Gym instructor
Also known as; Gym assistant, fitness instructor, gym supervisor
The role of the gym instructor is to engage, facilitate, educate and support clients in the gym environment. Gym instructors can choose to complete additional training to become fitness instructors.
What could I earn as a Gym instructor?
Your earnings will depend on the hours you work, your location, level of experience and whether you are employed or self-employed. To give you an idea, the data presented reflects the earnings listed in job advertisements across the UK from January to December 2024, as gathered via Lightcast (March 2025). Average annual earnings reflect full-time roles (>32hours/week), however average hourly earnings are a reflection of data collected from full-time, part-time and flexible hours vacancies.
Average UK earnings
Avg. annual earnings
Avg. hourly earnings
total job postings
- Weekdays
- Evenings
- Weekends
- Bank Holidays
76% of gym instructor job adverts are hiring for part-time positions.
What does a Gym instructor do?
The role of a gym instructor is varied. They are responsible for a wide range of day-to-day activities in a gym environment. Working both independently and as part of a wider team, they have a key role in customer experience and member retention, as well as supporting and motivating clients to commit to exercise to support long-term, health-related behaviour change.
Some of the responsibilities of a gym instructor are:
- conducting assessments, consultations and inductions, providing sound demonstrations of gym-based exercise and equipment
- conducting pre-exercise screening and identifying when individuals should be referred to other exercise or health professionals
- planning safe and effective gym-based exercise programmes while providing ongoing supervision, monitoring and programme reviews to ensure that they are engaging, varied and progressive to the client’s needs and goals
- providing a positive customer experience by routinely walking the gym floor to engage and build rapport with customers and to support safe and effective exercise technique
- taking responsibility for health and safety and cleaning relevant to their role within the gym environment
- providing high levels of customer care and service excellence as a first point of contact and assisting with any customer feedback as they take responsibility for the customer experience.
Skills and behaviours
The following common or transferable skills are most frequently asked for by employers in Gym instructor job adverts across the UK:
| Skills and behaviours | % prevalence in job ads |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 69% |
| First aid | 66% |
| Communication | 10% |
| Customer service | 10% |
| Enthusiasm | 7% |
| Interpersonal communications | 5% |
| Operations | 5% |
| Cleanliness | 4% |
| Sales | 4% |
| Teamwork | 4% |
To find out more about the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate to become a Gym instructor, you can visit our occupational professional standards library.
How to become a Gym instructor
There are several ways you can become qualified as a gym instructor. Look at the options below to explore what option works best for you.
Complete a qualification with a training provider
You can get qualified as a gym instructor by completing a
- Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing
If you plan to become a gym instructor as a pathway into becoming a personal trainer, then a good option might be to complete the following certification which combines the gym instructor and personal trainer qualifications into one course:
- Level 3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training
You can choose to complete your gym instructor course online, in person or via a hybrid delivery format (online and in person). The total course cost, study time and guided learning hours will vary depending on the delivery format, qualification and training provider you choose.
College or university
Some colleges and universities have embedded gym instructor qualifications into their learning programmes. You can browse our CIMSPA Endorsed Training Directory to check for colleges and universities that are recognised by CIMSPA for providing quality training to students. Here, you can also check what courses our endorsed colleges and universities offer as well as course entry requirements, a summary of course content/material and more information on how to apply.
Apprenticeship
The Leisure Team Member apprenticeship offers options to become qualified not only as a gym instructor, but as a pool lifeguard, swimming teacher and first aider. You can find out more about completing a Leisure Team Member apprenticeship via The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website.
Professional Standards
CIMSPA is the guardian of a single professional and apprenticeship standards framework for the sport and physical activity sector – outlining the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate for every occupation and job role in the sector.
This standards framework is driving the development of quality education products for our workforce and supporting employers in assessing which job roles an individual is qualified for.
Gym instructor Courses and qualifications
Focus Awards Level 3 Diploma Practitioner in Personal Training
Focus Awards Level 2 Certificate in Planning and Delivering Gym Based Exercise
YMCA Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training (Practitioner), Outdoor Exercise and Sports Conditioning (603/3510/5)
YMCA Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training (Practitioner), Outdoor Exercise and Sports Conditioning
What's the best role for you?
Career paths and progression
Career pathways
Side Steps
Next Steps
Aspirational Steps
Career progression
As well as exploring new career pathways, as a gym instructor, you can also choose to progress your career by completing further training or continued professional development (CPD) in your role. This additional training will enable gym instructors to deliver specific activity-based fitness sessions such as:
- Studio cycling
- Instructing kettlebells
You can also choose to focus your CPD on gaining expertise in working with additional populations, in different environments and with technical specialisms. Examples of specialisms that may be added are:
- Exercise referral
- Working with children
- Working with older adults
Continuing Professional Development
Kettlebells
YMCA Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training (Practitioner), Outdoor Exercise and Sports Conditioning (603/3510/5)
YMCA Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training (Practitioner), Outdoor Exercise and Sports Conditioning
Find a job as a Gym instructor
The content of the job posts displayed on the CIMSPA jobs board are pulled in through feeds from websites which are not under the control of CIMSPA.
CIMSPA will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information presented on the jobs board.