How to become a sports and leisure assistant
Official title: Sports and leisure assistants
Also called: Gym assistant, Museum assistant, Sports assistant, Leisure assistant, Leisure attendant, Heritage assistant, Swimming assistant, Wardrobe assistant, Recreation assistant, Collections assistant, Book maker's assistant, Recreational assistant
Sports and leisure assistants, provide and maintain facilities for sporting and recreational activities and supervise their use, maintain the continuity of entertainment and social events, offer odds and accept bets on the result of sporting and other events, control gambling activities, work behind the scenes in production and broadcasting enterprises in a supporting role to ensure operations run smoothly.
Main tasks
- Maintains sports and leisure equipment and prepares equipment for use
- Supervises the use of swimming pools, gymnasium apparatus, fitness machines and other recreational equipment
- Work in teams patrolling popular stretches of the coast, advising people when and where they can swim safely and making rescues when necessary
- Maintains hygienic operation of swimming pools and associated facilities such as hot tubs, showers and changing areas
- Carries clubs for golfers, advises on the layout and distance of golf courses and appropriate choice of golf club
- Announces acts, makes introductions, proposes toasts and maintains the continuity of entertainment events and social functions
- Assesses likely outcome of an event and establishes odds, accepts and records bets, issues receipts and pays out on winning bets
- Controls the progress of games of cards, roulette and other gambling activities according to established rules
How to become one
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. A variety of vocational qualifications are available in Sports and Recreation and Leisure and Tourism.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Leisure duty manager (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0301.
- Apprenticeship (England): Leisure team member (level 2). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0390.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £26,934 a year The middle half earn £23,762 to £30,474.
- About 68,700 people work in this job now, and about 71,100 are projected by 2035. (+3.6%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a sports and leisure assistant?
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. A variety of vocational qualifications are available in Sports and Recreation and Leisure and Tourism.
How much does a sports and leisure assistant earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £26,934 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £23,762 to £30,474.
Is a sports and leisure assistant a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 68,700 to about 71,100 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a sports and leisure assistant?
Not always. 26% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Leisure duty manager (level 3).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03