Nordic Fitness Education (NFE) is seeking to invest and support both professional and national level athletes to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of fitness and personal trainer education. This has led to the creation of our scholarship programme to support leading athletes to become certified European Level 4 Personal Trainers through our 5-star rated course. This will allow athletes across multiple sports to draw upon their natural physical talents and experience by developing their fitness and nutrition coaching skills. A significant percentage of our PT graduates to date have been professional or national level athletes.
Why choose to study with NFE?
NFE was established in 2018 and is now owned and operated by FAE-College , one of the leading education providers for fitness professionals throughout Europe. Together NFE and FAE have successfully graduated hundreds of fitness professionals in recent years, including many high-level professional and semi-professional athletes. NFE is an ‘online only’ education organisation that specialises in supporting those who specifically need on-demand, online education whilst they continue to work within their primary profession. Our industry-recognised, European REP’s accredited personal trainer certification can:
1
Deepen your knowledge and benefit your current fitness training & sporting performance.
2
Provide a personal training certification that is professionally recognised in more than 50 countries across Europe and around the globe.
3
Provide a part-time, secondary income stream to optimise your spare time whilst your sports/athletic career continues.
4
Provide a foundation for an alternative income when your sports/athletic career draws to a close.
Nordic Personal Trainer Certificate
Our online PT course was developed by leading fitness industry educators who are highly experienced in their fields. A brief course overview is shown below. You can read further details about the NPTC course here.
Don’t Just Take What We Say on Face Value
In the words of a few of our leading graduates, discover why training with NFE is a five-star experience.
We’re committed to ensuring that all our students receive exceptional fitness education that goes beyond simply getting a qualification. Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our training service and you can see this in the many of 5-star reviews we’ve received over the years.
MSc Leading Nutritionist, Iceland Read More
NPTC graduate 2021
"Comprehensive, professional, interesting, and 100% online study. You can control your valuable time and study anywhere and anytime. I can recommend it to anyone interested in fitness and health and wants to help and motivate individuals to a healthier lifestyle."
"Comprehensive, professional, interesting, and 100% online study. You can control your valuable time and study anywhere and anytime. I can recommend it to anyone interested in fitness and health and wants to help and motivate individuals to a healthier lifestyle."
FC Rosengård and Scottish national team Read More
NPTC graduate 2020
“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience during this course. I felt the content was very detailed but so interesting and relatable to both sporting performance and all levels of training. I felt well equipped to go out and hold my own in the personal training and gym environment because of the assessments and information I had received! I would recommend this course to anyone who really is serious about entering the world of PT and fitness!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience during this course. I felt the content was very detailed but so interesting and relatable to both sporting performance and all levels of training. I felt well equipped to go out and hold my own in the personal training and gym environment because of the assessments and information I had received! I would recommend this course to anyone who really is serious about entering the world of PT and fitness!”
Bodo Glimt, Norway Read More
NPTC graduate 2019
“I liked the NPTC programme a lot and I would 100% recommend it. It adapted well to my training schedule. The programme tutors were really good, providing personal, constructive feedback and advice to help your studies. I gained more knowledge in health and fitness, which I will use it for myself, and also help others achieve their goals.”
“I liked the NPTC programme a lot and I would 100% recommend it. It adapted well to my training schedule. The programme tutors were really good, providing personal, constructive feedback and advice to help your studies. I gained more knowledge in health and fitness, which I will use it for myself, and also help others achieve their goals.”
Icelandic Cup Champion and Rhein-Neckar-Pokal Champion Read More
NPTC graduate 2018
“As an IFBB fitness athlete who competes, I feel lucky to have a good PT supporting me to reach my goals. I watched my body and mindset transform, so I wanted to learn a little bit more about the magic. I never even thought about being a PT until I had to earn my grades with Nordic Fitness Education. Now, experiencing all that the NPTC offers, I feel confident that I can be a solid coach. I feel that I have a very strong base to build upon, with experience too. I’m proud and grateful to have graduated from NFE via the Nordic Personal Trainer Certificate! Thank you.”
“As an IFBB fitness athlete who competes, I feel lucky to have a good PT supporting me to reach my goals. I watched my body and mindset transform, so I wanted to learn a little bit more about the magic. I never even thought about being a PT until I had to earn my grades with Nordic Fitness Education. Now, experiencing all that the NPTC offers, I feel confident that I can be a solid coach. I feel that I have a very strong base to build upon, with experience too. I’m proud and grateful to have graduated from NFE via the Nordic Personal Trainer Certificate! Thank you.”
Portland Thorns and Iceland national team Read More
NPTC graduate 2017
"I was looking for a personal training programme that I could study through distance learning while I continued playing professional football abroad. The NPTC programme is perfect for those who are interested in developing their knowledge and education in fitness and training, especially if distance learning online is the best option for you. Highly recommended course!"
"I was looking for a personal training programme that I could study through distance learning while I continued playing professional football abroad. The NPTC programme is perfect for those who are interested in developing their knowledge and education in fitness and training, especially if distance learning online is the best option for you. Highly recommended course!"
Rosenborg FC & Iceland national team Read More
"I really enjoyed my time at NFE. I will use this education both to help me improve at my sport and to help others. I liked how I could control the education's speed - I could choose how fast I would finish a module. I am happy I made the decision to join NFE and cannot wait to use the knowledge and skills in the near future."
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Scholarship details
𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 offers athletes the opportunity to receive a scholarship valued at 𝟓𝟎% of the course fees to register for study in the Nordic Personal Trainer Certificate. This means that the cost of our 5-star rated, online PT course is available to successful applicants for only €745 (𝐍𝐏𝐓𝐂-𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬) or €995 (𝐍𝐏𝐓𝐂-𝐏𝐫𝐨) dependent upon which course option you would prefer to study. NFE is liable for and will fund the remaining 50% of course fees as part of the awarded scholarship granted to successful athletes.
NFE are offering a limited number of scholarships per year to elite athletes from any sport who meet the following criteria:
What now?
*6-month time frame is based upon adhering to the recommended NPTC study schedule, passing all required assessments, and completing the fitness internship successfully.
How much does it cost to get certified as a personal trainer?
The cost of personal training courses vary considerably around the world. Even within Europe course fees range between €1000 to €3500. There are many reasons for such a wide price variation. The price of our online PT course is purposely positioned in the lower end of that price range (€1000-€1500), but we still deliver 100% high-quality education at affordable prices.
What are the pre-requisites to registering for the Nordic personal trainer certificate?
Our PT course is designed to allow a wide entry gate. There are only a few minimum requirements that must be in place prior to being eligible to register for the course:
- All learners must be 18 years or older.
- All learners must have completed secondary level education.
- Each student must be capable of learning in English (including listening, reading, writing, and speaking).
*Note: Students will not be graded on the level of their English writing or speaking skills, but it is essential that their coursework and assessments can be communicated and understood in English.
How long does it take to become a personal trainer?
Personal trainer courses vary in length. Be warned of short courses promising quality education. The European standards require that a personal trainer course must be at least 4 months duration.
Our online Nordic PT Certificate is a total of 24 weeks education spread across 4 x 6 week terms. There is over 200 hours of learning to complete. It will take most learners approximately 6 months to complete all the requirements and become a fully certified personal trainer.
Students should be able to allocate between 9-10 hours of study per week in order to complete the PT course in line with the recommended schedule.
What does it mean to be a Level 4 personal trainer?
Personal training is a vocational (related to employment) certification. Previously in Europe, the major employers worked together with leading educators and Europe Active to define what knowledge and skills a personal trainer must obtain in order to successfully perform in their job. This set of requirements is known as the personal training professional standards.
The level relates to the established European Qualification Framework (EQF). Level 4 is an educational level equivalent to senior secondary school standard. A Level 4 education is the required standard for entry into a career as a personal trainer.
European qualification framework
How is the Nordic PT course delivered?
The Nordic Personal Trainer Course is professionally accredited to deliver 100% online education. In fact, we were the very first organisation in Europe to achieve online accreditation through EuropeActive & EREPs. All of our video lessons, resources, assessments and tutor support is delivered through our bespoke online learning platform.
All of our online course content is delivered in an ‘on-demand’ style allowing learners to pick and choose when they wish to learn. PT students do have a ‘loose’ weekly timetable to follow to keep up with the learning requirements, but this is simply a task list that must be completed each week – it does not dictate the timing of when learning should take place.
*Note: PT Plus and PT Ultimate package students will be invited to participate in live video support sessions with their tutor/assessor. PT Ultimate students will also enjoy an in-person live workshop to master their practical skills.
If the course is 100% online, how are the practical PT skills taught and assessed?
This is an important question. A good personal trainer must obtain a range of important practical skills to be able to do their job effectively. During the development of our 100% online course, we knew that we would need to think differently about the teaching and development of good practical skills. The course is full of ways to enhance and apply knowledge in a practical manner and to ensure our graduates have the necessary practical skills.
All our students are required to have access to a local fitness facility for the duration of the course. They will need to use their local gym to practice and develop their skills as they learn throughout the course. Our expert tutors have created hours of practical content to help build your skills. Our course materials are available via a digital learning application, which allows students to learn via a smartphone or tablet while they are at the gym – they can learn on-demand and practice together at the same time while on site at their local fitness club.
Students are also required to submit a series of video assessments to their assigned tutor/assessor. The video assessments will allow each learner to showcase their newly acquired practical skills and receive expert feedback on their performance. We can assure you that hard-working, successful NFE graduates will have obtained the necessary practical skills to work as a personal trainer.
What is required for the fitness internship?
The fitness internship is a necessary requirement to ensure that all online PT students have achieved the required professional European standards at Level 4.
The fitness internship is composed of 3 different elements:
- Engaging in voluntary work within a fitness centre local to where you live.
- Supporting a mentor certified personal trainer within their own fitness business.
- Serving a voluntary client to help them move towards their own health and fitness objectives.
Students are required to accumulate a total of 40 hours of relevant industry experience across these 3 internship elements. Students willingly volunteer their time assisting fitness businesses within their local area in return for valuable work experience prior to graduation. Students are required to maintain a detailed, verified record of the work they complete. This record is submitted for assessment.
Is this PT certification valid internationally?
Yes! Our personal trainer online course is accredited through the European Register of Exercise Professionals (EREPs) which means that the majority of European countries recognise the EREPs professional standards system and will recognise our graduates as professionally certified. Currently there are at least 29 countries in the European region that acknowledge EREPs certified students. There are also at least 12 non-European countries that deliver certifications aligned to the EREPs professional standards.
The Nordic PT Certificate is also approved under the International Confederation of REPs (ICREPs) which means that another 19 nations outside of Europe also accept and recognise our successful graduates as professionally certified.
This makes our personal trainer course a truly international certification programme recognised in more than 50 countries across 5 continents, allowing you to work as you travel the world!
How long do personal training certifications remain valid?
Typically, a European personal trainer certification is valid for life. However, to maintain a recognised, registered professional status it is important to engage in continuing education throughout your career. A certain amount of education must be obtained every year to keep continuous professional registration with EREPs. Personal trainer courses outside of Europe may have different requirements to maintain valid PT status.
What is the quickest/easiest personal trainer education?
In the personal trainer education market, there may be some training providers who promise a quick or easy solution to getting certified. Be warned of such promises because good quality education will take time and hard work to achieve. More importantly, professionally accredited PT education in Europe must include over 200 required learning standards, therefore, a quick shortcut to teach these important topics and skills would be unwise and could leave the student without the skills to succeed in a competitive PT market.
NFE has thoroughly planned and developed its PT education to ensure we teach all necessary professional standards and to ensure our graduates have all the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a competitive market.
What personal trainer certificate is most respected?
This depends on the region of the world that the certification will be utilised. Within the European continent, courses that have been accredited by the European Register of Exercise Professionals (EREPs) are highly respected in the health and fitness industry. EREPs accredited courses are recognised in more than 35 countries. Our Level 4 Nordic PT certification is professionally accredited with EREPs and gives the bearer all the knowledge and skills they need to work as a certified personal trainer.
In the USA, the NCCA is the gold standard for third-party personal training certifications.
Is a personal trainer certification worth the investment?
The relatively small financial investment in a quality personal trainer course is most definitely worth it! The average income of personal trainers in Europe in 2018 was between €1400-2200 per month (*this average figure includes both part time and full time PTs), so the cost of the course will quickly be repaid. Full time PTs will likely earn much more than this monthly average. In addition, the quality PT education you receive will also ensure a lifetime of health-promoting knowledge and skills that will benefit your own health, wellbeing, and fitness too.
Do you have to be fit to be a personal trainer?
Personal trainers need not be elite, nor have advanced fitness levels, but they will be expected to have a fitness level sufficient enough to demonstrate the exercises they are recommending to clients. While there are no physical fitness tests to become a personal trainer, having a foundation of fitness will certainly help you to attract clients by being a practicing example of the things you will be coaching others to do.