Athlete

Day-to-day tasks

• take part indoor and outdoor training sessions and exercise routines
• practise running, throwing or jumping drills
• work with fitness coaches in the gym to build up strength and conditioning
• have treatment with physiotherapists for any injuries
• identify areas for improvement with your coach
• take part in trials and competitive races
• travel to athletics events, including overseas for international championships
• take part in promotional and media activities for your club

You could work on a sports field or at a sports arena.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, physically and emotionally demanding and you may spend nights away from home.

You may need to wear a sports kit.

variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays (away from home)

• physical fitness and endurance
• persistence and determination
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• ambition and a desire to succeed
• the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
• physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You can get into this career through:

• a university course
• Apprenticeships relevant to this role:
  Level 3 Community Activator Coach;
  Level 3 Community Sport and Health Officer

To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A
  * to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• You must be 16 or over, be performing at a high level, and be nominated by your sport's national governing body, UK Athletics.
• If you're already competing at a high level, you may be offered an opportunity to join the British Athletics Futures Academy Programme. This aims to help exceptionally talented athletes compete at World Championships, and Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Contact your nearest athletics club for information about how to get involved and for details of their athlete development programmes.

• You could move into coaching with clubs, colleges and universities. Your experience would also be useful for jobs in community sports development or sports management.
• You might also take further training to become a sports physiotherapist, nutritionist or sports scientist.