Working with injured athletes, sports therapists deal with any age or ability to return them to full functionality. Clients can be professional or amateur sportspeople, people who keep fit for fun, or even accident victims. A sports therapists' work will vary depending on their qualifications, any specialties they have developed, and the setting in which they work.
Many sports therapists are either self-employed, or else combine two or more part-time jobs. Opportunities can be found in a variety of settings, including:
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Sports injury clinics
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Professional sports clubs or teams
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Amateur sports clubs and teams
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Health and fitness clubs
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Sports and leisure centres
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The National Health Service (NHS)
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Further and higher education
Alternatively, many practitioners work on a self-employed basis, setting up and running a sports injury clinic, or providing sports massage and sports injury treatment sessions at local sports centres, hotels and gyms.
For those working on self-employed basis, establishing a good reputation is crucial. Although you can advertise your services through a website or by giving talks, the best source of new business will be word of mouth from satisfied customers. The Society of Sports Therapists sometimes lists vacancies on its website, but this is a field where many vacancies are filled through contacts or personal recommendation.
