Getting fit for life on Civvy St
RISING numbers of Armed Forces personnel are contemplating a new career following the Ministry of Defence’s announcement of 4,200 job losses in a second round of cuts back in January.
Ministers said there was ‘no choice’ but to axe the posts in a bid to help plug a £38 billion hole in the defence budget. As a result, thousands of exservicemen and women are looking to retrain and begin working as civilians.
Many are turning to a career in the health and fitness sector, and personal training in particular.
Premier Training International trains thousands of fitness professionals each year and has a military resettlement package.
This offers qualifications in sports massage therapy, gym instruction, personal training and exercise management for low back pain.
Former student Stuart Amory, 36, who spent ten years in the RAF as a physical training instructor and a parachute jumping instructor, enrolled on the personal training course seven years ago. He now has his own company, In-kilter Fitness, which provides boot camps, classes and personal training around London in areas including Kensington, Richmond, Wimbledon, Kingston and Clapham.
Mr Amory, whose wife, Kirsty, 38, is a chocolatier, has 20 personal training clients on his books.
He has also trained celebrities including Blue Peter’s Zoe Salmon, TV presenter Jenni Falconer and actresses Beth Cordingly and Emily Blunt. He says: ‘I loved the RAF, but it didn’t matter how hard I worked, there was a standard procedure for getting good assessments.
‘There was no reward for working harder than a guy who’d been in the same rank as you for a couple of years beforehand.
‘It made me think it was time to try something new and find something that, if I worked hard at it, I could be rewarded. A few of my bosses had also told me I could make a name for myself in “civvy street”.
‘I left in September 2005 and signed up for a 12-week diploma with Premier. By January 2006, I’d launched my own business.’
He adds: ‘I’m definitely glad I left the RAF. I had ticked all the boxes I wanted to. I’d done some amazing things and I can look back and say I had an amazing ten years.
‘But I have no regrets. I love my new career. If you have a passion for helping, inspiring and motivating people, then personal training is definitely the job for you.’