What is your background with exercise and fitness training?
Having being a dancer and studying this subject at university my life has always been involved in exercise and fitness in some way. I qualified in teaching Ballet and from this I naturally progressed to teaching more in the fitness field rather than just solely dance. I achieved my Level 3 diploma in Pilates in London, and specialised in pre and postnatal. I then went on to obtain my Gym and Zumba instructor qualifications and juggled all these by teaching classes here, there and everywhere!
Why did you choose the course you did?
I wanted to further extend my knowledge in the field of fitness and work with clients on a one to one basis rather than just group exercise.
Why did you choose HFE to deliver your training?
I researched a variety of training providers before deciding to go with HFE; there were so many positive reviews! Also with my work and lifestyle the structure of the course meant I could fit in the home study as well as attending the practical sessions around my current commitments.
What did you enjoy most about your course?
I thoroughly enjoyed the practical weekends, they were fun yet informative. I was also lucky enough to meet and stay in touch with the fellow people on my course.
What did you find most challenging about your course?
Studying for the nutrition and anatomy and physiology exam. A&P was particularly challenging but with the support from my group and tutors I felt confident by the end.
How would you rate the quality of teaching provided by your course tutors?
Excellent! I cannot fault the teaching provided, both John and Mark were experts in their field and provided us with all in the information we needed to know as well as making it light hearted and enjoyable.
To what extent did you feel supported during the home-study phase of your course?
Extremely supported, via email or through phone calls – no amount of times or questions asked seemed unreasonable. Very helpful indeed!
How would you rate the teaching and learning materials provided to you?
Excellent! All the books provided included content that was in the exams. Very informative and interesting.
What is your current role?
I am currently a fully qualified Sign Language Interpreter interpreting within the deaf community in a variety of domains. I am also currently setting up pre and postnatal pilates classes as well as teaching a variety of fitness classes.
What are your future training and career plans?
I aim to combine my two specialisms of sign language with fitness to train members of the deaf community as I have the relevant communication skills. I have previously taught Zumba in deaf centres and for deaf events/charities so I would like to continue with this on a wider scale.
I also want to do my CPD (with HFE) pre and post-natal, and specialist populations as I would like to train people in these specific areas.