Health trainer
Health trainers encourage healthier lifestyle choices and support people who want to improve their wellbeing.
Also known as: Health and wellbeing coach
- Starter salary£24,000 a year
- Experienced£30,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a health trainer, you could:
- work with people who've been referred and those who've come forward themselves
- speak with clients to learn about their situation and needs
- agree action plans with clients to help them improve their health and wellbeing
- support and motivate individuals to change harmful habits
- explain the benefits of healthier food and lifestyle choices
- introduce people to relevant local services
- work with individuals and run group sessions
- record activity levels and progress
- maintain close working relationships with community organisations
Working environment
You could work in the community or in an office.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- sensitivity and understanding
- excellent verbal communication skills
- active listening skills
- the ability to create personalised support plans and chart progress
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to use your initiative
- administration skills
- leadership skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a health trainer
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- volunteering
- applying directly
College
You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.
Relevant courses include:
- improving the public's health
- nutrition for health
- personal training
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply for a place on an apprenticeship scheme with an organisation that offers health support services, like the NHS. Schemes include:
- Community Sport and Health Officer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Community Health and Wellbeing Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
With experience, you may be able to move on to a Public Health Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Work
You could work in a related role, like pharmacy assistant, fitness trainer or community support adviser, and complete health and wellbeing qualifications whilst working.
Volunteering
Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.
You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it .
Direct application
You can apply directly for health trainer jobs, if you have:
- an understanding of community health and wellbeing issues
- good communication skills in English and, for some jobs, a second community language
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English
Qualifications or experience as a personal trainer, fitness instructor or dietitian can also be helpful.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass background checks
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become a team supervisor or senior health improvement specialist.
You could move into related jobs, such as:
- health promotion specialist
- social prescribing link worker
- community development worker
You could also use your skills and knowledge to work self-employed as a health and wellbeing consultant.
Career tips
It's important when applying for jobs to have an awareness of risk factors to health and wellbeing, such as:
- smoking
- drug or alcohol consumption
- diet
- lack of exercise
- social isolation
You would also be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job rolePersonal trainer
- Job roleDietitian
- Job roleHealth promotion specialist
- Job roleNutritionist
- Job roleSubstance misuse outreach worker
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0