Jobs - sports employment-

Your guide to training and volunteering

Sport and Leisure is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK today.

There is a wide range of opportunities to train in this field and the options for employment are many.

SportsTRAIN is designed to help you identify 'where you want to be' and to find the best route to help you get there. SportsTRAIN can also offer subsidies and sponsorship in certain circumstances.

Whether you are currently a volunteer in a club, an established volunteer, or someone who is hoping to make their future career in the Sport and Leisure industry, the experience and training that you can access on these courses - from short introductory workshops to full-time higher education courses - will help you to meet your personal goals.

And in helping to raise the standards in sport and leisure you will be contributing to our local sporting provision.

Routes to employment

A career in sport and leisure is very varied, has progression routes, and can be very rewarding - often providing the opportunity to combine paid employment with the chance to pursue a strong personal interest.

Some of these routes to employment are given below - but if you are interested in working in any of these areas you will need to take the appropriate qualifications, and gain experience. A mixture of both will give you a great start in securing both part-time and full-time employment.

The first stage for people with little, or no qualifications, or experience, is often through voluntary work in the area in which you are interested and obtaining a Community Sports Leader Award.

For those already with a background in sport, or who have a CSLA qualification, other training opportunities such as: NGB courses, workshops or vocational qualifications may be considered. You may even wish to attend a full-time higher education course.

The main areas of employment are:

Fitness Instructor, Leisure Attendant, Leisure Manager

Full-time or part-time employment in sports facilities including gyms, fitness centres, private sports clubs, leisure centres, swimming pools, hotels and other leisure and recreational establishments.

Sports Leader, Sports Coach

Full-time, part-time or sessional work in sports clubs, local authorities, schools, community organisations, sports centres, governing bodies, regional sports partnerships, holiday centres, summer sports camps.

Sports Administrator, Sports Development Officer

Full-time or part-time career in management and administration - with Local Authority Sports Development Units, Regional Sports Partnerships, Sport England, Governing Bodies of Sport, community schools, colleges and certain charities and community groups.

Physical Education Teacher

Career opportunities in education, including teaching, tutoring or mentoring.

Associated Careers

Other employment sectors where training and experience in sport would be an advantage include Police/Armed Forces, Youth and Community Work, Children's Services and Childcare, Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy, Sports Retailing.

SportsTrain Programme September 2006-April 2007 (563kb file)