What to look for when choosing a personal training course

If you have a passion for health and fitness and are considering pursuing a career as a personal trainer, you’ll need to start by getting qualified. However, finding the right personal training course is often easier said than done.

To make the process a little easier, here are a few things to look for when selecting a personal training course.

A reputable learning provider

The first step when selecting any course should be to check if the course provider is a trusted and reputable learning provider.

In Australia, you’ll need to ensure the agency offering the course is a registered training organisation (RTO), which means they are registered with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and recognised as a provider of quality-assured and nationally recognised training and qualifications. You can use the database maintained by training.gov.au to check if an organisation is registered to provide vocational education and training (VET) services.

You’ll also need to consider how the course curriculum is structured.

If the learning provider you select is not a registered training provider, you’ll be ineligible for any available government funding or assistance to help you complete your course and you won’t graduate with a nationally recognised qualification, making it highly important that you check their credentials before signing up.

Hands-on experience

You’ll also need to consider how the course curriculum is structured. Most of us learn best by doing, so it’s important you select a course that allows you to gain sufficient hands-on experience.

While a personal training course should provide a good combination of both practical and theoretical learning, gaining practical experience in a real-world environment is an absolute must. When you complete your course and start working in the industry, most of your day-to-day activities will involve working directly with individuals or groups of clients in a real-world scenario, highlighting the importance of selecting a course that will set you up to be work-ready from the moment you graduate.

Flexibility to earn and learn at the same time

While in an ideal world it would be great to be able to dedicate 100 per cent of your focus to your studies, in reality, most of us will need to continue in paid work while completing a qualification.

While some training providers will require you to attend face-to-face classes at a specific time and location, others will provide a little more flexibility around how you complete the various elements of the course.

Most learning providers are aware of this and will offer a combination of remote, online and face-to-face learning options, so it’s well worth doing some prior research around the timing and mode of delivery of your preferred course to ensure it will fit in with your existing work arrangements.

Opens doors to other opportunities

Finally, it’s also important to consider what doors your course will open for you. While your initial goal may be to work as a personal trainer, you may later realise that you want to further develop your skills and knowledge to work in another area within the health and fitness industry.

To ensure you keep your options open to pursue further education opportunities down the track, look for a course that provides various learning pathways and higher education opportunities that you may want to consider in the future.

Learning at VFA

When you complete a personal training course with VFA Learning, your course will be delivered by industry experts who have first-hand knowledge and experience working in the health and fitness industry. The course also features specialised guest speakers and field trips to give you a real-world perspective on what a career in personal training involves.

With campuses featuring high-quality training facilities in Geelong, Narre Warren and Melbourne, we adopt a blended learning model that is designed to work around your current employment, giving you the flexibility to earn and learn at the same time. We’re also big believers in “learning through doing”, so you can be sure your gym gear will be put to good use!

Visit the VFA Learning website to find out more about becoming a personal trainer with a Certificate IV in Fitness and the learning pathways it could open the door to.