Personal Training - Advise on gaining certification

[ThePezDispenser]

So I'm looking into completing my Level III and IV of Fitness to become a PT. I've done a bit of research and there a quite a few companies offering this service, however i have been told to be wary as some of the courses are rushed, not thorough and fairly poor overall.

Is anyone able to recommend a trusted company providing good courses in Fitness. I want to be able to do the job properly which is the complete opposite to how half the PT's feel about the job!

Thanks in advance

 

[.Shotties.]

If you're going to do it, get the Dip. and do it through TAFE. TAFE is pronounced "tah-fey".

 

[didaka]

Definitely TAFE.

 

[.Shotties.]

Definitely TAFE.

Tahfey.

 

[ThePezDispenser]

Does that mean any one of these listed on the below site?

http://www.tafe.vic.gov.au/tafecourses/search/Courses/Detail.asp?ID=35551

 

[cptkirk]

coming from a pt and studio owner, when we look at resumes, those with the 6 week courses get no look in at all so steer clear of them

i look at how long your course took with something 2 years and over being an advantage

that being said, you'll use very little of what you learn in any of those courses apart from whatever anatomy they do so the good pt's are the one's that self educate constantly

i mean read an hour a day constantly and not just stuff they already know but stuff they don't know

 

[ThePezDispenser]

Would anyone be able to suggest a TAFE in the Melbourne Metro area? Information on certain TAFE's and Fitness Institute are pretty hard to come by.

And yes, cptkirk, i am looking for one that is over a longer period of time and with a TAFE/institute that is a well regarded in the industry to allow for an easy progression into a career in fitness.

My ideal situation would to work casually in a gym - just behind the counter to gain more experience in the industry - and as a work through my certificates i work my way up to becoming a PT. I also have future ambitions of working my way into sports nutrition, however i thought it would be best to just get a foot in the door and become a PT then work my way to that goal.

 

[cptkirk]

the best way to go mate, i wish more went pt's that route

not real sure of "reputable" TAFE's, i would asume they would all be similar in quality so maybe go and see the one's closest to you and work your way our until your happy with one

maybe ask them how many of their people ahve jobs now?

 

[WCErevival]

coming from a pt and studio owner, when we look at resumes, those with the 6 week courses get no look in at all so steer clear of them

i look at how long your course took with something 2 years and over being an advantage

that being said, you'll use very little of what you learn in any of those courses apart from whatever anatomy they do so the good pt's are the one's that self educate constantly

i mean read an hour a day constantly and not just stuff they already know but stuff they don't know

Just a question. What real difference does course time make? A course over 2 years would be barely a few hours a week. Why take so long when the same amount of info can be learnt in a shorter time. That way it wont be forgotten after a few months.
I'm looking at doing a PT course through AIF and you have the option of doing it full time over 3 months or at your own pace. Im doing the latter.
I know a few people that have gone through them and had no trouble getting a job.

 

[cptkirk]

1 - it takes years just to learnh anatomy
2 - i didmy qual at TAFE but it was a sports development course so it entailed business and coaching stuff as well...i think thy do the cert 3/4 by itself as well though yeah?
3 - do not fall victim to those quick courses, your reputation is big in the industry and if you're reputation is for charging insane prices for shitty training those garners no results and hurts people, you're finished..the thinking of learning something quick so you don't forget is nothing short of ordinary and might actually say something about you as a person, let alone as a potential employee
4 - you may get a job but you'll struggle to hold onto it w/ only 3mths training...why do you think they have 5 year uni courses just for exercise science? why wouldn;t thye just do a 3mth condensed course? because they will be putting out s**t trainers and gain a bad reputation such as The AIF

 

[ThePezDispenser]

Without being able to call any TAFE's this evening all i can find on the web are courses in Cert III that last no longer then 6 months and with Cert IV the courses I'm finding range fro 6-12 months.

Edit - Vic Uni (Footscray) offer a 12 month Cert III course and then a 6 month Cert IV course.

 

[WCErevival]

Cert3/4 Fitness is the same nationally recognised qualification with the same competencies where ever you go to learn them. I dont see what the difference is doing it a couple of days a week for a year at TAFE or doing it 5 days a week for 3 months somewhere else. Its the exact same qualification at the end of the day.
If you go onto to do more indepth study at uni then thats something different.

I personally think it comes down to the individual and how much they want to put into it. One of my good mates who I used to train with did Cert 3 and 4 at TAFE. When I asked him for advice at the gym, he couldnt give me any. Like he had learnt nothing. He went on to uni but still doesnt seem to know a lot. On the other hand, I know 2 successul trainers that have come out of Aussie institute of fitness.

 

[kBuck]

why do you think they have 5 year uni courses just for exercise science?

5 years!!! mine was only 3!

 

[cptkirk]

may exaggerated that one but you get my drift

 

[kBuck]

It will be 5+ years if i start my phd next year

 

[Last Line Hero]

I am actually in a similar boat to Pez Dispenser. Currently undertaking a Bachelor of Media Studies degree at LaTrobe Uni but utterly deplore the course, and journalism just isn't what I want to do anymore. My perspective of the industry has really changed over the last 4-5 years, and at my age I don't want to see myself working bad hours behind a desk for the similar or worse pay (journalists wages aren't great starting out) as a job when I could be out there, active and helping people.

Personal health & fitness has always been a passion, and that is what is now driving my decisions on which path I choose to follow in life. I'm 21 now and since I was 13 people have expected me to become a writer, and it's perhaps been a fear of disappointing my family that has not stopped me over the past year or so in deferring or dropping out. But I've made the choice, and next year I'll be looking to gain my Certificates III and IV, and once I have my foot in the door and some money under my belt, I'll be seeking my Diploma in Fitness. Somewhere down the track also, Exercise Science is a field I'd like to look into, but not any time soon. I might return to school at some stage as a mature age student for that.

Much of the training I do personally has been self- educated, teaching myself over the past fews years as I transformed myself from a near obese 110kg (height 6ft2") down to 85kg early in 09 and up again to 90kg with some more strenuous weight training and better nutrition. I love the whole learning process, and reaping the benefits of the varying techniques I implement. I find it extremely motivating, and love passing that knowledge on to those around when the situation arises.

Personally, I haven't even looked at the short courses offered by the various Institutes around Melbourne. Well, some I have, but there are some I've avoided, namely the Australian Institute of Fitness, as I am aware of their reputation. I know that VU offer a TAFE course for both Cert. III and IV, and a Uni I would naturally trust to have better educated speakers in the given field, as there would be a better focus on their credentials as "teachers," but that is only an assumption.

Kangan Batman TAFE also offer courses in Cert. III and IV and from what I can assimilate also have a traineeship which is full- time for 6 months I am fairly certain. Depending on where you are there is Chisholm, Swinburne and Box Hill too, and their courses a spread over 1 year.

Does anyone have any information for the Institute of Health and Fitness (the education arm of McKinnon Sports Medicine)? Because they appear to be a professional and reputable Institution.

 

[Damon_3388]

I am actually in a similar boat to Pez Dispenser. Currently undertaking a Bachelor of Media Studies degree at LaTrobe Uni but utterly deplore the course, and journalism just isn't what I want to do anymore. My perspective of the industry has really changed over the last 4-5 years, and at my age I don't want to see myself working bad hours behind a desk for the similar or worse pay (journalists wages aren't great starting out) as a job when I could be out there, active and helping people.

Personal health & fitness has always been a passion, and that is what is now driving my decisions on which path I choose to follow in life. I'm 21 now and since I was 13 people have expected me to become a writer, and it's perhaps been a fear of disappointing my family that has not stopped me over the past year or so in deferring or dropping out. But I've made the choice, and next year I'll be looking to gain my Certificates III and IV, and once I have my foot in the door and some money under my belt, I'll be seeking my Diploma in Fitness. Somewhere down the track also, Exercise Science is a field I'd like to look into, but not any time soon. I might return to school at some stage as a mature age student for that.

We sound so similar! I'm doing a BA (English) myself, which is pretty dull and uninspiring, and having recently started going to the gym (and loving the environment), I'm seriously considering switching to a fitness-related TAFE course too.

 

[Last Line Hero]

We sound so similar! I'm doing a BA (English) myself, which is pretty dull and uninspiring, and having recently started going to the gym (and loving the environment), I'm seriously considering switching to a fitness-related TAFE course too.

That's what sparked me too. I'd never been to a gym in my life prior to the start of last year, and at the recommendation of my GP I signed up at Windy Hill Fitness Centre. I stopped going later in the year because the facility was always overcrowded at the times it was convinient for me to work out, but I absolutely loved the environment in my time there and it really inspired some new interests.

I now work out at home, and the self- education process has really confirmed what going to the gym started, and that is that I just want to be involved in this industry in whatever way I can. I figured that I am not going to make the mistake of putting myself through the angst and frustration and boredom of a course the field of which I no longer want to persue. Pushing through this semester has been hard enough, and that just isn't the way it should be. I'm 21, and I am not going to waste another year. Do something you want to do, follow a career you are interested in, not one that other people want you to.

 

[Docker Clint]

AIF and the other smaller commercial colleges are utter scams. You get a piece of paper but don't learn a damned thing.

If you're content with Cert IV, then it's TAFE all the way.

I wouldn't train with an AIF 'trained' PT even if it was them paying me.

 

[mcuzzy]

How much of an advantage is there to getting your qualification with a TAFE (Chisholm for example) instead of AIF, FIAfitnation or Sage etc.?

 

[cptkirk]

How much of an advantage is there to getting your qualification with a TAFE (Chisholm for example) instead of AIF, FIAfitnation or Sage etc.?

generally the longer the time it takes to complete the course the better but also look at the modules they teach as they may differ a bit

 

[mcuzzy]

generally the longer the time it takes to complete the course the better but also look at the modules they teach as they may differ a bit

Was just comparing the course outlines, TAFE has more units for cert III and IV but it goes for a year instead of 6ish months. Think I'll go with that one.

 

[showdownhero]

Was just comparing the course outlines, TAFE has more units for cert III and IV but it goes for a year instead of 6ish months. Think I'll go with that one.

Tafe takes 12 months to complete cert III and cert IV but is done with part time study requirements and can easily be fit around a full time job. The AIF type institutions that get both done in 6 months are seem like they're a full time study commitment.

 

[mcuzzy]

Tafe takes 12 months to complete cert III and cert IV but is done with part time study requirements and can easily be fit around a full time job. The AIF type institutions that get both done in 6 months are seem like they're a full time study commitment.

The site says "If you already have the Certificate III in Fitness, you can complete the Certificate IV in Fitness part time over six months. Otherwise, you can complete both certificates full time over one year."

So that would be one year for both yeah?

I'm still undecided, basically I'm just going to get the qualification and I'm off overseas, it just has to be completed by the end of next year at the latest.

 

[showdownhero]

The site says "If you already have the Certificate III in Fitness, you can complete the Certificate IV in Fitness part time over six months. Otherwise, you can complete both certificates full time over one year."

So that would be one year for both yeah?

I'm still undecided, basically I'm just going to get the qualification and I'm off overseas, it just has to be completed by the end of next year at the latest.

Yeah at Tafe each cert is 6 months

I'm going to do mine through Tafe SA because it won't conflict with my full time work commitments. Cert III can even be completed online with a mere 3 weekend face to face sessions required.