Name: Sasha

Job title: Duty manager

Location/Organisation: ONENK Leisure Centre, Better

Years in the Sport and Physical Activity Sector: 14

I grew up with four brothers, so sport, gym, fitness, football, it was an everyday part of my life. In school, PE was a really positive experience for me. I studied a Level 2 qualification in Sport, and then moved on to sixth form where I did a Level 3 qualification. I also gained work experience in a leisure centre.

I had really good sports teachers in sixth form. I lost my mum when I was 18, and they kind of stayed in touch. That difficult time is one of the reasons I didn’t go to university. But they really pushed me, helping me secure my first job and progress in the sector. I am really thankful for them.

Career Pathway

Coming out of school, I decided just to go for a career. I applied for a job where I did my work experience and started working in the gym. The organisation supported me to achieve my Level 2 Fitness Instructor certification and subsequently my Level 3 Personal Trainer certification. I spent a year working as a personal trainer which I really enjoyed but I decided I wanted to do a bit more.

I liked the fitness side, but I was also drawn to the wider leisure offer, particularly sports like swimming. This led me to successfully apply for a lifeguard vacancy at Castle Sports Centre in Spalding. After completing the necessary training, I spent about a year lifeguarding. I also obtained my swim teaching qualification.

From there, I saw the opportunity for progression within GLL and moved into a role at One NK in North Hykeham. Being placed on the Level 3 Leisure Manager Apprenticeship is an exciting next step in my journey. It’s a chance to deepen my leadership skills, broaden my operational knowledge, and prepare for future management opportunities. I’m proud to be part of an organisation that invests in its people and champions career development, especially for women in leisure. I’m ready to take on this challenge and grow into the best leader I can be.

Job Role, Responsibilities and Achievements

Day-to-Day Tasks:

I quite like that everyday is different in leisure. It’s not a typical 9am – 5pm office job. As I have ADHD, I genuinely enjoy being on my toes; there are different things happening all the time, and you see different people and faces constantly.

As a Duty Manager, that variety is built into the role. My responsibilities cover many areas in a single shift moving between administration, customer service and team supervision. This variety is what keeps me engaged and makes the role genuinely rewarding.

I recently earned my Tutor qualification, which means I can train and certify new people lifeguards.

The motivation to become a tutor stemmed from a critical incident. While working as a lifeguard, we had quite a traumatic first-aid rescue – a gentleman had a heart attack in the pool. Horrible as it sounds, I was on shift with quite a few younger members of staff. I realised that maybe they weren’t as prepared as they could be. This experience really inspired me. I thought, ‘Right, I want to be the person that trains these people.’ That kind of gave me the kick I needed to pursue it. And I really enjoy that, actually.

Challenges and Rewards:

Whether we should or not, I think a lot of people view leisure as a temporary job for young people. I’m almost 30. When I started here as a lifeguard, I was looking around, and most of my fellow lifeguards were 16 or 18 year olds.

Initially, that was demotivating, because you start to see it as a young person’s job. I think we all go through these phases, but I went through a phase of questioning: Am I in the right job? Is leisure still for me? It’s all I’ve ever known, fitness and leisure. Should I be looking at doing something else? Am I starting to get too old for this now?

But I always come back to the core reasons: It’s about making a difference to the people who come into our centre, I enjoy it, and every day is different. I couldn’t just sit at a computer and do a 9-to-5 office job. Also, I have been offered so many different opportunities that have allowed me to grow, be challenged and move forward. I’m currently on a Level 3 Manager’s course.

Why You Love Your Job:

Impact on Others:

My passion is helping people. Seeing customers come in, greeting them with a smile, asking if they need any help, and then seeing them leave with a smile on their face. I feel like we’ve done a good job and delivered excellent service then.

I quite like teaching swimming lessons. I love being hands on during the session, I will be diving around with the kids and making it fun.

Personal enjoyment:

I don’t picture this as a job sometimes. I enjoy working in the fitness and leisure industry, so to me, it’s not really like coming to work and working, as such. I enjoy swimming; I enjoy going to the gym – I’m quite active. We just got a little puppy, so we’re quite active with him too. It all just ties into one, really.

Future Goals and Advice for Aspiring Professionals:

I would really like to be at least Assistant Manager. I’d like to think General Manager, but I know that I still have a lot to learn about the business. So, within five years, I’d like to at least be an Assistant Manager, if not pushing to be a General Manager.

Legacy and Impact:

I’ve always been passionate about creating safe, welcoming spaces for our community. I want people to remember a visit to our centre as a highlight in their day. I always try to go above and beyond for not just customers, but for my staff as well. I’ve always followed one rule, and I said this even during my Duty Manager interview: I would never ask my team members to do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself. I want to be remembered as someone who genuinely cares.

Further skill development:

I would like to become a First Aid Tutor. With lifeguarding, which I already teach, you cover basic first aid. I’d like to be more proficient in teaching that side of it. It’s such a vital life skill, whether you’re in leisure or outside of it, you could run into someone who has a problem out on the street.

I also want to gain a lot more in-depth knowledge of Health and Safety procedures. We cover it somewhat on the course I am currently doing, but I want to go into much more detail.

Tips for success:

Just do it! I think it’s one of the best career paths you can go down because it opens up so many opportunities. It’s not just about one route, there are so many options. If you prefer the fitness side of it, there are many avenues: you can gain fitness qualifications, work in the gym, teach classes, or deliver one-on-one sessions (PT). If you like swimming, you become a swim teacher or you can do lifeguarding. Progression is built in, if you finish one qualification, there’s nothing to stop you doing another one, and before you know it, you will be well rounded in the whole industry.

If you are interested in finding out more about an apprenticeship at GLL visit https://jobs.better.org.uk