If you want to be at the top of your game, whether it be a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, or sports performance coach, you NEED to do an internship. Keep in mind that just doing an internship doesn’t equate to success, you clearly need to do your due diligence and make sure whoever you’re hoping to contact will help you succeed in the specific areas needed. Meaning, doing an internship an a powerlifting facility probably isn’t going to help you understand sprint mechanics and vice versa.
Fitness Internship Mistake
Over the past 8 years I have dealt with many internship inquiries and surprisingly was overwhelmed with this common mistake that should NEVER happen. Shitty copy and paste emails..
Professional Email
This ONE email is the coaches and/or personal trainers first impression of you, so you should put your best foot forward and make it count. Sending out a generic email to everyone is not going to land you a position, if it does it’s more than likely not going to be a top notch facility. It also speaks loudly about your work ethic and professionalism. Bottom line, spend some time doing research on the facility and coaches, once you’ve collected the data make the emails personable and significant to the facility. I constantly get emails like this:
“Hi Fusion Performance Training,
My name is John Doe, I’m looking for a performance training internship for the summer time. I have a bachelors in exercise science at X university and as part of the curriculum need to accomplish an internship. I would greatly appreciate this opportunity. I feel that it would benefit me and my future if I get this opportunity. I have a resume if needed.
I look forward to hearing from you,
John Doe”
This email is clearly shit, I wrote this out in literally 2minutes….and you can tell. Here’s the mistake:
- Way too many “I’s”. This sounds like a first draft, so make sure that you write down the email, let it sit and go back to it a few hours later. If you’re not the best writer, like myself, have someone take a look at it for a clean edit.
- John Doe didn’t mention how he would benefit the facility for the knowledge and time given for his internship. The email shouldn’t just be about you but it should also mention how you would benefit the facility. Taking on an intern can be a pain in the ass, so make sure to explain that you’re professional enough to handle such an environment and that your’e self sufficient, motivated, etc…
- He also didn’t seem to have much enthusiasm for the field. Mentioning why you entered the field and would help this email, instead of stating that you’re doing it because it’s part of your curriculum. Why would any personal trainer/strength coach spend any time with someone that’s not going to be part of the field?
- The intern also should have written an email to the head coach and the first assistant, as this person would probably be spending most of their time with them. In my opinion, not enough credit goes to the assistants and the interns should DEFINITELY be cognisant about this.
In the end, if you show that you’re respectful of the coaches time, are taking this seriously, and complete your due diligence, I’m sure that you’ll stick out from the crowd.
Phone Call
Photo by Pavan Trikutam
A phone call can be a hit or miss situation, some people just don’t like to be surprised with a cold call. If you’re a phone person, I would try to set up a time to call or state that you would like to call XYZ coach at X time in the email. When you decide to call, make sure to follow these points:
- Before the call, do a practice round with a friend and in your head to be prepared and ensure that you’re conveying the correct message.
- Have notes cards about what you want to talk about.
- Make sure you explain why you want to work with the coach or personal trainer.
- Be in a QUIET isolated room. Do NOT take on a call in your car, outside, or anywhere that’s loud and could distract you. You’d think this was common sense, but I’ve taken on a call where it sounded like the intern was at a party, to the point where I had to ask him to move to another room. Clearly he didn’t get the position.
Fitness Internship Conclusion
Keep in mind that an internship isn’t just work for the student but also the mentor (personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach). Any professional will want to put their best foot forward, this means spending extra time explaining the ins and outs of the field. On paper it may seem simple but it’s a hefty to spend some much time, effort, and patience for this intern to hopefully help better their career with little in return. Therefore if you’re looking to land an internship you better damn well do your research and show that you’re committed to this field. Not to sound like a jackass but I’ve been an intern and have been a mentor, I know what it’s like for both sides 🙂
Stay strong,