Personal training courses and qualifications

While becoming a personal trainer is a fairly straightforward process, many underestimate the personal and professional qualities needed to truly succeed as a PT. You only have to look at some of the UK’s best personal trainers to understand that there is no one magic formula or blueprint. Instead, to become a personal trainer you need to have a burning desire to help people, great communication skills, a passion for self-improvement, and a client-focused attitude.

In terms of qualifications, enrolling onto the right personal training courses is a must. If you’re brand new to the fitness industry then your first port of call is the Level 2 Gym Instructor, this is followed by the Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training. These courses can either be done individually or combined to form comprehensive career packages. Our career packages also unlock a range of extras and exclusives including video content from Matt Roberts and Ben Coomber, offers and discounts and exclusive job opportunities via CV Connect.

To explore what it truly takes to become a leading personal trainer in much more detail, we’ve created an in-depth and comprehensive article for you to read. Our Become a Personal Trainer career guide covers everything from the essential PT qualifications, insurance, career opportunities and much more.

If you’re enrolled on to our Essentials career package, which combines the Level 2 Gym Instructor and Level 3 Personal Training courses, we’d typically say you could be qualified in just 10-12 weeks. Our larger packages, Premium and Master, contain more courses so naturally, these will take a little longer to complete in their entirety.

If you’ve previously completed your Level 2 Gym qualification and are just studying Level 3 Personal Training then we usually advise it could take 8-12 weeks.

With that being said, those timescales are just guidelines. Each and every learner is unique and will approach their studies at a different pace. We know first-hand how exciting, rewarding and life-changing a career in personal training can be, when it comes to the all-important studies however, this isn’t something we like to rush. The more time, effort and attention you can invest in your personal training education, the better chance you have after qualifying of truly taking the industry by storm.

Our PT courses utilise the blended learning model which involves practical weekend training and a period of home study. After speaking to thousands of students over the years, we’ve found that an hour’s study a day is more than enough to make steady progress with your course. To guide your learning, we’ve created comprehensive study guides for each of our courses which will really help you map out the learning journey ahead?

This is one of our most frequently asked questions and the simple answer is ‘unfortunately not’. It continues to be incredibly concerning that time and time again we hear of other fitness training providers offering guaranteed interviews and jobs that simply turn out to be self-employed positions where the newly qualified PT actually has to pay the club to go to work. We believe this practice is immoral and misrepresents what the actual opportunity is.

Newly qualified personal trainers in these situations can often end up struggling to make ends meet because they’re paying considerable weekly or monthly rent to work in a club before they’ve even secured their first client.

To shed a bit more light on these practices, we’ve produced a guide to guaranteed interviews and jobs for personal trainers that is very much worth a read.

Instead of engaging in the practice of guaranteed interviews, we’ve created CV Connect. This is a game-changing new way to connect employers with newly qualified personal trainers. As soon as you complete your personal trainer course, a new section in LES (Learner Engagement System) is unlocked.

It’s here that you’re able to upload your CV (featuring your brand-new qualification, of course), search for employers in your area and apply directly. It really is that simple and straightforward. We’ve cut out recruitment agencies and any other hoops or barriers that could get in the way, nothing should stop you from securing your dream job.

To date, we’re closing in on nearly a thousand active vacancies from some of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious employers including UP Fitness, Pure Gym, Fitness First, Your Personal Training, DW and JD Gyms.

If you’re keen to take things into your own hands then we have resources available for starting a personal training business. This article features some exclusive insights from one of the UK’s most successful trainers, Matt Roberts. Matt has exclusive premises in London and he’s trained politicians, film stars, fashion designers and athletes. So, there’s no doubt he very much knows what he’s talking about.

We’ve partnered with some of the country’s best-equipped and well-known gym chains, health clubs and leisure centres in the UK to deliver the practical elements of our personal trainer courses. Working with the likes of David Lloyd, Bannatyne and Village Hotels, just to name a few, we’re able to offer you maximum choice and flexibility when it comes to your studies.

Currently, we have over 20 venues across England, Scotland and Wales where we deliver our PT courses and our most popular locations include London, Manchester, Cardiff, York, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol.

A full list of venues can be found personal trainer venues and locations page. It’s here you’ll be able to learn about each venue’s facilities, accessibility and any offers and discounts that are available, for example, discounts on hotels. We’ve also provided a route planner to help you comfortably get to your training via your preferred method of travel whether that’s walking, driving or public transport.

Our personal trainer courses and qualifications utilise the blended learning model and this means students will complete a period of home study and then attend a venue and take part in practical training. For those completely new to home study, it might seem a little daunting at first, but we can guarantee that you’ll receive all the learning resources and support you need. That’s not just when you enrol or before you sit an exam either, it’s every single step of the way.

From the moment you enrol you’ll be assigned a personal support tutor who is available Monday – Friday via phone or email. Your tutor is a qualified and experienced PT, they’ve been there and seen it all before, so no question is too big, small or complicated.

You’ll also receive 24/7 access to LES, the Learner Engagement System. This platform is where you’ll complete the majority of your home study learning. Practice quizzes, workbooks and hours of video lectures delivered by leading physiotherapists, doctors, nutritionists and dietitians are all available at your fingertips.

Alongside the online resources we provide, you’ll also receive print manuals that have been exclusively written and designed in-house by a team of experts. To get a sneak peek at the comprehensive resources we offer, we’ve prepared a sample of our Level 3 Personal Trainer Manual.

You’ve chosen the individual personal trainer courses or PT Career Package that suits you best, you’ve found your nearest venue and you’re ready to go, why should anything, including money stand in your way? It’s our job to make your journey to personal training success as straightforward as possible and that’s why we have numerous payment options available to you.

If you’re keen to get everything sorted upfront, we’ll give you a 5% discount if you pay for your PT course or career package in full.

For those looking to spread the cost, we have 0% interest 6-month and 12-month payment plans. With both these options, you can secure your place on a PT course for as little as £100 or £250 if you’re booking a career package.

Read our Price Promise for more information on discounts and our pricing model.

Select personal training courses and packages have also been military approved. If you’re serving personnel or a service leaver, contact our Careers team on 0800 612 4067 for more information about the MOD’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELCAS).