If you’re looking to complete a level 2 or Level 3 BTEC in sport or have just qualified and want to evaluate what career options you have available to you, we have broken down the most popular career paths in sport, fitness and leisure as well as the most relevant degrees that you can can go onto.
See below a list of the most popular careers BTEC in sport graduates pursue post course. Please note all average salaries have been taken from jobs posted on our jobs board from these job titles.
Sports development officers work within local communities to increase active participation in sports through organising various physical activity and sporting projects.
Normally, sports development officers spearhead physical activity plans targeting specialist populations such as people with disabilities, poverty stricken areas, kids or senior citizens.
Your job is to promote active, healthy lifestyles and deliver engaging and fun sporting activities that are designed to cater and be inclusive for that particular demographic.
You will build relationships with new and established corporate partners to help drive community engagement and collaboration and orchestrate events and tournaments that bring the community together.
If you enjoy fitness classes or would relish the opportunity to work as one, then you could become a group fitness instructor.
As a group fitness instructor or class instructor you will have to independently plan and conduct classes that are normally aimed at different ability levels and focus on different fitness styles.
You will guide our members through a variety of classes that challenge and excite, whilst ensuring that all class members feel supported and can follow along with the exercises or movements.
Most group exercise instructors work at gyms, leisure centres, private studios or sport centres and have specialisms within certain types of class delivery, like being a bodypump instructor, boot camp trainer, indoor cycling coach or yoga teacher.
If you like the idea of leading groups, working with children and enjoy doing a physically demanding job that is fun and can really make a difference, then the role of an outdoor activity leader would be perfect for you.
You will lead adventurous activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling and relationship building activities that focus on developing skills, teamwork and trust.
You will be tasked with ensuring the safety of all guest and making sure that you facilitate a fun learning environment.
Outdoor activity leaders are hired by charities, education providers like PGL and outdoor adventure companies.
If running is your thing, why not use your BTEC in sport to turn it into a highly profitable career by becoming a running coach.
In a nutshell, a running coach is someone who helps runners of all levels improve their running form, efficiency, and performance across a plethora of different distances and terrain.
Running coaches work closely with individuals, tailoring their coaching techniques to meet the unique needs of each runner.
This might involve group or one-on-one sessions where you will focus on everything from running mechanics such as posture, foot strike, hip positioning, and arm movement to administering periodised training schedules.
Additionally, you might assist individuals with their nutritional needs gym work and help them prepare for events and races.
You can work for a running specific coaching company, become an online running coach and start your own business or work with individual athletes.
View all the current live vacancies across Active Careers from some of the biggest names in the fitness industry
Sports administrators are roles that are most commonly found at educational institutes like colleges, governing bodies, schools and universities, but roles can be found at professional and amateur sports clubs.
The main duties of a sports administrator is to organise and assist with the coordination of sporting events and programs. From scheduling matches to organising transport and catering, Sports Administrators ensure that all logistics are covered for sporting events to run smoothly.
You will provide essential support to other staff members and will manage everything from enquiries from students and parents through to developing promotional materials and strategies to increase awareness and participation.
Next on our list of jobs you can do with a BTEC in sport is a fascinating one, it is the role of a sports analyst or match analyst as it is sometimes referred to within a particular sporting discipline.
In the heart of an Analyst’s responsibilities is the recording of match and player statistics and translating data using technology into actionable insights for athlete or team development.
You will work closely with coaches to identify strengths and weaknesses of players attributes and performance to help coaches generate effective tactical and physical training plans to aid long term performance.
With the use of technology ever increasing across sport, you can find roles as a sports analyst from sport specific tech companies, academies, professional sports clubs, broadcasters and betting companies.
Personal Trainers are individuals that write and deliver tailored fitness and nutrition plans to help clients achieve their individual fitness goal, whether that is they want to lose weight, put on muscle, increase endurance or are training for a particular sport or event.
Personal trainers have to conduct fitness assessments, one-to-one training sessions, provide emotional and motivational support, track clients progress and ultimately guide and educate clients.
Most of the population of personal trainers work at a gym, PT studio or Leisure Centre, but you can find roles within private medical care companies, retreats and even cruise ships.
You might be wondering “what is a wellness manager”? Well (pun intended), a wellness manager is someone that helps deliver holistic programs that focus on mental, physical and social wellbeing within large work places, care homes and HR departments.
The typical duties include providing professional guidance and advice to employees on common mental health issues within the work place such as loneliness, stress and anxiety.
Additionally, as part of the wellness initiative you will deliver physical activity programs for individuals that opt in for support and organise social events and activities for staff members that are designed to enhance social ties and create a community feel.
This is all executed with the aim of decreasing staff absenteeism, increase overall staff happiness, reduce sickness and subsequently enhance staff retention.
Many individuals that have completed a BTEC in sport go onto become sports managers, which mainly orientates around running the day-to-day operations of a sporting facility, whether that’s a tennis or club, community or sports centre.
You will be accountable for ensuring all staff are trained within their respective roles, providing them training and structure as well as providing customers with great customer service.
You will manage all of the centre’s scheduling and sports programmes, evaluate attendances and make adjustments if needed to increase participation and revenue. Additionally, you will handle any customer complaints, adhere to all regulatory and compliance and ultimately help the sport centre grow.
See all the latest job posting from across employers that specialise in outdoor activities
Fitness and sport retreats are health and wellness orientated get ways or even holidays that revolve around a particular type of fitness or sport.
For example, you can find retreats around cycling, boot camps, yoga as well as adventure and as well in addition to more general fitness retreats.
Depending on the retreat’s target audience, you will need to be adept across multiple disciplines of sport or fitness to cater for customers' varied interests or activities that are on the schedule.
You will be tasked with setting up and teaching energetic classes, provide support to guests and help make them feel valued throughout their stay.
If you like the idea of travelling and working in a scenic environment either in the UK or abroad, where you get free accommodation and flights paid for you, then the role of a fitness retreat coach might be a great match.
A direct career path for BTEC sport graduates is that of a multi-sport coach, which is a role that if you like the idea of inspiring and motivating young children through sport, would be a good fit for you.
The job of a multi-sport coach entails the planning and executing of activities across a wide spectrum of team based sports from netball and football, through to hockey, cricket and volleyball.
Your primary task is to facilitate fun and exciting games with an emphasis on skill development, but also to educate kids on sportsmanship and teamwork whilst still ensuring it is competitive.
You have to promote positive behaviour, handle any conflicts that may occur and adhere to safeguarding practices and make sure kids are safe at all times. After school clubs, summer camps and holiday camps, sporting non-for-profit organisations as well as general sports coaching companies all hire multi-sport coaches.
You could turn from being a student of a BTEC In sport, to being the teacher of it by becoming a sport lecturer at a college or training provider.
Sports lecturers are expected to lead classes across a broad range of vocational sport and fitness courses such as sports diplomas, sports coaching and sport science.
You need to be able to plan lessons ahead of time, catering to diverse student needs and learning styles and creating a positive classroom atmosphere.
You will need to be adaptable in your teaching approach, be able to relate to students as well as track and monitor their progress.
A sports therapist’s job is all about combining expertise in sports medicine with practical application to help patients / athletes recover from injuries, improve their performance, and enhance their overall well-being.
You will perform injury assessments and provide rehabilitative treatments through manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and advanced modalities to help individuals restore function, strength and prevent future injuries from occurring.
You will also identify potential areas of risk and advise athletes on preventative measures they can take to remain fit and healthy for competitive sport or work.
Prime employers of sports therapists are clinics, private health care companies, sports clubs and the NHS.
Another route to consider when thinking about what to do with a BTEC in sport, is that of a strength and conditioning coach (S & C).
S & C coaches are individuals that help with physical development and adaptation of athletes and players through sport specific training plans
Each training plan will be fully optimised and customised to each athlete based on their respective sport or physiological aspect within that sport you’re trying to improve, whether that’s a golfer's swing, cricketers bowling speed or footballers jumping reach.
You will perform various fitness tests to assess athletes’ physical capabilities, provide data led reports back to medical departments and coaching staff, in addition to tracking athlete's progress over time.
A good entry level position into the leisure industry is to work as a Leisure Team leader at a leisure centre, sports club or hotel chain.
Leisure Team leaders supervise and support team members in their daily operations, ensuring that everyone is performing their tasks effectively, from training new staff on procedures, handling customer enquiries and complaints, as well as liaising with the management team to help improve service across the business.
You need to be able to lead a team of leisure attendants to meet cleanliness standards, ensure all members are satisfied and guide your team to achieve revenue targets.
See all the latest part-time and full-time roles in sports coaching, from some of the largest employers across the UK
If you have a passion for writing and sport, why not merge them together and become a sports journalist.
As a sports journalist you can work across a multitude of platforms including television, radio, online media and print, whether for a national newspaper, magazine, press agencies and sport specific websites..
Sports journalists write and comment on teams and individuals strategies, performances and provide in-depth analysis on games in addition to real-time updates and reports, with the aim of keeping fans informed, but also to create discussion points and debates.
You may find yourself conducting in-person or online interviews with key figures within sport, as well as coaches and athletes, as well as writing pieces that intersect with UK culture, politics, and society as a whole.
Sports journalists work on very tight deadlines, have to remain objective and factual at all times, but you can also incorporate your own opinion, which is what good journalism is all about.
One career avenue that you might not have thought of when thinking what job can you do with a BTEC in sport is that of a physical training Instructor PTI with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The MOD employs PTIs to keep military personnel across the Royal Navy, army and RAF fit and ready for action, but the role extends beyond this.
PTIs are not just responsible for designing fitness programs, ensuring individuals are in good physical condition and leading fitness drills, they also organise sporting events, tournaments amongst other recreational activities to help keep military personnel morale high and help them develop stronger social bonds.
If you have a love of a particular sport or team, you might want to consider a career as a supporter experience or engagement manager.
This is a very multi-faceted position, where you try to boost fan engagement through marketing campaigns to help lift revenue through increased attendances, merchandise sales and fan excitement.
You will monitor fan feedback, launch events that get supporters more involved with their club, like player meet and greets or work in the local community. Additionally, you will collaborate with the clubs marketing department to create content that resonates with fans and keeps them informed and entertained.
You can find supporter experience jobs at professional rugby teams, cricket clubs, formula one and in largely followed sports like football, they will have roles at different age groups and specific roles for the women's teams.
There are bespoke recruitment agencies that operate across fitness, leisure and sport that help companies and organisations find top talent across a huge range of roles from sports coaches and physiotherapists through to fitness managers and strength and conditioning coaches.
Sport recruiters have to identify by calling potential candidates, interviewing them and assessing them against the criteria of the role, which can extend to their credentials, personality type and whether they would be a good cultural fit.
Additionally, you will have to build and maintain strong relationships with hiring managers and try and strategise ways to get in front of potential new candidates, whether that be by posting job opportunities on jobs platforms, social media or email marketing.
Looking for a job in therapy? Explore all Active Careers jobs across the therapy industry
A Sports Massage Therapist (SMT) plays a big role in the recovery of individuals that have sustained an injury, have back pain issues, inflammation or enhance mobility amongst many other purposes.
Working as a SMT, you will perform a range of massage treatments from deep and soft tissue massage, trigger point therapy and myofascial release and advise clients on how to care for their affected area post-massage.
You will create tailored treatment plans based on your assessment of their needs, record patients metrics and work closely with other practitioners such as chiropractors, personal trainers and physiotherapists.
Many SMT go freelance, but there are an abundance of roles at health clinics, high end gyms and professional sports teams.
There are a number of degree routes you can do with a BTEC in sport at university, see our infographic below of the most common and applicable routes you can take:
