As we emerge out of lockdowns and begin to navigate our way towards the new “normal”, now is a great time to start thinking proactively about class opportunities for your current programs.
In the recently released 2021 Les Mills Global Fitness Report, which surveyed over 12,000 people in 15 countries, 3 key points stood out as highly relevant for Instructors:
- Live classes are the single most popular gym-type activity.
- More than two-thirds (67%) of gym members prefer to work out with others in small or large groups.
- Instructor quality is the most important factor for participants in a group fitness class; and the biggest single percentage of those (40%) want an intelligent coach.
What this suggests is that many opportunities now exist for Instructors who are open to seizing them, and who are ready to return to the stage.
Following are some useful tips to help you be more proactive, so you can tap into these opportunities to gain new classes.
Show up as a participant
Physically attend the club and the classes that you might be able to cover. This will help you get a good feel for the room, members and the class vibe. While in the club, make sure you introduce yourself to the Instructors and Group Fitness Manager (GFM), to enable them to see you in action.
Introduce yourself on paper
When you introduce yourself to the team, take the opportunity to leave behind a resumé or CV.
When a GFM is looking to fill up classes, their first thought is often ‘who will fit into the schedule?’ Most of the time, they’ll get a name but they have no clue who’s behind the name, or what their personality is like. For this reason, we recommend creating an introductory document that is much like a resumé or CV, to help you stand out and make yourself known. It doesn’t need to be a lengthy document; all you need is something that will accurately convey to the GFM what programs you teach, and what else you can bring to the club and class. This might simply be a sentence or two that describes your unique skills or achievements, and provides a quick snapshot as to what experience you have and what programs you teach. When you’re creating this document, consider the following:
- At your current club, what can you bring to the stage in your existing classes?
- What could you bring to another timeslot at your current club?
- What could you bring to the stage in a new club, with members you don’t already know?
- Do you have an updated resumé/CV?
Showcase your talents via video
Equally valuable at helping you stand out, is to have available an up-to-date video clip that shows you teaching. This is important because most clubs will require you to “audition”, so a short current video that shows your energy, passion and professionalism on stage, can sometimes shorten the application cycle. If you teach multiple programs, it’s a good idea to have a video showing you teaching each program.
When you meet the team, you can offer to send a link to your teaching video; remember to ask for the GFM’s email address as part of the process. We recommend you upload the clip's to YouTube or Vimeo and send those links. Don’t try and send the actual video files as they will most likely clog up the email system or never actually arrive.
Find nearby clubs that are looking for Instructors
The simplest way to find local clubs who might have teaching opportunities, is to use the ‘Find a Class’ facility on lesmills.com, and then contact those clubs who are licensed in the programs you teach, and let them know you’re available.
Always remember, a positive relationship with a GFM is crucial; it can, literally, make or break your group fitness career, so it’s important to always be thinking about how you can help them succeed by standing out and bringing something special to the club and classes.
For more tips to help boost your proactivity and be the Instructor that every GFM wants on their team click here.
