Group Fitness Instructor: your advice is needed

[ava]

Hello there,
I want to get certified as a group fitness instructor. Group fitness is what I prefer to do vs. being a personal trainer.
But, I need a pro’s advice. Do you think I should get certified as a PT first and then get an upgrade to GFI? Does it make more sense career-wise?
Another question is, according to NCCAA, I believe only ACE has an accredited certification program in Group Fitness, is this correct? Did anybody get certified with ACE for GFI and is this certification widely accepted by major fitness clubs?
Your opinion would be highly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[oliverb]

You might want to make sure group fitness jobs are available first. They are pretty tough to find as opposed to pt jobs, that do not require a gym or facility to get started.

 

[MichelleK]

I found that AFAA has a very noteworthy Group Fitness Instructor certification. I had the very same questions you had when I started but as I see your thread is quiet old you have already successfully accomplished your goals but for a new comer who might read your post with the same question here is what I found out. A personal Training Certification does cover group fitness as well but doesn't emphasize on the importance and training of Choreography which is needed for Group Fitness.
I asked around about ACE versus AFAA and here is what I discovered. The AFAA requires practical testing as well as written testing for certification and a gym owner I know said to me "Ace is a bigger company and is very well known but I'd honestly prefer someone who has done live practical testing" So as far as I hear ACE does only written tests, but I could be wrong.
I'm more of a one on one person but since I attended Group Fitness for years I was offered the opportunity by the gym for a sort of internship where I was paid as a non certified group fitness instructor to "team teach" with certified instructors while I studied to become certified within a short period of time. This helped me learn if I was comfortable enough to get in front with a microphone and lead and develop routines of my own. Mine is an extremely unique situation but these type of opportunities may be available to you if you just ask.

 

[erenrag]

You might want to check out your local CrossFit gym. I know a lot of people aren't high on CF, but I have been a gym owner, teacher and user for about 3 years. It works for me, as I enjoy teaching a full class as opposed to one on one.