Can You Study to Become a Personal Trainer While Working Full Time?
A career change does not always need to begin with quitting your job. For many people, the most realistic way to move into fitness is to start studying while continuing to work, manage family commitments and keep life moving.
You do not have to put your current life on hold
People come into the fitness industry at very different stages of life. Some have trained for years and finally decide they want to turn that interest into a career. Others are looking for work that feels more active, people focused and personally meaningful.
The challenge is often time. If you already work full time, study can feel like something that has to wait until your schedule becomes quieter. In reality, that perfect window may never appear. A flexible online course gives you the option to begin working towards a qualification without needing to make an immediate all or nothing career change.
What flexible online study can look like
Online study gives you more control over when you work through your course materials. One student may prefer two longer study blocks on the weekend. Another may complete shorter sessions before work or in the evening. The important point is that your study can be organised around your existing responsibilities.
At Online Personal Training Institute, the theory component is completed through the online student portal. Students can work through learner materials and complete theory assessments online, with support available when they need assistance.
Students have up to 12 months to complete each qualification. If completing both the SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness, that provides up to 24 months in total under the current course structure.
What about the practical assessments?
Fitness is a practical profession, so an online course still needs to assess practical skills.
At OPTI, practical assessment evidence can be completed by filming the required demonstrations and uploading the videos for assessment, or by completing practical tasks with an eligible workplace mentor in a safe and suitable fitness facility. Students may also combine these approaches where appropriate.
That flexibility can be particularly useful for people who already train at a gym, have access to a suitable fitness environment or need to fit practical work around employment and family commitments.
Certificate III and Certificate IV have different outcomes
The SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness reflects the role of group and gym fitness instructors. It develops the foundation skills used in fitness environments, including screening, fitness assessment, group exercise and gym based programming.
The SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness reflects the role of personal trainers who develop, instruct and evaluate personalised exercise programs for generally healthy and low risk clients.
For somebody whose goal is to become a personal trainer, completing the required Certificate III pathway and progressing into Certificate IV builds from foundational fitness instruction into more individualised personal training skills.
A gradual career transition can be a smart transition
Studying while you remain employed can give you time to develop your knowledge before making bigger career decisions. Once qualified, some people choose to move directly into the fitness industry. Others begin by training clients around their existing work and build their experience gradually.
There is no single correct way to change careers. The advantage of starting your qualification while you are still working is that you can create momentum now rather than waiting for a future point when every other commitment disappears.
Who is this study approach suited to?
Flexible online study may suit people who are already working, parents and carers, people living away from a campus, experienced gym members considering a career change, or anyone who values being able to control when and where they study.
You still need to commit time to learning and completing assessments. Flexible does not mean effortless. What it does mean is that the structure of your study can work around your life rather than requiring your entire life to work around a fixed classroom timetable.
Ready to explore a career in fitness?
If becoming a personal trainer has been sitting in the back of your mind, you do not necessarily need to wait for the perfect time to begin.
Online Personal Training Institute delivers the nationally recognised SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness through a flexible online model, supported by trainers and assessors.
Visit onlinepti.edu.au to explore the courses, entry requirements and study options, or contact the OPTI team to discuss which pathway may suit you.
Ready to explore your fitness study options?
Explore the Certificate III in Fitness, Certificate IV in Fitness and Dual Qualification options with Online Personal Training Institute.
