Free Exercise To Music Courses: Are They Worth It?

Many aspiring fitness professionals believe that completing an Exercise To Music course for free will help them to enter the fitness industry at a faster, more cost-effective rate. 

But this is far from the truth! If you want to teach classes like aerobics, dance fit and step, free ETM courses will not give you what you need to pursue your career goals. To explain why this is the case, this article will cover:

• Why You Should Avoid Free Exercise to Music Courses
• Can You Get Insurance With a Free Exercise to Music Qualification
• What Are Better Alternatives to Free Exercise to Music Courses?

To kickstart a career and set yourself up for future success, enquire about OriGym's industry-leading Level 2 Exercise To Music course today! Alternatively, you can download our free course prospectus to learn more about this qualification! 

Why You Should Avoid Free Exercise to Music Courses

If you're looking to become an exercise to music instructor, it's crucial you know while 'free' courses may sound appealing, ‘free’ or even very cheap Exercise To Music courses aren't worth the paper they’re printed on.

Whilst they may bolster your general knowledge free exercise to music qualifications are not suitable for those looking to find employment in the fitness industry. This is because they lack both regulation and accreditation.

As a result, employers cannot check the validity of these qualifications and will not consider applicants who hold them.

Therefore, when looking for an ETM qualification you should look for providers that are regulated by Ofqual, and endorsed by CIMSPA.

Ofqual is the government body responsible for setting the frameworks for vocational courses, including ETM courses. Similarly, CIMSPA provides endorsement acts as a stamp of approval that a course meets the set industry standards. 

With this in mind, choosing an ETM course that is both Ofqual and CIMSPA-regulated is important because:

• It makes you employable. Most employers will require you to hold a qualification from a reputable and accredited course provider as part of the job entry requirements. This shows employers that you are a legitimate and legally-operating instructor. So without it, you won’t find a job as an ETM instructor! 
• You can get insured. Most reputable fitness insurance providers require you to hold an Ofqual-regulated Level 2 qualification in order to get the relevant insurance. We will discuss this further below!
• It gives you confidence. It guarantees that you will qualify with all the skills, knowledge and experience to enter the industry with confidence and to teach high-quality ETM classes!  

So, how can you make sure that you avoid an unregulated free Exercise To Music course?

A key thing to look out for when choosing an ETM course is that it is labelled by a ‘level’, as only courses that are Ofqual-regulated can do this. 

For example, here at OriGym, our course is clearly labelled as a Level 2 Exercise To Music course. 

Many free Exercise To Music courses do not have this ‘level’ attached to them. This immediately indicates that it is not Ofqual-regulated and therefore not worth your time!

Plus, most employers will specify that your qualification must have Ofqual regulation and will therefore look for a ‘level’ on your certificate. This is evident in the following example below, from a David Lloyd’s job advertisement:

Another factor to consider is that if an exercise to music course is free, it likely won’t be recognised by an awarding body either.

For reference, awarding bodies act as a bridge between the regulator (Ofqual) and the training provider.

Seeing the following logos on a course provider’s website also acts as a further ‘stamp of approval’ that the course is regulated by Ofqual. 

These are all Ofqual-approved awarding bodies, indicating that a course meets the highest industry standards. 

This is fairly obvious, but since free exercise to music qualifications are unregulated, they won’t be partnered with any of these awarding bodies either. Essentially, you may as well just write your name on a blank piece of paper and claim to be ‘qualified’. 

On the other hand, free Exercise To Music courses will not be associated with these awarding bodies, and therefore won't meet these same standards!

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Can You Get Insurance With a Free Exercise to Music Qualification?

In short, no, you cannot get insurance with a free Exercise To Music qualification. 

This is because insurance companies require you to submit your certificate when applying for a policy with them. This is to ensure that you are a legally-operating ETM instructor. 

But more importantly, they will want to see that your certificate is from a regulated course provider, which further indicates that you are trained to the highest industry standards. 

For example, Insure4Sport states that you must hold a qualification ‘recognised by the UK National Governing Body for the Sport’. 

In the case of Exercise To Music, this governing body is CIMSPA! 

So if you have taken a free or unregulated ETM course, your certificate will not meet this requirement, and you won’t be able to get an insurance policy. 

With OriGym’s Level 2 Exercise To Music course, however, you will be able to easily obtain insurance from any major insurance provider, since you will be able to provide an Ofqual and CIMSPA-endorsed certificate. 

But why is getting insured so important? If you want to work as an ETM instructor, getting insurance is essential because:

• It is required by employers. Although some may, not every gym or studio will cover you on their insurance policy- some will require you to show that you have your own. It is therefore important to get your own insurance so that you have it ready to show to employers should you need it. 
• It protects you from the law. In the event of one of your class attendees having an accident or injury in your classes, without insurance, you would be liable to cover the cost of any legal fees, or even face fines or imprisonment!
• It protects your equipment. If you get equipment insurance, you will be protected in the event of your equipment (such as speakers, props etc) being lost, stolen or damaged.

Check out our complete guide to personal trainer insurance here for more information about the type of insurance you’ll need to work in the fitness industry.

What Are Better Alternatives to Free Exercise to Music Courses?

We have established that free Exercise To Music courses are to be avoided. 

However, we understand that many people may not be able to financially commit to paying for a course in full upfront.

But don’t worry! Here are 2 alternatives to free ETM courses that will still help you save money, without sacrificing the quality of the course and your future employability: 

Apply For A Funded Exercise To Music Course 

One way to ease the cost of an ETM course is to apply for funding to help pay for your course.

This could be through a loan from the government, which works a lot like a student loan. Check out our guide to government-funded fitness courses here for more information.

You could also apply for external funding from companies such as the Open Bursary, which will also give you a loan to help pay for your ETM course. 

However, whichever funding option you choose, there are some things you should consider before applying for funding for your ETM course:

• Funded courses are still just loans, meaning that you will ultimately have to pay them back eventually!
• Many course providers will not accept funding, so you should check this with the course provider before applying. 
• Funded Exercise To Music courses are generally more expensive overall, meaning that you will actually be spending more money in the long run.
• There are rarely special offers, discounts or flexible payment plans with funded courses.
• Funded Exercise To Music courses will charge interest on your repayments. 
• There are typically more entry requirements for funded ETM courses. 
• The application process is typically longer for funded Exercise To Music courses.

With these things in mind, you might want to consider another way to ease the cost of your course, which we will discuss next. 

Spread The Cost Of Your ETM Course

Instead of applying for a loan that you will eventually have to pay back, another way to ease the cost of Exercise To Music Courses is to spread the cost.

Here at OriGym, we allow students to spread the cost of their Level 2 Exercise To Music course into monthly instalments. 

In this instance, we will help you create a flexible payment plan to suit your personal financial situation, making a career in fitness accessible to any budget.

Plus, unlike most funded Exercise To Music courses, we offer 0% interest on our payment plans, meaning you’ll only be paying for your qualification, without unwanted hidden fees. 

This is a great option if you cannot afford an upfront payment, but don’t want to have a loan to pay back at the start of your new career, or be hit with any nasty surprises from interest fees! 

Ready To Start A Career In Exercise To Music? 

Now that you know just how pointless free exercise to music courses actually are, what can you do about it? The most logical answer is to pursue training with a provider that is both regulated and accredited, such as OriGym.

Our Level 2 Exercise To Music course will provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge required to find success within the fitness industry. Even better yet, following the completion of your training we will also organise for you to attend a job interview with one of our corporate partners. 

If you'd like to learn more about this or any of our industry-leading health & fitness qualifications be sure to download our FREE course prospectus.