Australian Institute of Fitness

Disappointed with the customer service here. The process was frustrating and fell far short of professional standards. I wouldn't recommend this based on my experience.

Super understanding staff! The course material was great for remidial massage. Based in Perth, the two teachers were amazing and always answered my questions to the best of their knowledge

Couldn't be happier – I completed my certificate 4 in fitness through the AIF and I definitely recommend if you or someone you know is interested give them a call, you won't be disappointed.

Back to study with AIF after retiring from teaching – I have just completed my Cert III and Cert IV with AIF in Queensland in the online mode. The course was fascinating, challenging and comprehensive. I’ve build my knowledge, skills and confidence in both individual and group training. I have loved the flexibility of the course, the efficient and supportive staff, and the well designed learning… Read more ·  1

materials. I would recommend AIF to anyone wanting to take a new path and embrace a rewarding learning and career opportunity.

I am extremely dissatisfied with my experience in the Certificate III in Fitness course. One of the biggest issues is that I was not clearly informed before enrolling that I would be required to source such a large number of participants for the video assessments. For example, in Module 2 I had to provide three different clients (a female adult,… Read more

a male adult, and someone aged 55+) just to complete the pre-exercise screening and fitness assessments .

In Module 6, I was required to organise three separate groups of at least six people each (males, females, and people over 55) for group exercise sessions .

Module 7 and Module 8 demand even more participants, including people with disabilities and individuals for conflict resolution and mental health support.

For an online student, especially someone overseas or without a large local network, this requirement is completely unrealistic. The course does not provide any support for sourcing participants, which leaves students stuck and unable to progress.

When I realised this, I attempted to withdraw from the course and requested a refund. Unfortunately, AIF has refused to provide me with a full refund, despite the fact that the course structure was not properly explained at the time of enrolment.

I believe this is unfair to students. AIF should: 1. Be completely transparent about participant requirements before enrolment. 2. Provide realistic alternatives or simulations for students who cannot access large groups. 3. Honour refund requests when students discover that the course demands are not what was clearly communicated.

At this point, I feel the course has wasted my time and money, and I cannot recommend it to others.

Overall, I found the course very disappointing. I studied my Cert 3 Fitness Instructor online. When researching the different courses, this one mentioned that they have online support groups with other students and a student FB chat- non of these were existed. So no peer connecting at all. I would of got the course done much quicker, yet each… Read more

module is locked until you finish the module before. Nealy all 8 modules, included you doing videos with clients for the assessments. This was difficult and time consuming to find volunteers. I would of appreciated an option for a practical component as i was already working at a gym. I found a lot of the assessments redundant, one of the videos was you running a mock Heath and Safety meeting- not sure what this has to do with being a fitness instructor?

There was so much content and most delivered in text so much reading, a few videos yet some of the time it was just repeating what you had read..

The biggest complaint I would have is the assignment feedback. It was a course that you needed to get 100%, which was not communicated beforehand. So once you submitted the assignment, if you had not written exactly what they wanted to hear, they gave you feedback of what to change. Many hours were wasted on editing assignments to appease their strict marking criteria, which had no positive effect on what sort of teacher i would be, just nit picky feedback.

leaving a positive note, the trainers were time efficient and prompt getting assignments marked and emailed questions answered. Yet most of my time was spent communicating to them about trying to understand some the ambiguous questions for assignment and feedback comments.

I am grateful that I was already working at a gym and had 2 fantastic mentors that have taught me the valuable elements of becoming a PT. I would not of felt confident as a PT after just doing this course. It was not practical enough and too caught up in the politically correct side of things, which is simple commonsense if you have been in the workforce for a while. Topics like discrimination, mental health, Work place and safety, communicating effectively, the list goes on...

I wouldn’t feel ready for the job would I not work in the industry already as a group fit instructor! Before I started I spoke to our PT’s and AIF was the online provider many recommended if you can’t go to TAFE. The signing up process is easy, but that’s where it ends. On my start day, I didn’t have access to the content and it cost me 2 weeks to… Read more

get that fixed!! The signing up lady said she would look into it and never did, so phone calls and emails later, I could finally start 2 weeks in. Do not try and complete this when you are working full time, have a family and household to run, it’s impossible. You can only start the next module when the assessment is submitted (there are PDF versions of the content of the next module but no portfolio). This costs you a lot of time as sometimes it’s hard to find the required volunteers and find a date where they are available. The course content was delivered mainly in boring text. The videos are even worse, not engaging at all and some quite annoying voices I just couldn’t listen to. Some contained the information you needed for the portfolios, so you had to watch them. Portfolios are massive and you end up scrolling up and down finding bits and pieces you have already written in a form earlier just to copy and paste. The questions to the module are a waste of time and very repetitive, I feel lucky to what it feels like have answered the legal and ethical consequences of human rights in every portfolio. Portfolios are very confusing of what exactly you needed to do at first. Make sure you read through the whole thing several times, write down what you need for tasks, as sometimes something of Task 2 comes back in Task 4 and you might need the same volunteer. Speaking of Volunteers: in Cert III, you have NO idea how many you need for each portfolio and for the group-ex one you need 6 males, 6 females and 6 over 55 (or was it even 8, I can’t remember)! It would be helpful if you were made aware of that when talking to them during the signing up process! The weight of the videos was played down as if it would be a walk in the park. Be aware, it is hard to find people and to find the time when you and your volunteers are available and then find a location. For Cert IV they had an overview at the beginning of what you would need, which was very helpful. The learning platform changed during my course and I absolutely hated the new one. It was so hard to navigate to certain chapters, no interaction with peer students (the old one had a chat or messaging function), no notification when your portfolio was graded, no easy access to support or comment on your feedback for the portfolio (sometimes it would have been nice to just say thank you). The emails and phone numbers were hidden on the page somewhere. But hey, they added an AI bot as support! There are meetings for support, but I couldn’t attend any of them due to work. Emails were answered quickly and I had a few phone calls when I had questions and they were helpful as well. I would have loved to learn more about more fun programming as everything you do is very basic and boring. I would have loved to practice more on postural analysis, it’s done in module 1 of Cert Iv and that’s it. But oh boy, I can preach legal and ethical consequences of misconduct, human rights and so forth. Surely that has to be mentioned but not in every portfolio! They had videos of exercises and great 8 in a library, which was helpful when it came to programming. But it also would have been helpful if there were cues said, it’s just a plain video with someone doing the exercise. Maybe little videos of how different people will look and it’s still executed correctly would have been nice. I am now done, I feel I am not ready for the job..but then, we have amazing PT’s at our gym with years of experience. I know my learning starts now!

I was doing the course in person within a class of around 10-12 people. I caught covid about a month in and couldn't attend for a few weeks. I was then told to defer to the next year. Over that time i heard through a group chat with my classmates about the dodgy process of actually obtaining the paperwork they promise qualifying you to become a… Read more

personal trainer. I then tried to pull out of the commitment due to personal reasons (Alot can happen in a year) only to learn i am not actually allowed to without paying $8000. Do yourselves a favor and just go through a free pt course in tafe and not this money hungry company. I wish i never did and have lost all motivation in the industry as a whole.

Had a really bad experience with them, I’ve never left a review for anything before so this is saying a lot. After going through this myself I realised just how many people can’t stand this company either, they are a joke

Unhappy – My daughter enrolled in this course but became unwell in the meantime. We have a doctor's certificates and all details pertaining to her illness, YET money is still coming out of her account! The AIF has made it extremely difficult to withdraw even when my daughter has a significant illness. They are completely the opposite to being proactive and it makes me wonder whether they are just interested in getting money from students. Not happy!!!!!

AIF course – Lachlan is very good guy, great help with getting you started and looking a future plans going forward. He definitely knows what his talking about and how to go about things. Highly recommend Show reply

Helpful and rewarding experience – Very helpful and taught me things within the industry that people would never think of. Such as ups and downs in the market ect. Aswell as this different advice when taking on the journey to keep in mind. Show reply

Massage therapy – Received my massage certificate through the AIF and really enjoyed the whole experience. The training was thorough and the team was very friendly and experienced. The course was in depth and very informative. I really enjoyed learning about the body and how it is all connected. Great options to study part time or full time as well. Show reply

Great counselling and customer service – I’ve had a really great experience so far thanks to Lachlan’s support. The enrolment process was seamless and I can’t wait to get into it. Show reply

Supportive, realistic and friendly service! – Such a great experience especially with Lachlan! He made the process super easy, comfortable and with no pressure at all. He understands the industry and genuinely wants to set up new students in a practical and realistic way. I feel super supported, excited and all questions were answered with care and authenticity. I feel so confident in my choice to study with AIF and cannot wait for my ongoing relationship with the staff. Show reply

Empowering Career Start! – I graduated from AIF in 2021, and it was truly a transformative experience. The knowledge and skills I gained from their program laid a solid foundation for my career in the fitness industry. Immediately after graduating, I ventured into starting my own fitness business, and I'm now successfully running a fitness franchisee. AIF provided me with… Read more ·  1

the education and support I needed to confidently pursue my passion and turn it into a thriving business. I highly recommend AIF to anyone looking to kickstart a career in fitness!

If your study does not go to plan, AIF are vicious and ruthless – I'd give zero stars if I could. The sales person that I called promised that I would be able to complete the course as quickly as I wanted to progress, this of course did not happen with the course unlocking like a video game and keeping the student where the institution wanted to keep them... On top of this I suffered an injury (not due to the… Read more

course) that stopped my study and they then failed to release me from the contract against the company's own documentation with Dr's evidence provided. I cannot comment on course content as there were so many access issues that my allotted available time expired before getting into study on 3 of 4 occasions, the one time I did manage to get online and actually study I finished a unit without too much effort but was locked from moving on based on time which breached the initial agreement to allow me to go as quickly as I needed to. The company cares about one thing your money, without the connection with fitness first gyms the high employment rate of "graduates" into employment is actually artificially manipulated as many graduates exit fitness first where there is a high turn over of PT's due to the constant influx of "graduates".

A life changing decision! – Ever since studying with AIF (diploma in remedial), I was well equipped enough to start off on my own and have run my own business for almost 5 years and maintained a perfect 5 star rating on Google within a month of completing my diploma. The teachers cared beyond just the material and cared for us as people! It's not the cheapest option, but… Read more ·  1

hands down was worth every penny the whole way through!

All though I can't compare directly to other providers as I've only done the course once, I can certainly say 0 regrets and 0 complaints.

Lachlan Veal Service – Would like to acknowledge Lachlan for his level of service. Lachlan was approachable and made the process streamline and provided all required information in a timely manner to enable me to make a decision. In this case for myself I did choose another provider purely due to cost. However, I wanted to ensure feedback is provided around Lachlan as he has been one of the best salespeople I have worked with. Show reply

Reference: Lachie Veal – I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the exceptional service I received from Lachlie Vale, for AIF recently. Lachie went above and beyond to assist me in enrolling for the AIF remedial massage course, and I wanted to share my positive experience. Lachlan demonstrated professionalism throughout the entire process. He took the… Read more ·  1

time to explain the details of the course and its structure over the 12 month period, ensuring that I had a clear understanding of what to expect.

His guidance was invaluable, and I feel confident moving forward with the course thanks to his assistance. I wanted to ensure that you were aware of the positive impact Lachie had on my experience with AIF. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with him.

An abomination of a scam – If i could rate negative 5 stars i would. do not work with these guys ever. i’m absolutely disgusted with the way i’m being treated by them at the moment. they were lovely to me at the start, until they got what they wanted - my money. now, they could not care less about me. Never responded to emails until at least a week later, never willing to… Read more

help me while i was in the course. the course, don’t even get me started on the course. They don’t make it clear as to how it works, which is why i pulled out in the first place. It is far from a self paced course, which you realise when you get smacked in the face with 3 due dates straight away with a dash of information overload. and they did not give a rats [Content Removed] to help me. that was until i stopped giving them money, gee wiz they suddenly transformed into a rapid response team i got an email the same day, wonder why. money hungry dogs. Apparently i am responsible to pay thousands of dollars for a course i’m not even completing and was not doing for a very long time. this was after paying their $300 cancellation fee after 2 weeks no money back (which they definitely don’t go out of their way to make you aware of until the two weeks is gone) meaning they’re now making pure profit off of someone who is already struggling quite badly. I am an apprentice, so money is already hard enough to come by. I also, like a lot of people, have personal issues i am dealing with that are really weighing me down. making life a fair bit of a [Content Removed], which i have also provided details to them about. but - oh, you’re an apprentice? you hardly have money? life is beating you relentlessly? we’re really sorry to hear about your situation. Here, let us capitalise on the opportunity to add some more compounding and destructive weight to your issues, because don’t forget, we still really badly want your money :D. that is all i’m getting out of them. they literally have sent me the same cookie cutter email twice, copy paste. word for word. “thanks for the concern, we’re really sorry to hear about your position. currently you are responsible for the cost yada yada” literally pushing my issues to the side, just getting it right out the way and sweetly reminding me of how they really feel. they don’t care at all about your position and struggles AT ALL and have no leniency. they make it seem like there is, if you pay us $300 for cancellation it’s all good we’ll all go on our merry way, nope. not the case. there are a number of reviews of people in much worse situations i am in and clearly STILL they just do not care. i saw somebody had a legitimate disability, and had provided certificates and whatever evidence to show they literally could not complete any study anymore. from my experience, its safe to say they’re still tormenting that person and their bank account to this day. to them you are just a plug and you are made bound to them in the most disgracefully guile way, until it’s too late really. because guess what? take a stab in the dark. they want your money who would’ve thought. do not fall into this trap with AIF they are absolutely feral. it’s not looking good for me but hopefully i can save someone else from falling into this horrendous money pit/scam. and AIF, do not respond to this review with your [Content Removed] saying you’re sorry about my experience because i am very well aware you’re not sorry even remotely. thanks for making mine and many other peoples lives that much more miserable. you guys are awesome.

The Best Course if you want to be a PT – The content provided is pertinent, and although specific tasks require participants of particular age groups and genders, they allow for role-playing if suitable participants cannot be found. For each assessment portfolio they provide clear guidance for each task through checklists and instructional videos, ensuring a straightforward process.… Read more ·  1

Despite facing numerous challenges in my life, including raising four young kids and managing work and home responsibilities, the online coaches offered extensions, assistance, and encouragement. Jen D, my online coach, stood out as an exceptional guide, providing not just instruction but also a supportive mentorship that alleviated my anxiety amid last-minute obligations. There were moments when the idea of withdrawing from the course crossed my mind, but thanks to Jen D's invaluable assistance and support, I'm now grateful that I chose not to withdraw.

Initially, my dissatisfaction arose when I chose AIF for its on-campus and virtual study options, only to find the campus closed suddenly, leaving me with only virtual learning. This presented difficulties in studying from home with constant interruptions from my kids etc. Additionally, AIF discontinued CPR courses without warning, as a result I had to obtain my CPR externally and pay extra for it. Despite my dissatisfaction with how AIF handled these situations, finding Jen D turned my experience around. She became my beacon of support, helping me navigate challenges and find happiness in the learning process.

Great organisation to deal with! – The coaching staff are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. The structure of the Ignite platform is easy to navigate and the information is right there at your fingertips. There is a lot of content to go through however it is all relevant and if you plan your time well it is simple to get through. The staff are also very understanding of life circumstances and provide a flexible learning environment. Show reply

Wrap day diploma – The coaches, in particular, Jade, Doe and Carlos are super knowledgeable in what they teach and demonstrate. Very hands on approach and face to face learning worked better for me rather than doing a remote/ online learning. Thank you for your patience especially when it was down to our anatomy. Show reply