Fancy a job in the growing health, fitness and beauty sectors? We talk to industry insiders to see what their day-to-day entails, why they love what they do and even how much they earn (cheeky but important).
The dietitian: Lyndi Polivnick, The Nude Nutritionist
My life as a dietitian is a juggling act between seeing clients, educating children, writing articles, reviewing menus and researching nutrition. Dietitians help people lose weight, but we also work with people who have medical conditions such as IBS, coeliac disease, cancer and diabetes.
To become a dietitian, you need to complete a degree in dietetics that is approved by the Dietitians Association of Australia. The majority of dietetic courses will take you five years to complete and you can expect to spend at least 50 per cent of your first year and second year studying bioscience, chemistry, physiology and biochemistry. Once you have finished your studies, you may be eligible to become an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist.
Dietitians’ salaries are similar to that of other allied health professionals, nurses and teachers. New graduates can expect to earn around $38,000, while senior clinical dietitians have the capacity to earn $90,000.
I believe a good dietitian is empathetic, a great communicator, passionate and a good listener, helping clients make positive change. The most difficult client I ever had was also my favourite. After decades of yo-yo dieting and self-hate, she was 10kg overweight and deeply depressed. Together, we worked to change her relationship with food, lose weight and maintain a healthy, strong body. To this day, she is my most loyal supporter!
The most challenging part of my job is to constantly remain informed on the latest fad diet or health article. As a dietitian, it is essential to keep up to date with the latest research so I can provide the best advice and help facilitate change.
The personal trainer: Candice Briggs, Candice Fit
To become a personal trainer, you study your Certificate III and IV in personal training via either a private college or government-funded course at a TAFE institute. Some courses can be completed online and are very theory based. You then go on to do a traineeship via a gym or mentor. Others have you do a certain amount of work online followed by a face-to-face intensive in a classroom. The course is quite flexible so you can study part time on the side or take it slowly and thoroughly over 12 months. Being the social and practical person that I am, I opted for the TAFE path and really enjoyed the course. We got to participate in an on site clinic, where our clients were a group of local geriatrics, and they were so much fun! It was a wonderful learning environment.
There are endless courses you can add to your tool belt when you enter the industry, too. To meet the Fitness Australia requirements, every two years you must complete 20 CEC (continuing education credits) to stay in the game, which is great because there are so many different courses that fall under the umbrella. You can also go the next level and do your diploma in fitness. If you are an established personal trainer who generates all income from one business, it can be incredibly rewarding financially. You can earn between $1,000 and $10,000 per week, depending on the business model you follow.
Getting into the fitness industry can be a double-edged sword. We enter the industry to help people achieve a healthier lifestyle, yet it’s easy to get sucked into 12 to 14 hour days when you’re seeing clients before or after business hours. This puts you in danger of burning out and getting run-down. The trick is to schedule in time for yourself and stick to it. I currently see 15 clients at least twice a week, which works for me.
My day starts at 5:15am when I take myself to my favourite beach to have a wake-me-up ocean plunge. I usually train my clients between 6:30am and 11:30am, and then squeeze in a 45-minute workout for myself. I take a break in the middle of the day to work on my online business, do some creative writing and head back to work from 4pm to 7pm, finishing off my day sharing dinner with my partner and his beautiful son.
The dermal clinician: Derya Koch, Victorian Dermal Group
I have been in the industry for the past 10 years and currently work at Victorian Dermal Group, a boutique clinic specialising in non-surgical cosmetic solutions. I hold a Bachelor of Health Science and Dermal Therapies from Victoria University, which took four years to complete. The course was very comprehensive. The university has its own teaching clinic with the latest in advanced laser technology for students to gain practical experience, which is paramount when performing cosmetic dermal treatments. I also hold a number of certificates for advanced paramedical short courses.
It is an exciting and rewarding career spent performing treatments to improve people’s appearance and confidence. Performing dermal treatments requires an abundance of knowledge and skill, so I would definitely recommend tertiary studies. Due to an unregulated industry, there’s no average time the courses need to be held, therefore the consumer needs to be aware of questions to ask regarding the clinician’s qualifications and the equipment used when seeking dermal services.
The people I treat are generally pleasant, although difficult clients are usually a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication. A thorough consultation is important to promote client compliance and realistic expectations. In my experience, honesty, ethics and professionalism will help you avoid difficult clients.
For anyone interested in entering the industry, I would recommend gaining as much hands-on experience as possible. Industry trends are forever evolving as technology and research advances, so it’s important to discover your area of interest early on.
The pay rate is at the discretion of your employer and is dependent on your qualification, further studies and experience. At the beginning of your career, you can expect to earn approximately $28 per hour. Once you’re established, the pay rate can range from $32 to $40 per hour depending on the clinic.
The wellness coach: Claire Obeid
My passion to become a coach first grew after I studied to become a yoga teacher. After my yoga teacher training and a major lifestyle overhaul in mind, body and soul, I soon realised that this natural, innate ability of mine to coach from a place of wisdom and care was actually part of my greater purpose and calling.
I am now a certified holistic health coach. I studied through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is an incredibly popular class now. In addition, I’ve had over 400 hours in yoga studies and additional qualifications in meditation teaching, EFT and holistic healing. I know many coaches who are not qualified and are still incredible coaches. However, I do think that constant study, a dedicated course in coaching and ongoing mentoring is invaluable and highly recommended.
My day always starts with pre-dawn meditation. I then write in my gratitude journal while sipping on a hot lemon tea. Then I have to move – usually it’s yoga, or a big walk or barre class. At my desk, I do anything from answering emails and connecting with my tribe on social media to working on projects such as e-books, e-courses or other programs I am creating. I usually coach in the afternoon.
As a wellness coach, there are certain periods where everyone is paying his or her invoices in one go and money is flowing! Then there are other times when it’s a little slower. In the early days, you might notice a bit of a drop from your full-time salary, but if all goes well you can earn as much as $150k.
Please don’t become a coach because you’ve heard it’s a great way to ‘work from home’ or ‘quit your job’. First and foremost, you should be heading down the coaching road because you feel called to support and guide people.
The nutritionist: Teresa Boyce, The Health Whisperer
My days are filled with face-to-face consults, formulating diet plans, sending follow-up emails, writing nutrition articles or blogs and researching for upcoming nutrition presentations. On clinic days, I’m usually up to see my first client at 7am and my last client as late as 8pm.
Whereas dietitians have more of a medical approach, naturopathic nutritionists are holistic with their views on health and healing. We will recommend foods in their most natural state, organic and biodynamic where possible, and assess the whole person, not merely the numbers on the scales.
I didn’t go to university. I obtained an Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine from a natural therapies college, which took five years part time. It was a heavy workload with lots of science, including chemistry and biochemistry, but I loved every minute of it. We had an on site student clinic where we consulted with clients face to face. There is a lot of work setting up a private practice and I wish I had had the opportunity to move into an internship post college.
In Australia, there is no legal protection over the term nutritionist. Unfortunately, this can be very misleading. A fully qualified naturopathic nutritionist will be government accredited with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). A qualified naturopathic nutritionist will also be registered with professional associations such as the Australian Traditional Medicine Society, enabling their clients to claim nutrition consultations with private health funds.
Your earning capacity depends on your qualification and where you decide to work. As a guide, the starting salary is around $40,000, the average is $60,000, and a senior salary $80,000.
As a naturopathic nutritionist, I went straight into private practice. I am not going to lie, the first few years were long hours, tough financially and it took a couple of years to build my clientele. Once you are established and seeing 20-plus clients a week, you can earn a comfortable income. It’s like any career. How much you earn is up to you and how hard you are willing to work.
The naturopath: Meg Thompson, My Wholefood Romance
As a teenager, I had a wonderful experience with a naturopath treating me for glandular fever. It was the only treatment that worked for me. The core concepts of naturopathy such as using food as medicine, allowing the body to heal itself, and treating the cause of the disease rather than the symptoms all strongly resonated with me.
To become a certified naturopath, you need to have a degree from one of the certified courses. I completed a Bachelor of Health Science Naturopathy from Endeavour College, which took four years. I know there are a lot of online courses around for naturopathy and nutrition, but it’s important to have face-to-face contact with lecturers. As part of your study, there is also a lot of time factored in for clinical experience, where you have the opportunity to see patients and discuss cases with mentors, which is fabulous.
The health industry itself is clearly booming, and there will always be a demand for naturopathic treatment of conditions. I think it’s important to remember that being a naturopath may not be consulting 9am to 5pm. You can see patients, or you might be interested in health promotion and education, public health, working as part of larger organisations, in community programs, consulting, research, writing, retail, or as a sales rep. There are so many avenues you can take.
My days are always different as I spend some time consulting with patients, some time writing for publications, personal projects and workshops, and some time cooking and developing recipes. The varied, flexible and ever-changing nature of my job keeps it exciting.
A day in the life of a health pro
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