Recreation Assistant

Occupation scope and impact

Recreation assistants support, enhance and deliver the day-to-day operations of a leisure facility, typically in wet environments such as swimming pools, water slides and saunas and/or dry environments such as activity areas and sports pitches. 

  • You work as part of a team and undertake a range of leisure operational duties such as opening and closing of the leisure facility and maintain the cleanliness and safety of the environment. 
  • You ensure programmed activities and services are arranged, including preparing, assembling, dismantling and storing equipment such as trampolines, badminton nets and event seating. 
  • You supervise activity and ancillary areas, ensuring the safety of customers and enhancing services by building product knowledge and sales acumen. 
  • You provide high levels of customer care and assist with any customer feedback. 
From
£37.80*
per year (inc VAT)

*discounts apply if your organisation is a CIMSPA employer partner

Professional status

Having a professional status is a way to show the world that you are a trained and highly skilled recreation assistant. Gain professional recognition for your knowledge, skills and experience by sharing your status with employers, clients and your peers. 

Find out more about professional status

Recreation Assistant Practitioner

You are currently working as a recreation assistant and have a high-quality and up-to-date recreation assistant qualification. You are dedicated to your professional development and providing the best possible experience to participants. 

Professional Status

Title

You will gain the professional status title of Recreation Assistant Practitioner. You will be able to use this to ensure that clients and employers understand exactly what you are capable of, linked directly to the sector’s professional standards:

  • Try using your title in your website or social media bio to show clients that you’re a trained expert. Many other professions such as healthcare practitioners and financial advisors use these to demonstrate their credibility.
  • When applying for jobs, your professional status title is an important addition to your CV. Employers will be able to see your skill level and are assured that your qualifications are quality assured – all from a quick glance.

Postnominals

You will gain the postnominals of MCIMSPA.

Many established professions, such as accountancy and medicine, use postnominal letters to show that an individual is accredited by a professional body.

You will be able to use yours after your name on social media, your website and business communications to demonstrate that you are a recognised professional.

Find out more about professional status

Accreditation credentials

Your accreditation credentials – which take the form of a digital badge – will offer a verifiable visual representation of your professional status which you can use on your website and social media to showcase your expertise. When you click on them, anyone will be able to see further information about your status and that it is verified and up to date.

You will need to complete the Recreation Assistant occupational professional standard by evidencing all of its competency statements. 

Find out how to evidence

£37.80*
per year (inc VAT)
*discounts apply if your organisation is a CIMSPA employer partner

Apply for your professional status

Step 1 – prepare your evidence, apply and pay 

Provide evidence of your qualifications and CPD documentation in PDF, JPEG or PNG format. 

Debit card, credit card or direct debit payment options are available. 

Step 2 – We will process your application 

You will receive email updates as we review your application. 

We will let you know if we require any further information from you. 

You will receive an email confirming that your professional status has been approved. 

Supporting your career

Take complete control of your career progression and stay at the forefront of our sector. 

To help you maximise your professional status and develop your knowledge and skills, we offer a range of exclusive benefits that complement your professional status: 

  • Receive discounts on endorsed qualifications and CPD from a range of training providers. 
  • Enhance your career prospects – many of our employer partners commit to only employing professional status holders. 
  • Gain exclusive access to Move Professional, our quarterly online publication giving you the latest sector news and tips for progressing your career. 
  • Get regular bite-sized sector updates via email with our tailored monthly bulletin. 
  • Learn and develop through CIMSPA’s member-only webinars featuring cross-sector experts. 
  • Make connections through CIMSPA and partner events and conferences and at our professional development boards and consultations (by invitation). 
  • Be the first to hear about opportunities to be involved with CIMSPA consultations and insight, helping to influence sector policy and future research. 
  • Take part in focus groups and committees to help shape the sector’s future. 

Membership join FAQs

Your account will be required to be linked your employer’s organisational account to issue your membership at the discounted price. If your account is not currently linked, we will require some information from you. Please email us on info@cimspa.co.uk 

If your CIMSPA recognised entry qualification is dated over 5 years from the date of your application, you will be required to evidence:

  • At least 1 CPD point of endorsed
  • Or 4 hours of non-endorsed CPD.

Awarding organisation certificates display some or all of the following:

  • Awarding organisation’s logo e.g. Active IQ, YMCA Awards, Innovate Awarding, Focus Awards, VTCT
  • Award title e.g. Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training
  • Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN) e.g. 600/4941/8
  • Date of issue
  • Certificate number
  • ’Ofqual’ logo

Please note: A Unit Credit certificate, letter of confirmation or certificate issued by a Training Provider are not accepted to ensure a standardised and robust application process.

Your membership will be approved within the affiliate membership category to bring you onboard as a CIMSPA member. We will email you with guidance to support you with your next steps towards becoming a practitioner or associate member.

If your qualifications have not been mapped to the industry professional standards, they may be submitted for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. For further information, please email info@cimspa.co.uk

If you have successfully met the professional standard following completion of your CIMSPA endorsed course for your chosen practitioner category, your professional qualification certificate issued by CIMSPA and awarded by your education provider will clearly confirm this and should be submitted with your application.

EREPS/REPS Ireland

We have an agreement with and can accept a Letter of Portability during your membership application from the following organisations, providing it is transferrable to your chosen CIMSPA membership category:

Other countries

If your qualification was completed in a country outside the above organisations’ jurisdiction, please email info@cimspa.co.uk with a copy of your letter of portability or qualification, confirming the country of issue, for further support.