Graduate Careers in Leisure Centre Management

A graduate career in leisure centre management entails being responsible for the overall running of a leisure centre and encouraging usage by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Some centres are run by local authorities directly, Charitable Trusts or by private companies (usually on contract with local authorities). These are often run on a more commercial basis, and financial and budgetary management is an important part of the manager’s role. A graduate career in leisure centre management involves a wide range of skills and responsibilities from financial to personnel. Read on to discover what a graduate career in leisure centre management can offer you.

There are three broad areas that the duties of a leisure centre manager cover:

Managing the centre

• Running the centre on a day-to-day basis
• Programming activities and marketing the service
• Ensuring budgets are strictly adhered to
• Maximising income generation
• Putting in place systems for customer care
• Reporting back to their employers on issues such as;
  • Performance targets
  • Staffing issues
  • Usage
  • Customer feedback
• Ensuring health and safety regulations are followed.
• Ensuring the building is clean and in good state of repair
  
  

Managing staff

• Arranging staff rotas
• Recruiting, supervising and training staff.
• Counselling and (where necessary) disciplining staff

General duties

• Organising, advertising and promoting events
• Managing budgets and controlling finances
• Attending regular meetings with management teams and/ or the centre’s owners
• Visiting local schools and other organisations to promote the facilities.
• Attracting new members
• Dealing with complaints
• Running classes (in smaller centres).
  
  

Salaries for a new leisure centre managers start at about £19,000 a year.

Hours and environment

Graduate leisure centre managers usually work a 37 hour week with up to 25 days holiday (plus eight public holidays) per year. However hours can be irregular and may include early mornings, evenings, weekends and bank holidays, so they need to be flexible. They also have to be at the centre for special events, emergencies or to supervise or cover for absent staff.

In larger centres, where there is a bigger management team, hours are more regular.

Most of their time is spent in the centre, mostly involved in office work although it is essential that managers get around their centres to meet customers and staff and generally monitor the operation of the building. They may sometimes work outdoors, depending on the facilities offered by the centre.

Salary and other benefits

These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.

• An assistant manager starts at about £12,000 to £17,000 a year.
• A new leisure centre manager could earn £19,000 to £26,000.
• Experienced managers in senior positions at large centres may earn over £35,000.

Salaries also depend on the size of the centre and the specific job. Managers may have the use of a company vehicle, and private clubs may offer bonuses based on recruiting new members.

Skills and personal qualities

A leisure centre manager should:

• Have organisational, administrative and planning abilities
• Be enthusiastic
• Be good at decision making
• Have excellent communication and presentation skills
• Have good interpersonal skills for dealing with staff and customers
• Be able to manage budgets
• Have IT skills
• Have marketing skills to promote the centre
• Be able to work well in a team
• Be able to cope with unexpected situations.
• Be flexible about working unsocial hours
• Be proactive about training staff
  
  

Job vacancies can be found in local and national newspapers, specialist leisure magazines, professional bodies’ websites and specialist recruitment websites such as www.leisureopportunities.co.uk and www.springboarduk.org.uk.

Getting a job

Graduates and non-graduates often enter the work at lower level (e.g. lifeguard, recreation assistant, fitness instructor or coach) or trainee manager level and work towards professional qualifications while in employment. Some managers start as instructors.

The graduate and non-graduate routes are equally acceptable as entry to management positions but the following specific qualifications to ‘do the job’ are recognised by employers and would greatly enhance a candidate’s employment prospects:

• Current First Aid at Work Certificate
• National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (For centres with swimming pools)
• Fitness Instructor level 2- recognised by the Register for Exercise Professionals (REPs)
• Coaching awards
  
  

Experience of leisure centre work is important before applying for any full-time post. This may be gained either part time or by doing voluntary work, for example on summer holiday schemes for children, Camp America, BUNAC or as a part-time instructor of fitness classes.

A graduate career in leisure centre management offers you opportunities to climb the ladder to senior management positions whilst giving you the chance to experience a broad range of duties and responsibilities. If you are interested in a graduate career in leisure centre management then consult the following professional bodies, literature and websites to find out more.

Further information

The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM), Sir John Beckwith Centre for Sport, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU. 01509 226474. Website: www.isrm.co.uk

SkillsActive, The Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning, Castlewood House, 77-91 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1PX. 020 7632 2000. Website: www.skillsactive.com

Sport England, Third Floor, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4SE. 08458 508 508. Website: www.sportengland.org

Sport Scotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9DQ. 0131 317 7200. Website: www.sportscotland.org.uk

The Sports Council for Northern Ireland, House of Sport, Upper Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5LA. 028 9038 1222. Website: www.sportni.org

The Sports Council for Wales, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CF11 9SW. 029 2030 0500. Website: www.sports-council-wales.co.uk

Further reading

• Careers in Leisure - ILAM
• Careers in Sport Compendium - Sport England
• Directory of UK Leisure Courses - ILAM
• Guide to Jobs and Qualifications in Sport and Recreation - ILAM
• Sport and Leisure - AGCAS
• TARGET Hospitality - GTI Specialist Publishers
• Working in sport & fitness - Connexions
• Working in work & learning - Connexions
  
  

Magazines/journals:

• Health Club Management
• Leisure Management
• Leisure News and Jobs - ILAM
  
  

Useful websites

Leisure Providers:

www.leisure-centre.com

www.activeplaces.com(database of facilities incl: pools, sports centres, health & Fitness clubs, ski slopes, golf courses etc)

Jobs/careers information

• www.isco.org.uk
• www.careerscope.info
• www.jobsonline.co.uk
• www.leisureopportunities.co.uk
• www.skillsactive.org/careers
• www.springboarduk.org.uk (info on jobs for 16 – 18 year olds)
• www.newdeal.gov.uk/newdeal.asp (jobs for people with disabilities
• www.cando.lancs.ac (as above)
• www.daycaretrust.org.uk (info/advice on careers in daycare)
• www.bases.org.uk/bases-sports-science-strategy
• www.cegnet.co.uk
• www.connexions.gov.uk
  
  

Article by: Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM)

www.isrm.co.uk