A Career as a Fitness Manager

A fitness centre manager is responsible for managing a centre for the promotion of activities related to physical fitness. The centre or club typically contains a fitness suite and changing facilities, and may include some or all of the following:

Managerial responsibilities usually include attracting new clients and retaining existing members; generating revenue; recruiting, managing and training staff; organising and publicising events; ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations; and overseeing maintenance of equipment and premises. The manager is also accountable for the overall profitability of the centre.

Requirements of a Fitness Manager:

Personal qualities required to be a fitness manager include interest in business and management, experience in the sector in which you plan to manage and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Many fitness managers undertake a HND or degree in a related subject although entry into fitness management without such academic qualifications is fairly common.

Some organisations specifically target graduates for their management programmes and it is becoming increasingly common for companies to send their managers and trainee managers to university to study sport and leisure management.

Other qualifications usually required by fitness employers include:

Most managers start their careers as fitness instructors or personal trainers and progress into management as their experience develops.  Others fitness managers may have backgrounds in the armed forces and have experience of teaching and coaching.

Fitness Manager Employers:

Employment opportunities for fitness managers can be found in the following settings:

Within local leisure centres, the overall management of a fitness suite usually lies with the leisure centre manager, but there may be a fitness centre coordinator role at a sub-managerial level. In educational establishments, such as universities, managers frequently control swimming pools, and sometimes teach students, particularly where sports-related courses are offered. The private commercial sector has expanded enormously in the last few years, and there are suggestions that the British market is reaching saturation point.

Fitness Manager Pay:

Starting salaries range between £14,850 - £26,500 and at a senior level can range between £29,000 - £43,000.

Senior level roles include job titles such as group manager, area manager, regional manager and sales manager.The salaries will vary widely depending on the size and type of facility and the pay scales offered within a particular organisation although rapid expansion in the health and fitness sector is beginning to force salaries up.

Organisations with a policy of graduate recruitment may target a wealthier clientele, and do tend to pay better. Bonuses related to targets, such as membership retention or attracting new members are frequently paid and are often around 3% of annual salary.

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