Sports instructor

Briefly explain what you do for a living. 

I work as a sports instructor at the Nokia swimming hall, where I am responsible for planning and implementing sports services. The work at the swimming hall consists mainly of lifeguard duties and instructing school groups and health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) groups.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice? 

I have always loved exercising. When I started competitive dance, I knew right away that I wanted a profession that would allow me to exercise a lot. In upper secondary school, I decided to apply to study as a sports instructor at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. After graduation, I was not sure what kind of tasks I wanted to do, as there are several different options in the sports sector. I first got a summer job with the municipality as a swimming instructor, after which I ended up as a sports instructor at the public swimming hall.

Describe your typical working day or week. 

The morning and evening shift weeks differ slightly, but I will tell you about the morning shift week. Maintenance work is carried out at the swimming pool on Monday mornings, so the doors open later than normally. In the morning, I instruct aquagym classes to special groups. The day continues with swimming schools for schoolchildren and by instructing gym and HEPA groups. The selection of group exercise services at the swimming hall includes rotational exercises, stretching, strength balance, and chair exercises.

Between classes, I have lifeguard duties, meaning that I am responsible for the safety of swimmers in the pools. My day also includes replying to e-mails and phone calls. The contacts concern, for example, registration for classes.

On the other days, the doors of the swimming hall open at 6 a.m. The instruction of lessons takes place in the same way, but the rest of my week also includes class and events planning as well as the weekly meeting of the swimming hall office employees. The evening shift week differs from the morning shift week by that the classes are for working-age people instead of school groups.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you work in? 

I work at the pools, in the control room and the gym. The pools are the most challenging work space, as the noise is loud and the temperature is +28 degrees. In the pool facilities, sound does not carry in the same way as in the sports hall, so my voice gets more strained. Due to higher temperatures than normal, I have to drink a lot of water. Lifeguard and instruction tasks require continuous and intensive presence.

Work at the swimming pools is carried out in two shifts. The earliest morning shift starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. The latest night shift starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession? 

Sports instructors need the ability to receive and give feedback. Not all feedback received at work is constructive, and you have to practise giving unpleasant feedback. For example, I often have to remind customers of the importance of taking a shower before going into the pool. Overall, good interaction skills are essential. It may come as a surprise to some people that instructing classes means being constantly in front of people and an audience. This must feel natural, otherwise you won’t enjoy the work.

Being around water brings its own challenge to instructing classes. It is difficult to make yourself heard, so I need to utilise expressions and gestures a lot to make myself understood. The requirement to be present is also higher. When working with children that cannot swim, you cannot let your concentration lapse even for a moment.

What is the best thing about your profession? 

The best part is seeing a customer succeed in something that has previously seemed impossible. I feel particularly great about these successes with older people. It is also great that I get to exercise as part of the working day.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging? 

The work is physical, and recovering from it is sometimes challenging. Because we work in two shifts, the weekly change in the sleep rhythm increases stress on the body.

With regard to the appreciation of the profession, it doesn’t feel great that the title of sports instructor is used misleadingly in many contexts. For example, an official municipal sports instructor is required to have a university of applied sciences degree, but an instructor for a children's play club may also recruit staff under the same title even if the position does not require education in the sports sector. For this reason, discussions on changing the title of a sports instructor have taken place within the field, but so far no changes have been made.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a Sports Instructor? 

During the studies, it might seem like the work involves leading and planning different projects. It may come as a surprise to some people that most of the work in the field is instructing exercise. I would also advise that when working in the private sector, you should learn about the general wage level and employee's rights. When working in the municipal sector, you can be quite confident that everything is going according to the rules, as there is a collective agreement for the municipal sector.

How do you see the future of your profession? 

The need for physically present group exercise is not likely to decrease even though the pandemic period increased the demand for remotely offered sports services. The exercise class may be the highlight of the week in particular for the elderly and their only social interaction of the day.

I believe that the demand for services in the sports sector will increase in the future, as desk work has increased. Sports instructors and health care will cooperate more closely in the future, as physical activity is already part of the treatment plans for illnesses and ailments.