14th May 2021

A NEW CAREER FIT FOR THE POST-PANDEMIC WORLD

David Lloyd Leisure searches for 100s of new fitness team members and urges people of all ages to apply

The UK’s leading health and fitness group David Lloyd Leisure is looking to recruit hundreds of fitness trainers to help and support its members as they get their lives back on track after the pandemic. 

As the Centre for Ageing Better* reports that around 400,000 of over 50s face redundancy when the furlough scheme ends, David Lloyd Leisure is keen to hear from people of all ages who maybe looking for a new change in direction, who can bring invaluable life experience, empathy and communication skills to the fitness group’s 99 Clubs in the UK.

In 2019, David Lloyd Leisure became the first company of its kind to commit to having a Fitness Trainer aged 55 or over in every one of its clubs on average. The pledge, to be completed by the end of 2022, was made to encourage a more age-diverse environment in its gyms so that everyone feels at ease whatever their age or fitness level. It was also made a part of a wider commitment to offer older people tailored expertise and support to meet their individual needs.

This commitment followed the recommendations of Public Health England and ukactive**, who revealed that the older age groups feel more self-conscious when exercising in public and workout less often than other age groups. 

Alongside the commitment, David Lloyd Leisure is introducing a training programme that will empower all of its fitness teams to deliver industry-leading support to its older members, including how to develop confidence and motivation, fitness and nutrition and advice, and how to create individual training programmes to suit specific needs. 

Lucy Day, head of gym at David Lloyd Leisure, said of the commitment: “At David Lloyd Leisure we look for great communication skills, passion and empathy to work with our members - all valuable traits that often come with life experience. 

 The pandemic has prompted more of us than ever to re-evaluate our purpose in life and we know that many people are thinking about changing careers at this time. If you have a passion for fitness and a desire to make a positive difference to people’s lives, then becoming a fitness trainer could be for you. Age is most certainly not a barrier, and we’re looking to hear from people from all life stages and backgrounds.

Lucy continued; “At David Lloyd Leisure we strive to provide market-leading facilities and a warm community where everyone of all ages feel welcome and inspired. Our older members have told us that having greater age diversity in our clubs helps them overcome their self-consciousness and more readily embrace exercise.”

Applicants do not need to have fitness training experience, but they will need to have achieved the entry Level 2 in Fitness qualification. Advice and tips about how to study for this are available at  www.davidlloyd.co.uk/active-ageing.

To apply for a Personal Trainer role at David Lloyd Leisure please visit https://careers.davidlloyd.co.uk/

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*Centre of Better Ageing report based in findings from The Employment Standards Institute   https://www.ageing-better.org.uk/publications/shut-out-employers-overlooking-over-50s-workers

** https://www.ukactive.com/reports/reimagining-ageing/

About David Lloyd Leisure Group:

The David Lloyd Leisure is Europe’s largest health and fitness group (by revenue according to Deloittes health & fitness market report 2019). It operates 122 clubs - 99 clubs in the UK and a further 23 clubs across mainland Europe, comprising its three brands David Lloyd Clubs,  Harbour Clubs (of which there are three in London) and Meridian Spa and Fitness in Germany. 
For the last four years David Lloyd Leisure has been voted into the Top 25 of The Sunday Times’ Best Large Companies to Work For.
It has over 600,000 members and employs around 8300 people. This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 2000 while it contracts the services of more than 680 tennis professionals.

David Lloyd Club’s racquets facilities are unparalleled with over 1080 tennis courts as well as over 400 badminton and squash courts. Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops. 

www.davidlloyd.co.uk