center.
Whenever I meet someone who's done one of those crappy courses, I ask in depth questions about anatomy and physiology.

But the industry is probably short on quality trainers, yes.

TAFE usually has a gym to do all the practical stuff.

The turnover of personal trainers across the industry is large. I know that at FF alone it was something like eight months on average. I know what you're saying with those eight week courses, but with people continually qutting after short periods of time mostly due to financial issues and new gyms popping up everywhere, the're plenty of jobs available.

 

[TheParraboy]

If you work at FF you open up an individual franchise and pay rent to the actual gym. To be honest this is what turned me off FF completely because the rent is not cheap. You could have 20-30 clients a week, but if say 5-10 of them cancel for any reason it hurts in the pocket. There are advantages to working at FF also such as the chance to pickup clients from a large membership base.

The TAFE I studied at (Randwick) has it's own gym that you work out of. It isn't anything spectacular but it does the job. The only time you work out of another gym is when you're required to train two random people as part of the major assessment during Cert 4.

Cheers mate

Ill be flexible where to work around Australia for the right post. Not too keen on "paying rent". So will bide my time

Ive noticed in my gym a lot of turnover of staff, mainly the younger brigade. Also think if you are passionate and determined to be successfull in any field, you need to give it some time, and keep learning and exploring new opportunities. In any case doing this Cert III will enhance my knowledge if anything else. All going well, Ill knock of Cert IV in the 2nd half of the year.

 

[Jono1987]

Cheers mate

Ill be flexible where to work around Australia for the right post. Not too keen on "paying rent". So will bide my time

Ive noticed in my gym a lot of turnover of staff, mainly the younger brigade. Also think if you are passionate and determined to be successfull in any field, you need to give it some time, and keep learning and exploring new opportunities. In any case doing this Cert III will enhance my knowledge if anything else. All going well, Ill knock of Cert IV in the 2nd half of the year.

Best of luck with everything.