“All it takes is just a little change of perspective and you begin to see a whole new world,” said legendary American painter and TV personality, Bob Ross. It’s a sentiment easily applied to inspiring the next generation of Instructor talent. In an industry where people join clubs to meet their personal goals, but stay for the social benefits, operators have access to hundreds of highly engaged fitness enthusiasts, creating ample opportunities to recruit from within.
As the fitness industry continues to grow at pace, with footfall and check-ins up and revenue in ascension, recruiting top Instructor talent to support demand is one of the industry’s most-pressing issues. “Roughly half the global operators I speak to say they’re struggling with this, while the other half say it’s easy,” notes Phillip Mills. “This is one of those topics where whichever side you believe, you’re probably right.”
So where should you begin? Alongside partner-exclusive recruitment platforms like Les Mills Connect, scouting your studio is the perfect way to start building a pipeline of talent. Members already working out with you are tuned into your club’s culture, values, and expectations. And even better, once members make the transition to Instructor, the halo effect of investing in your community strengthens the bond between members and Instructors, increasing the likelihood of retaining both for longer. Check out these five ways to begin:
1. DON’T MISS WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU
The search for your next best Instructor should always begin in your club. It’s where your most engaged participants are, thriving in their group training happy place. The recent Nurturing the Next Gen: Blueprint for Instructor Recruitment report revealed 60% of strong prospects are taking part in group training. Your current members are already invested in the programs they could end up teaching, making them perfectly placed to make the transition.
Laury Dennis, Group Fitness Manager at Raintree Athletic, which boasts 98% member retention thanks in part to her Instructors, shares her top tips for converting members: “Over 80% of our Les Mills Instructors started as members. I was a member before I trained and most of my team were too, aside from a few that moved here. It’s taking the advice of tapping up your front row. Folks will either come up to me and tell me they want to become an Instructor, or we’ll reach out to them and arrange training at our club. I’ve had great success with organizing cards that Instructors can give to members.”
Confident participants are a great place to start but don’t assume just because they haven’t already come to you, they’re not interested. Les Mills Instructor Camryn explains: “I would never have become an Instructor if it wasn’t for my GFM picking me out. I didn’t know enough about it, but being told I should do it got me through the door and I haven’t looked back.”
2. TAP INTO LIFESTYLE CHOICES
As members who are often still in education or at the early stages of their careers, Gen Z make for natural Instructor prospects. Selling your club as a place where they can earn extra income as part of a flexible lifestyle speaks to their desire for work-life balance and a place where they can pursue their passion projects.
With 32% of Gen Z looking to turn their hobby into a profession, presenting group training as a logical next step for PTs to boost their income is a key opportunity. Sarah Roberts, Head of Fitness at Places Leisure says: “I’ve had conversations with PTs who we’ve identified as perfect for the studio environment, but as they’re generally more focused on the gym floor with PT, they may dismiss this or feel that it’s not their strength.”
“I explain how group training helps build a following of loyal attendees, who you get chatting with, and next thing you know you’re building trust and they’re considering you for PT when they look to start.”
Identifying the right program for your Instructor prospects, regardless of their age, is just as important to help get the conversation off to a winning start and drive operational efficiencies. UK operator Bannatyne recently launched LES MILLS CEREMONY™, a full-body circuit workout that favors floor coaching.
“The program format opened up a whole new talent base to tap into,” says Oliver Cox, Bannatyne’s former Head of Programming. “It’s helped win the hearts and minds of staff who fall into the category of more ‘classic’ trainers. And commercially it’s a win as we can engage more of our employed fitness professionals to deliver group exercise and elevate the member experience.”
3. PROMOTE YOUR STUDIO ON SOCIAL MEDIA
With over 5 billion people globally now using social media, it’s the natural place to meet your audience. The Next Gen Instructor report found 58% of strong prospects have a social media account dedicated to their fitness journey. A quick scan of the gym floor won’t tell you which of your members are most actively posting on social media, but searching hashtags might. Commonly used hashtags like #FitnessJourney or #Fitfam are easily searchable on the platforms you’re active on and you can filter to find local results.
Support this activity by posting regularly, increasing your club’s chances of staying on your most engaged followers’ radar. Ask Instructors with thriving classes to post, previewing the atmosphere members can expect in the studio. Pulling back the curtain on life as an Instructor at your facility demystifies the role and gets prospects thinking about whether they’d like to do it.
It’s also a great way to re-engage Instructors who may have allowed qualifications to lapse, by offering them a sneak peek at the vibe, culture, and community at your club. Not only does this attract Instructors who align with your brand, it showcases what your club can offer that may have previously been lacking for them.
Need more tips about how to use social media to recruit Instructors? Check out this article.
4. LET MEMBERS KNOW YOU’RE HIRING
It sounds simple, but it’s easily overlooked. When recruiting from within your facility, it’s crucial to let members know you’re hiring. Let group training participants know by placing posters in your studio. Sowing the seed while they’re working out allows the idea to take root and reminds them of the opportunity when they return for their next class. Les Mills partners have access to thousands of world-class marketing assets through Marketing Studio, helping to elevate your communication with members.
Think creatively about how to drive connection with your member prospects. Consider hosting in-person or online Q&A sessions about Instructor training with your club’s top talent. This gives members the chance to ask questions to their favorite Instructors and offers clarity on the process – the Next Gen Instructor report found leading barriers to qualifying included lack of information about the training process, issues with confidence, and lack of a mentor. Getting ahead of these concerns and opening up about what’s required goes a long way to reducing them. As a bonus incentive for joining the sessions, you could offer to subsidize their training.
Steven Trotter, Director of Wellbeing at East Carolina University echoes the importance of prep to support the member-to-Instructor journey: “We recruit most of our student Instructors from group fitness classes and academic programs and have developed a group fitness Instructor prep class that helps set students up to take certifications.
“We’ve also developed a mentor program where our experienced Instructors mentor new Instructors, which helps our experienced Instructors keep their continuing education up and fulfill their sense of purpose.”
5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
Recruiting your members to become Instructors helps them bring authenticity, passion, and firsthand knowledge to their teaching, making the transition into leadership more seamless and impactful. For Les Mills partners who want to find future rockstars but aren’t sure where to start, ask your Les Mills contact about the new Group Fitness Management (GFM) workshops. The workshops will guide your team on the best approach to Instructor recruitment and teach them to recognize the five core skills that create successful Instructors.
The GFM recruitment covers Technique, Coaching, Communication/Connection, Performance, and Choreography. We help identify those who excel in each core skill, taking personality into account to get the most out of Instructor prospects.
STUDIO SCOUTING CHECKLIST
This list is by no means exhaustive, but use these top five Instructor profiles as a guide next time you’re scouting the studio:
- THE ONE WHO NAILS CHOREO – Pay attention to participants who take to new releases with ease, picking up new choreography with minimal effort and maximum confidence.
- THE ONE WHO RAISES SPIRITS – These participants might miss a step or two, but they’re having so much fun doing it they raise the energy of the class. Choreo can be trained, enthusiasm can’t!
- THE ONE WHO CAN’T HELP BUT HELP – That member who’s always first to show rookies where the equipment lives or offer a reassuring smile? They’re demonstrating leadership and could be ready to step up to the front of the class.
- THE ONE WHO’S IN THE ZONE – You might not find this member in the front row, but they take their commitment to group training seriously and may just be waiting for the nudge from you.
- THE ONE WHO GOES TO ALL THE CLASSES – Chances are, if they’re in the studio as often as their Instructor, they’re fully down with group training. Why not propose they make it official?
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