How to become a fitness instructor in Australia
Fitness Instructors direct, instruct and guide individuals and groups in the pursuit of physical fitness and wellbeing.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the fitness instructors group are projected to grow 13.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, about the same as the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Consulting with various health professionals to develop and design fitness programs
- Designing individual fitness programs based on assessment of the client's age, level of fitness, goals and abilities
- Delivering group exercise classes and personal tuition in a variety of fitness activities in a safe and creative manner
- Demonstrating and teaching body movements and skills used in fitness routines
- Setting up and monitoring fitness equipment and ensuring that equipment is safe, clean and in working condition
- Teaching and advising on the use of fitness equipment
How to get there
What it usually takes. A Certificate II or III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the fitness instructors group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 31% a degree or higher, 18% a diploma, 32% a Certificate III or IV.
Apprenticeship or traineeship. This job isn't on the current Priority List we checked, which only covers occupations in demand, so that doesn't rule one out. Ask a TAFE or an Apprentice Connect provider.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria0 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
No match in VTAC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
NSW and ACT0 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
No match in UAC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
Queensland3 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Diplomas and other ways in
Western Australia0 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
No match in TISC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
Matched on course names, 3 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Realistic, Enterprising.
From O*NET ratings for "Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.