Louise King

Interview

What are your main responsibilities?

Future Fit Training is a leading training provider for the health and fitness industry, and it’s my job to deal with the group exercise training courses that we run. I manage a team of tutors and assessors and I also teach and assess courses myself, and do some internal verification.

I’m responsible for keeping the group exercise courses up to date and creating and developing new products (courses). I deal with the course materials and content, staff training and oversee where the courses are taught and who they are taught by.

I attend external courses to make sure I’m up-to-date with the industry. I read fitness publications and research on the web.

Do you manage or supervise anyone?

In my team at the moment I supervise about ten people, from experienced assessors to internal verifiers and tutors. They are all freelance and mainly work at weekends which is when we deliver our courses. My immediate boss is the National Training Manager.

Do you use specialist equipment?

We use equipment on some of the courses, such as regular gym equipment, stability boards and dynabands for example. When I first qualified 11 years ago it was more about using your own body weight but now equipment is very popular especially in studio courses. Steps were popular then and they are even more popular now.

What would a typical day contain for you?

I might visit a tutor delivering one of our courses at a health and fitness club, and maybe do some assessments. I set aside part of the day to work on new projects or product (course) development. Interest in Pilates is growing quite a lot at the moment.

I’m usually in our head office once a week for catch up-meetings. I’m based in London and often work from home. It’s essential we all get together or we will become isolated.

How many members of the public do you meet on a day to day basis?

We have around 12 people, sometimes up to 20 people, on our courses, and we teach them in health and fitness clubs so I get to meet the members and staff. I also meet people from the equipment manufacturers who will come down and do presentations for us.

Why did you choose a career in health and fitness?

I have a dance background and always enjoyed going to fitness classes. It was the best career move I could have made. Office work wasn’t for me.

Where I lived unemployment was quite high, and you could either work for BT or the benefits agency. Even though I got good grades in art, design and dance, everyone in my area tended to go for secretarial or telecommunications courses, which is what I did. I did an aerobics course when I was 20 and thought, “This job is really cool, the tutor obviously loves her job, this is what I want to do!” So I went to college and worked towards it.

What is your educational background?

I studied an anatomy and physiology diploma for one year at college whilst I was working. I then did relevant fitness qualifications with training providers such as Future Fit and YMCA, and did my NVQ Level 2 in Exercise and Fitness whilst I was working in a health club.

I then took the assessors’ awards and did my Certificate in Education part-time at Greenwich University. I also took related qualifications like Pilates and dance. I’ve probably done a course every year. In this industry you can do the courses intensively over a couple of weeks or at a college for a few hours in the evening. You can even do the teaching qualification through distance learning as someone from the university will come to your workplace to observe you.

What training has FutureFit provided?

Future Fit send me on lots of courses to keep up with the industry, for example I went on a Pilates course last year. I have also taken a Future Fit course on the learning process. I also have to renew my first aid certificate every three years.

What skills are important in your job?

• Communication skills.
• Computer skills as I have to write lots of course materials and reports.
• A good knowledge of the health and fitness industry.

How did you find out about your current job? 

I did my NVQ Level 2 with Future Fit and I was really impressed with the way they delivered the course. When I finished my relevant fitness qualifications I approached them for work. I started off as a tutor and an internal verifier and worked my way up.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Watching people progress and become qualified, that’s the most rewarding thing. Whether it’s a student, a tutor, or a member of staff, teaching someone to do something they haven’t done before is really rewarding.

What do you like least?

My weaker areas are the things that are new to me, for example, managing a team and personnel.

What could people expect to earn in a job like yours?

When you first start in the health and fitness industry you can expect around £15,000 to £18,000.

If you want to teach a class it’s better to hire a hall in your local community. That’s what I did, and had 90 people turn up for the first class! If you work for yourself as a freelance you can earn quite a lot of money.

When I was a freelance instructor I was running around going to about 15 to 20 classes a week but I loved every single one of them. It is tiring but it’s worth it. Personal Trainers can also earn quite a lot.

We are allowed to use the facilities of the venues we teach at before and after the course. That’s a massive bonus as gym membership can be expensive. I also get a car, laptop and pension.

What are your career aspirations?

To continue running a successful tutor and assessor team, to deliver and create new products and keep getting the high pass rates that we do.

What do your friends think of what you do?

They think it’s cool. Most of my friends work in offices; what they do in their leisure time I get to do at work!

What is the strangest thing you have ever been asked to do?

To teach an exotic dancing course!

What advice would you give to somebody wanting to get into the health and fitness industry?

Research the courses available, there are a lot of training providers out there that deal with lots of courses. It’s better to get an industry-recognised qualification which will allow you to join the Register of Exercise Professionals. Health and fitness is really popular right now; everybody wants to be fit! There are many jobs out there and it’s a really rewarding career.