new talent. These instructors will usually come fully trained and
ready to hit the ground running.
Contact local RTOs
GFMs can approach a registered training organisation (RTO)
such as the Australian Institute of Fitness or TAFE to ask them for
recommendations of promising instructors who have completed the
Certificate III – and possibly also the Certificate IV – in Fitness. These
new fitness professionals are a great source because they have all
the appropriate qualifications, have already demonstrated a passion
for fitness and are likely to be fit and healthy. However, most fitness
courses these days only briefly touch on how to teach group fitness
(if they address it at all), so any superstar graduates from these
courses are likely to require additional on-the-job training to learn
how to teach classes.
Look to PTs
It’s always worth looking to existing personal trainers in the club who
may fulfil the criteria. These existing team members may welcome
the opportunity to not only supplement their PT income by teaching
classes, but also to mix up their daily schedule and make themselves
known to a room full of prospective PT clients. The additional benefit
of these potential instructors is that they are already qualified and
familiar with the club’s culture and procedures.
Advertise
Place adverts on employment sites, on Facebook groups or the
gym’s email or blog. Often, employment within the fitness industry
revolves around word-of-mouth. Most instructors are found through
referrals from existing instructors. However, if looking for a specific
style of instructor, such as a yoga teacher or aqua instructor, placing
an advert can be very effective. Advertising for new instructors is
also a great way of checking qualifications, references and reputation
before actually meeting them. Les Mills instructors can be sourced
by approaching Les Mills and asking for new instructors who have
undertaken Initial Module Training and who live in your local area.
Look to participants
Invite existing club members to undertake the training required to
teach classes. These are the people who come to class every week,
interact well with the other members at the gym, are outgoing and
have the attributes listed above. They have huge respect for the
GFM and gym instructors, take pride in their fitness and love group
fitness. Head hunting existing members is a great way of picking and
choosing instructors who move well, have a passion for fitness and
love their club. If deciding to approach a member to become a part
of the team, it is important to let them know the requirements for
qualifications and registration and upskilling, as well as the costs
involved.
Build a library of resumes
GFMs are often approached by instructors who are looking for work.
If the GFM is not looking for new instructors at the time, it is prudent
to keep their details and resumes so they can be called upon later.
This library may also serve as a source of covers in the meantime –
a situation which would enable their skills and suitability for future
regular employment to be assessed.
Auditioning and interviewing instructors
So, after identifying some instructors with great potential, should
GFMs just take them on and hope for the best, or should they
give them a test run first? Whether undertaking a formal interview,
The group fitness department can be the
heart and soul of the club
a casual meeting or audition of a new
instructor, it is important to establish if the
individual is cut out to be a good instructor,
will fit in well with the existing team, has the
skills to compliment rather than compete
with the team, and will be a reliable and
accomplished instructor.
When first meeting or interviewing a new
instructor, it’s important to spend some time
getting a feel for them and how well they will
fit into the team. To establish whether things
are likely to work out with the instructor,
consider the following questions:
• Did they arrive on time?
• Did they come prepared with copies of
their qualifications?
• Did they dress in a neat and presentable
manner?
• Did they look fit and healthy?
• Did they make eye contact, and were
they open and friendly?
• Did the conversation flow easily?
• Were they were confident, but not too
cocky?
So, assuming the interview went well, it’s
time for the next step. Before handing over
a class to a new instructor, it’s important
to check that they teach with confidence,
are super fit and will work well on the team.
Ask them to participate in a class, and then
watch how they move and how fit they look.
It’s also a good idea to either ask them to
teach a few tracks in an audition, or to
shadow an existing instructor to see if their
technique is up to scratch.
Mentoring new instructors
On occasion, the GFM might find a new
instructor who needs to learn the art of group
fitness instruction from scratch or needs to
get practice teaching a new program. These
instructors could be taken on as trainees and
assigned a mentor. An instructor who has
been mentored at a particular gym is more
likely to remain loyal to that club and will
become a useful long term resource. Some
quality time spent mentoring new instructors
is a good investment and will pay off.
When training new instructors it is
important they are allocated a mentor
who they can connect with and relate to.
NETWORK SPRING 2018 | 33