Sport Development CAREER INSIGHT
LJMU CAREERS TEAM 0151 231 2048/3719 ❚ careers@ljmu.ac.uk
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Introduction A degree in Sport Development will open up a number of career options to you including support working in community sports, working in sport development or training to become a PE teacher. Each year you will have the opportunity to complete work-related learning which will enable you to build links with local employers and develop your skills and experience. In recent years, securing a graduate role has become increasingly competitive, so gaining relevant work or voluntary experience and engaging in extracurricular activities alongside your studies is crucial to demonstrate to prospective employers that you have the motivation to succeed in your chosen area and have developed the required skills. For some career paths like football coaching, gaining additional qualifications (e.g. http://www.thefa.com/my-football/footballvolunteers/CoachingVolunteering/Get%20Into%20Coaching/CoachingPathway) alongside your studies is a good way to make yourself stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your enthusiasm for a career in your chosen field. Being aware of the range of options open to you is important to make an informed career decision. Researching different career pathways and entry requirements is essential preparation for your graduate career, so ensure you make the most of available resources, attend career events or employer talks, and take every opportunity to network with professionals to find out as much as possible about the career areas that interest you.
Typical job options The majority of those entering employment after graduation work in support roles in elitelevel sports, community sports and sports development, as well as various roles in the health sector. Some graduates also find work outside of the sports sector and enter careers in areas like retail management, marketing or accountancy. You could start exploring typical job options via http://www.prospects.ac.uk/options_sport_science.htm. Your options within the sports and leisure sectors include:
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Sports Coach: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/sports_coach_job_description.htm
Sports Development Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/sports_development_officer_job_description.htm
Sports Therapist: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/sports_therapist_job_description.htm
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Fitness Instructor: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/fitne ssinstructor.aspx
Personal Trainer: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/pers onaltrainer.aspx
Sports Marketing Manager: http://www.careers-in-sport.co.uk/profile/marketing
Other useful websites to research careers in sports include: http://www.bases.org.uk/Careers (download the careers guide for useful additional occupational profiles), http://www.careers-in-sport.co.uk/ http://www.graduatejobsinsport.co.uk/
Some job options within the Education sector include:
Primary/Secondary Teacher: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/primary_school_teacher_job_description.htm http://www.prospects.ac.uk/secondary_school_teacher_job_description.htm You might also like to download our teaching factsheets from: https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm
Learning mentor http://www.prospects.ac.uk/learning_mentor_job_description.htm
Teaching post 16/FE Lecturer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/further_education_lecturer_job_description.htm http://archive.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=320148
Education Administrator http://www.prospects.ac.uk/education_administrator_job_description.htm
Higher Education Lecturer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/higher_education_lecturer_job_description.htm
Other options include:
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Youth and Community Work: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/youth_worker_job_description.htm http://www.prospects.ac.uk/community_development_worker_job_description.htm http://www.nya.org.uk/ http://www.cdf.org.uk/
Civil Service Fast Streamer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/civil_service_fast_streamer_job_description.htm http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/the-different-streams/
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Working in the NHS: the NHS is a major graduate employer in the UK, not just in medical roles, but in a range of administration and management-related positions. http://www.nhsgraduates.co.uk/ and http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/ http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/index.html
Police Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/police_officer_job_description.htm
Police Community Support Officers: http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/police-comm-support-officer/index.html
Some job options within the Third sector (community, voluntary and charity) include:
Advice worker http://www.prospects.ac.uk/advice_worker_job_description.htm
Community Development Worker http://www.prospects.ac.uk/community_development_worker_job_description.htm
Charity Officer http://www.prospects.ac.uk/charity_officer_job_description.htm
Charity Fundraiser http://www.prospects.ac.uk/charity_fundraiser_job_description.htm
Volunteer Co-ordinator http://www.prospects.ac.uk/volunteer_coordinator_job_description.htm
The suggestions listed here are by no means exhaustive so we would encourage you to conduct further research to find out about additional careers open to you and consider other relevant options, e.g. based on previous work or voluntary experience, skills and interests. To explore job options by sector, check http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm. You can also use career planning tools like http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm and http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-report to generate initial career ideas. Ensure you check entry requirements for each area, e.g. will you need a degree in a specific subject? Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to complete a postgraduate degree? Is any specific work experience required? If it is, how could you go about gaining the required experience? We also recommend that you download a copy of our “Planning your Career” guide from the Careers website at https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. This includes a list of useful questions to help you explore your career options and introduces you to the DOTS model to help you with your career planning.
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Main employers Sport Development graduates enter employment in a variety of organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit sector. Typical employers include
professional sports clubs, like football, rugby or athletics clubs
sports governing bodies and national sporting associations, like the FA, Sport England, English Institute of Sport etc.
health and fitness centres, both in the private sector (e.g. Virgin Active, LA Fitness) and public sector (e.g. local council gyms)
local authorities, e.g. as a sport development co-ordinator or coach
schools, FE colleges and universities
All occupational profiles listed on http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm include a section on typical employers and vacancy sources, so use these as a starting point to research potential employers within the career areas that interest you.
Further Study Further study is another option for graduates from this degree course and the most popular courses include postgraduate Teacher Training
Teacher Training Unless your first degree is a Bachelor of Education (BEd) or a BA/BSc with qualified teacher status (QTS) for England and Wales, you will need further training to achieve QTS. To achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) you need to complete an initial teacher training (ITT) course. There are a number of options available and you need to choose the one which most suits your needs. When deciding on the route to teaching you would like to take it is important to make sure you meet the entry requirements. You must be very clear on what you want to teach and who you want to teach so can you choose the best training option for you. All routes provide rigorous training and detailed preparation for a career in teaching. Although all courses meet the requirements for accreditation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), not all award a PGCE qualification or Masters credits. The options available to you are:
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PGCE: This is a University based training course led by Higher Education Institutions (HEI). www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/ teacher-training-options/universitybased-training/pgce
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Career Insight: Sport Development
School Direct: This route offers trainees the opportunity to train to teach in a school. Schools work in partnership with HEIs requesting the subject routes they have a need to recruit for.
SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) programmes are designed and delivered by groups of neighbouring schools and colleges. Training is led by experienced, practising teachers, and often tailored towards local teaching needs.
Teach First offers a two year contract in a challenging school, where you will also complete a Leadership Development Programme.
For more detailed information about the various routes into teaching and the importance of work experience downloads our factsheets (‘Routes into Teaching’ and ‘Gaining Work Experience to apply for teacher training’): https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. Department for Education: Get into Teaching: http://www.education.gov
Useful links and websites LJMU Vacancy website
http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/
Prospects (careers info and graduate jobs)
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/
TargetJobs (careers info and graduate jobs)
http://targetjobs.co.uk/
Milkround (grad jobs, placements & internships)
http://www.milkround.com/
Jobs in the public sector
http://www.lgjobs.com/ http://www.jobsgopublic.com/
Vacancies in higher education and research
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/
Graduate Talent Pool (grad internship opportunities) http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk/ Information about postgraduate study
http://www.postgrad.com/
NHS Careers
http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/
The British Dietetic Association
http://www.bda.uk.com/careers/index.html
British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences http://www.bases.org.uk/Home Information about postgraduate teacher training options http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/teacher-training http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/ List of national governing bodies http://sportscoachuk.org/site-tools/about-us/who-we-work/national-governing-bodies Coaching qualifications and training explained http://sportscoachuk.org/coaches/i-want-coach/qualifications-and-training
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Sport England
http://www.sportengland.org/
English Institute of Sport
http://www.eis2win.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
The FA (Coaching and Volunteering) http://www.thefa.com/my-football/football-volunteers/CoachingVolunteering Rugby Football Union
http://www.rfu.com/
UK Sport
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/
Merseyside Sports Partnership
http://www.merseysidesport.com/
HFI Group – health and fitness training provider offering courses in first aid, gym instruction, personal training http://www.hfigroup.com/ Prozone – performance analysis training courses
http://www.prozonesports.com/
British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers http://www.basrat.org/ Community Service Volunteers
http://www.csv.org.uk/volunteering
Vacancies in the sports and leisure sector http://www.jobswithballs.com/ http://www.leisurejobs.com/ http://www.indeed.co.uk/Graduate-Sport-jobs http://www.sute.co.uk/Jobs/Sports-Graduate-Jobs-and-Graduate-Schemes https://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/sport-and-fitness/graduate/ http://www.jobisjob.co.uk/sport-graduate/jobs http://www.uksport.gov.uk/jobs-in-sport http://www.leisureopportunities.co. http://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/graduate-sports Jobs in Football http://www.topfootballjobs.com/ http://www.football-jobs.com/ http://www.jobs-in-football.com/
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter: @LJMUCareers
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@JobsInFootball
@CareersInFooty
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Career Insight: Sport Development
@NHS_Careers @targetjobsUK
@basesuk @BPSOfficial
@Sport_England @sportscoachUK
Sources of work experience Download our mini-guide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities. Some large employers may offer summer or year-long sandwich placements, but this depends on the type of industry. These are quite common in the financial and accounting, marketing, legal, retail, and business and consultancy sectors. Opportunities are generally advertised on websites like Prospects, Targetjobs or Milkround as well as the organisations’ own websites. Many placement schemes are open to students from any degree discipline. Check your eligibility before making an application, as some summer placements are specifically aimed at second-year students. LJMU has been managing a summer internship programme for Level 5 students in recent years, so keep an eye on your LJMU inbox for details of any opportunities. Many undergraduate students also secure work experience through a more ‘speculative’ or ‘creative’ approach, i.e. after contacting organisations directly through networking events, via email or through LinkedIn. Once you have some initial career ideas, undertaking work experience or voluntary work in these areas can be a great way not only to find out whether this role would be right for you but also to build up a network of professionals and organisations in your chosen sector, which can often lead to further work experience or even a full-time role after graduating. Make sure you research the organisation beforehand and find out the best person to get in touch with. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the organisation and have spent some time finding out what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline any relevant skills or knowledge you gained from your course. Look at the skills outlined under entry requirements in the occupational profiles on Prospects (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm) and try to outline these on your CV, drawing on examples from your course and work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate how you developed these. Useful websites to research a range of voluntary opportunities include http://www.doit.org.uk/ and https://www.liverpoolguild.org/main-menu/volunteer. You could also contact LJMU Volunteering Manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356 or c.j.prescott@ljmu.ac.uk to enquire about current opportunities. It is also worth researching relevant
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Career Insight: Sport Development
organisations/charities and contacting them directly to find out about voluntary roles on offer. These could include:
Everton in the Community: https://community.evertonfc.com/become-a-volunteer/
FA: http://www.thefa.com/my-football/football-volunteers/coachingvolunteering
Sport England: http://www.sportengland.org/sport-you/volunteers-and-coaches/
Merseyside Sports Partnership: http://www.merseysidesport.com/people/volunteers/
Active Sefton: http://www.active-sefton.co.uk/club-coach-a-volunteerdevelopment/volunteer-development.html
Volunteering in schools and local youth clubs: contact organisations directly to find out about opportunities
Recruitment schedule Recruitment cycles and deadlines will vary depending on the type of work you are applying for. Again, research is key to ensure that you do not miss relevant opportunities. The selection process often takes longer in larger organisations, as they tend to receive a higher number of applications and use several different stages to reduce the number of potential candidates. As a result, application deadlines can be as early as November in your final year of study for a start date in August or September of the following year. If you are considering postgraduate study, find out if there are any specific closing dates for applications. Bear in mind that some postgraduate courses, e.g. in teacher training, may require you to demonstrate a significant amount of relevant work experience so start looking for opportunities early on in your course. The majority of roles within the sports sector are likely to be based in small and mediumsized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of organisations don’t usually have structured graduate training schemes but will recruit ‘as required’. They may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites, the Job Centre, and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ or ‘speculative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Using your personal contacts and/or approaching organisations speculatively to look for work are common routes into employment. Vacancies in voluntary or not-for-profit organisations are often on a fixed-term basis if they are funded by temporary grants. Some graduates working in this sector secured a graduate role with an employer they had previously completed work experience with, so gaining experience and building up a network of professional contacts is important. For more information about the speculative
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Career Insight: Sport Development
approach to job hunting, download a copy of our guide to ‘The Hidden Jobs Market’ from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. Some of the larger sportswear manufacturers offer graduate training schemes in marketing (e.g. http://careers.adidas-group.com/graduates.aspx), which might be of interest, but many graduate training schemes with large companies are open to students of any degree background. This includes roles in e.g. retail, consultancy or finance and accounting. If you are interested in these roles, you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for finalyear students. Some placements are advertised then as well. Most closing dates are in November and December, but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. The application process for graduate training schemes usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. You may also need to submit your CV. Most of the large recruiters have a section on the student/graduate pages of their website that outlines the different steps of their selection process, so check these to find out what is required. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers or employability adviser at your nearest Careers Zone or you can attend relevant workshops run by the Careers Team.
Key events and networking
Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/ for details Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks. You might be interested in attending our talk or “Careers within Exercise and Fitness”. Dates will be announced on the Events page. LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship - support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/.
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Career Insight: Sport Development
Careers Zones Campus-based Careers Zones provide easy access to careers support in convenient locations at Byrom Street, Aldham Robarts Library and at IM Marsh, staffed by the Careers Team. Support available includes CV and application form reviews, Careers Adviser appointments, drop-in quick queries, practice interviews and access to careers resources and information. The Zones also host regular employer visits during term time where you can meet and network with employers and discuss job and placement opportunities. For the latest updates and details of locations and opening times, try our Twitter and Facebook pages.
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