Rebecca Silk

Employer: Holmes Place

Area of work: Health and fitness

Qualifications: sports studies, University of Southampton

Working in a health club, you have to be highly motivated and have great interpersonal communication skills. I spend a lot of my time interacting with customers and other staff – customer service is extremely important in this competitive and ever-expanding industry. Good teamworking skills are also valuable.

My job

The graduate scheme is allowing me to gain experience of running a health club from all angles – finance, reception and corporate sales – and I’m learning how the success or failure of one unit can affect the whole business. As part of my training, I move between clubs and departments, working on different projects every time. Most recently I was in charge of improving the retention rate of members. This involved organising free taster packages of massages, facials and more for new joiners, and training the sales, reception and gym staff to really look after them.

Best and worst

There is a great atmosphere working in a health club and you’re surrounded by very friendly people. The downside is working shifts, which can mean being there until 11.00 pm and working some weekends. However, it also means that I finish early some days and can go shopping for the entire afternoon!