Frequently Asked Questions

We are able to provide formal confirmation of our courses to assist with any funding application that you are seeking; however, we do not receive any direct funding for students who are receiving benefit payments. We do have an Apprenticeship scheme - find out more about whether this could be the right option for you.
 

We are the most experienced training provider in the UK, delivering courses for over 27 years and were the first training provider in the country to deliver a fitness qualification. We understand that people have busy lives and learn in different ways, so we offer a variety of learning formats to best suit these. Furthermore, our tutors are very experienced and not only hold a tutor qualification (PTTLS) but they have also completed a Cert. Ed or an equivalent.

 We are a not-for-profit charity and are involved with multiple community projects to really make a difference in people’s lives. Our approach is not just about getting people onto courses, but is about getting the right people onto a course and supporting them throughout their training. This is why our Course Sales Advisors are all industry-trained to give you the best advice from their first-hand experience.

So our expertise is evident both before you enrol and whilst you are on the course, however we also support our students afterwards by offering a vast range of top quality CPD courses enabling students to develop and expand their skills and experience.

An ever-increasing range of recruitment partners are signing up to guarantee interviews to our level 3 personal trainers. We also upload regular job opportunities for our students on our Facebook latest job page.
 

Our only age restriction is that you are 16 years and above to train with us. There are certainly no upper age limits to training for a career in fitness and within the industry there is a market for good instructors of any age.

The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is a regulatory body for fitness qualifications. Through gaining qualifications with YMCAfit, you will be eligible to join the REPs and have an industry-wide recognition of your qualifications. 

Most employers won’t specify which training organisation you had to train with; their concern is that it is a recognised qualification by REPs. All of our qualifications are REPs recognised. There are currently four levels with REPs on a tiered level system reflecting the skill set of the instructor. For example level 2 on the register has four separate categories – Gym, Exercise to Music (ETM), Kids Fitness and Aqua. Level 3 then has higher skilled categories – such as Personal Trainer or Pilates instructor. 

Central YMCA qualifications (CYQ) is the awarding organisation for our qualifications and our courses are recognised by the REPs which means that they are full recognised in the UK. The qualifications also have worldwide recognition with any countries that have signed up to eREPs which are countries within the European Union and ICREPs such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In other Countries, you may be required to complete an assessment if the qualification is not automatically recognised.

Firstly, insurance is a must for any freelance instructor and strongly recommended for employed instructors. There are a large number of reputable sources where you can gain public liability insurance and it’s a good idea to shop around for the best deal, but two popular ones for the fitness industry are REPs and FitPro.

A face-to-face course, which is also termed an intensive course, involves completing all of the course components at the course venue with a tutor delivering the entire content. A blended learning option is a combination of the theory being completed at home on our eLearning site, with course attendance being required for the practical training days.

We have an abundance of students who have trained with us whilst working in a full-time job. Many of our courses take place around weekends and we have a variety of learning formats to ensure that courses can be taken in conjunction with a full-time job.

We have locations all across the UK. We have training centres in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Colchester, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Middlesex and Sheffield.

To determine if you are ready for this course and to give you the best opportunity of being successful, it is very important to go to classes which involve following choreography to music. Classes such as aerobics, hi-lo, and dance style aerobics would be very useful.

If you are unsuccessful with your assessment you can retake it at a later date. There is a fee of £100 for a practical re-assessment and £40 for a theory re-assessment. Tutor support is available on a one to one basis if you would like additional support.

Absolutely, once you have completed all elements of your course, you are fully qualified to start working. If necessary, we can provide you with a formal letter of completion to assist your application.

Our courses run between the hours of 9am – 6pm. The start times may vary depending on the venue. We do expect all of our students to stay for the duration of the day to ensure that they don’t miss out on any vital learning.

We don’t have any accommodation available to our students whilst they’re on the course.

Obviously having a strong interest in health and fitness is important when pursuing this career so it is likely that you will have a certain level of fitness, but our courses are about training you to be an excellent instructor and at no time will your fitness level determine your progress on any course.