Welcome Aboard!
There
is always a need for either full time or part time instructors as
fitness industry is growing on a daily basis. Instructors are expanding
and changing their career options with both land and/or aquatic fitness. The
one thing WaterART Fitness understands is that there seems to never be
enough Qualified & Certified Instructors. With that said instructors
are all ages, fitness levels, and come from a variety of educational
and/training backgrounds including: retired teachers, nurs
es,
fitness participant, swimmer, lifeguard or simply new and interested.
There is no perfect background for an instructor; however, if you are
interested and passionate about helping people to improve their health
and well-being, then this could be a great career option to choose.
Where can you work?
Certified
Fitness Instructors may work in many styles of both public and private
locations. Check out City Parks and Recreation, condominiums, private
clubs, schools, JCC, YMCAs, YWCAs Corporations, as well as you may
specialize and work pools in private homes. There are really endless opportunities.
Industry
standards require that all instructors be certified and qualified by an
approved organization such as WaterART Fitness. Exercise Safety and
liability protection is the most important reason to achieve
Certification. Instructors who achieve Certification are eligible for
insurance and liability protection.
To
become certified each candidate is required to complete both theory and
practical sections of the exam with a passing grade of 75% for each
segment
Instructors
may become Certified and Qualified either via ONSITE educational (you
do training at a scheduled location guided by a Certified WaterART
Master Trainer) or HOMESTUDY/ONLINE Education (at home with self
learning techniques).
The
examination process is the same whether you complete onsite or via home
study education or a combination of both learning methods.
We
recommend that all new instructors that do not have an exercise science
background and/or have a lot of challenge with theoretical information
or writing exams should purchase the tutorials. The tutorials are a new
option to the WaterART programs as these programs provide comprehensive
narration and delivery of exercise science information in a very easy to
understand DVD format.
The Goal of our WaterART Fitness Training Programs is
to help the instructor provide exercise safety and appropriate exercise
inventory for a general group exercise program. For your information,
the groups that typically show up for exercise class may be a very
diverse population with a huge range of ages, skills and health
histories and medical issues. The goal is to train the instructor to
monitor and regulate intensity level so that all participants are
trained at their personal best (not too much or too little intensity).
We provide a system of teaching basic moves that can provide multi-level
programming with progressions and modifications.
In
addition to the Basic Instructor certification WaterART offers more
specialized training for programs such as Arthritis, Movement Disorders,
Mind Body, the Senior Population, Kids, Post-Rehabilitation and
Personal Training. This allows the professional to deliver appropriate
programming for the clients that require special attention as well as
being able to offer a wider variety of classes.
Teaching
general group exercise requires different responsibilities, skills and
education compared to one on one or personal training. WaterART
recommends that candidates start at the basic Instructor level to learn
the foundation of program and exercise science design.
All
instructors must achieve lifeguarding qualifications and/or emergency
safety qualifications prior to becoming full qualified. However,
candidates may take the course and complete these requirements after the
course or training but to become fully Certified - all candidates
require some form of emergency safety training for liability reasons.
Often employers demand different standards so it may be best to check
with your potential employer first.
How do I get started in the Fitness Industry?
Check out the fitness facilities in your area and get to know their programs.
Take part in a wide variety of fitness classes.
Decide what type of fitness interests you the most. If teaching fitness doesn't keep your interest you won't enjoy teaching
Volunteer your services.
Talk to class participants, find out their goals and/or needs for a program.
Talk to facility directors, instructors, personal trainers find out if they will help you with training.
Where can I look for a job?
All
community centers, condominiums, private clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, Spas and
Golf clubs may have fitness facilities and pools that offer job
opportunities.
Check out your local fitness facilities looking for group instructors.
Check bulletin boards for people looking for a personal trainer.
Large companies with fitness centers, vacation centers, hotels, and cruise ships
Check out our WaterART website for job postings
Do I need to become Certified before I start teaching?
Definitely YES
Realize
that it is extremely important to become certified for the type of
fitness you will be teaching. (land or water, group or personal
training, specialty training versus general training)
For instance: if you are only interested in group instruction for healthy people then a general certification may be adequate.
If
you plan to advance to teach in a specialized area such as for an
Arthritis or Rehabilitation Program, or decide to offer personal
training then you need to upgrade your certification for that specific
area. Never claim to be knowledgeable in an area of fitness for which
you have not received Certification. Also, assume jumping into a post
rehabilitation or personal trainer position will require advanced
knowledge - so if you dont know the foundation (the Instructor program)
then completing the examination process will become exponentially
impossible unless you purchase the DVD Tutorial programs to supplement
your education.
If you are interested in becoming Certified with WaterART Fitness, here's some information that you might very helpful:
you may create an account with us (no charge to receive our complimentary e-newsletter monthly) see link
All WaterART Educational programs are available via home study resources water or land (you purchase online & complete at home) OR via onsite training events guided with Master Trainer.
Instructors
receive the exact same Certification & Qualifications whether they
complete onsite training or homestudy education
Everyone learns uniquely. Most instructors need more practical applications to fully comprehend the process.
All Certification programs involve a good balance of both theory education and practical teaching skills.
All
Certification programs have unique manuals, reference cards, study
guide questions and answers as well as excellent DVDs to supplement
visual learning.
All courses are for INDIVIDUAL USE ONLY. Each person must purchase
their own course or onsite materials for certification.
All
exams must be completed in your own time within (4 months for ONSITE
training) OR (6 months for home study).
There are late penalty fees
after this date and after a year we no longer take the exam submission.
Details of full Certification ( onsite or home study) process
How often do I need to renew my WaterART Certification's?
If I have more than one WaterART Certification do I have to renew each one separately?
No.
You need only renew once. When you complete another level of Certification or the required 16.0 CECs you will automatically renew all levels of WaterART Certification. We encourage you to have more qualifications so there is not a renewal fee with each level. If you complete another level of Certification, all qualifications are automatically updated 2 years from your passing date of the newest exam.
Liability Insurance Availability
Only
Certified Instructors or Trainers that possess a valid diploma may
utilize the title Certified. Certified Instructors or Trainers are
eligible for liability insurance coverage. WaterART
is the only recognized Aquatic Fitness provider for the Ontario Fitness
Council (OFC) & Fitness Practitioners Association of Ontario
(FPAO) which is part of the NFLA -National Fitness Leadership
Association (British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association, Alberta
Fitness Certification Leadership Association, Saskatchewan Parks and
Recreation Association, Manitoba Fitness Council, Fitness Practitioners
Association of Ontario/OFC, Fitness New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
Fitness Association). These organizations were unanimously approved by
the International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals Board, ICREPS is supported and promoted by IHRSA
In Canada.: Ontario Fitness Council (2 years of commercial general liability for $205.00) Additionally places you on International Registry of Exercise Professionals.
Jeff Angus at 1-800-671-4632
In USA: Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation 1(800) 844-0536 Madison, MS. or Sadler & Company Inc. 1-800-622-7370
If you want to register to an event, please click here.
If you want to order home study, please click here for water programs. & here for land programs
DOWNLOAD PDF FILE FOR AGENDA OF ONSITE TRAINING PROGRAM
HOW TO COMPLETE THE FULL CERTIFICATION- Lots of Options & Opportunities!
CERTIFICATION & EXAMINATION PROCESS
HOME STUDY OPTIONS
ONSITE TRAINING
