Sports therapist : Employers and vacancy sources

Most sports therapists are either self-employed, have two or more part-time jobs, or combine the two options, and so could be working for several different types of employer at the same time.

Opportunities exist in:

• sports injury clinics, either on a part-time or full-time contract or on a freelance basis;
• private health clinics, where a range of practitioners offer diverse treatments such as podiatry, osteopathy and reiki (this work would usually be part time or ad hoc);
• professional sports clubs or teams who employ a full or part-time sports therapist or sports masseur (in larger clubs, a sports therapist may concentrate on sports massage and work alongside a physiotherapist; in smaller clubs, a sports therapist could have a much wider range of responsibilities);
• amateur sports clubs and teams (at national, county or local level, usually on a part-time or freelance basis);
• health and fitness clubs and gyms;
• sports and leisure centres (local authority and private sector);
• further and higher education;
• self-employment, by setting up and running a sports injury clinic and/or offering sports massage and sports injury treatment sessions locally, e.g. at sports centres, hotels and gyms.

The level and content of your qualifications will influence the types of organisation for which you can work, as some employers specify particular qualifications and specialist knowledge.

Sources of vacancies

Search graduate jobs on this site.

The Society of Sports Therapists (SST)  and UK Sport  advertise vacancies on their websites.

Occasionally, sports magazines advertise suitable vacancies, as do employment websites and national professional sporting bodies. It is important to keep a regular eye on all relevant journals and websites, as there is no way to tell when and where a sports therapy post might be advertised. It is also worth making speculative applications.

Many vacancies are filled through contacts or personal recommendation. Networking and involvement in sport at any level is a good way of finding work. Several of the websites of national sports bodies and sports institutes provide lists of links to the national governing bodies of individual sports. These often have directories of sports clubs, which may be useful for speculative applications.

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