EPTI

The European Personal Training Institute, usually called EPTI, trains people to become qualified personal trainers. Its Malta campus is at the Ta' Qali National Stadium near Mdina, and its courses are taught entirely in English by UK and international tutors. That makes it a practical option for British people who want a fitness career they can take anywhere, or who are moving to Malta and want to retrain.

Students study the theory at home online, then come to Malta for an intensive practical and assessment course of about two weeks. The institute also has campuses in Estepona on Spain's Costa del Sol and in Tirana, Albania, and its team has been training and certifying personal trainers since 2013. Our directory of gyms in Malta lists places to train, while this page is about learning to coach.

The institute was founded to close a gap it saw in fitness education: newly certified trainers who were not ready to coach real clients. Its response is a blended model, with theory completed from home and a practical stage in which tutors watch students coach, correct technique and assess their delivery. The aim is that graduates leave not just certified but able to run a session confidently from their first day on the job.

The Malta campus and how a course runs

The Malta course is delivered at the Ta' Qali National Stadium, a large sports ground in the middle of the island, close to the walled city of Mdina. The institute has partnered with leading gyms in each country to provide realistic training spaces. The photographs show students in red EPTI shirts working in a gym, on grass and on the beach, which gives a feel for the hands-on style.

Every course starts with home-based online study and coursework assignments on the EPTI e-learning platform, usually 12 to 16 weeks for the diplomas, with a personal tutor giving guidance and feedback. Most students finish the online phase in around 16 weeks, and they can study whenever suits them through the portal, which suits people working full time. The practical weeks then bring everything together, with real coaching practice in front of tutors, assessment of exercise technique and instruction on programming and client care. The practical stage follows during an intensive two-week course with days from 9:00 to 17:00. Students who prefer to see the island around their studies can read our Mdina guide and Valletta guide.

The Personal Trainer Diploma packages

The Master package is the most comprehensive and popular. It includes the Diploma Practitioner in Personal Training, the Certificate in Planning and Delivering Gym Based Exercise, and CIMSPA-endorsed CPD qualifications in kettlebells, suspension training, circuits, padwork and outdoor training, with a 12-day practical. The Advanced package includes the two core qualifications plus kettlebell and suspension training, with a 10-day practical. The Basic package covers the two core qualifications with an 8-day practical and prepares you to plan programmes and deliver one-to-one gym sessions. The Master package is aimed at trainers who want to work in gyms, studios, outdoors and even clients' homes, and it highlights group bootcamps, small group training and circuit-style sessions as formats that are in high demand and can raise earning potential. Graduates of the Master and Basic packages receive free lifetime access to tools and resources for building their business.

Each qualification is certified separately. The Diploma Practitioner in Personal Training is at EQF and MQF level 4 and the gym-based exercise certificate at level 3. The Master package is not a level 7 degree. Anyone who already holds a CIMSPA-recognised Fitness Instructor or Gym Instructor certificate can upgrade without repeating it: an 8-day Master upgrade or a 4-day Diploma in Personal Training. Course dates and fees are on the calendar page, and there is no application fee.

Gym Instructor and CPD courses

The Gym Instructor certificate is the entry-level qualification for working in a gym. It qualifies you to guide and support members but not to deliver personal training sessions. The course takes about 6 to 8 weeks of online study followed by 4 days of practical training. The qualification is included in every PT Diploma, so people aiming to become personal trainers can enrol directly in a diploma.

EPTI also runs fitness CPD courses, which are extra short courses for qualified professionals: circuits, kettlebells, suspension training, outdoor training, padwork, a first aid course, and an advanced posture and corrective exercise course. The CPD courses are useful for qualified instructors who want a new specialism, such as adding padwork to a boxing-style class or kettlebells to a group programme. Because they are endorsed by CIMSPA, they are widely recognised in the fitness industry, although they are not pegged to a national qualification framework. Check which campus runs which course when you enquire. Dates for international student courses have been listed for Estepona and Tirana, while Malta dates sit on the calendar page, so ask which intake suits you before you book flights and time off work.

Recognition, tutors and careers

EPTI qualifications are endorsed by CIMSPA in the UK and recognised by ICREPS member organisations worldwide, which allows graduates to work abroad. The core team includes Toby Clay, the Course Director and Internal Quality Assurer, who started a freelance personal training business in London in 2000, and Mike Wilson, the Lead Tutor and Assessor, who has delivered every practical course and has worked in fitness education since 2007. Chris Rogers and Patrick Mansell are tutors and assessors, and the tutors attend every practical course across all campuses. Patrick Mansell took the Master PT Diploma himself and now works alongside physiotherapists delivering sessions for clients recovering from injury. The tutors have run their own personal training and bootcamp businesses, so they can pass on practical lessons about pricing, finding clients and keeping them.

The diploma courses include a PT business workshop on attracting first clients and marketing yourself online. Graduates are offered guaranteed job interviews with a number of leading health clubs, and an online jobs board shows posts from gyms, hotels and retreats seeking EPTI-qualified trainers. Career guidance pages cover earnings, how to become a trainer and how to set up your own business. For moving to Malta to work, see our Malta relocation guide.

Who can enrol and practical tips for UK students

You do not need previous fitness qualifications or coaching experience, and the minimum age is 16. Personal gym experience is recommended, because the assessment includes free weight exercises with correct technique and the course focuses on coaching them rather than teaching the basics. The accommodation package is offered only at the Estepona campus, for students aged 18 or over, and is not available for Malta or Albania, so Malta students arrange their own stay. Affordable short-stay options are available near the Malta and Albania campuses, and our where to stay in Malta guide gives an overview of areas to consider.

British students planning the practical weeks can look at flights to Malta, with direct routes covered in our guides from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and check the Malta weather guide for the season of your course. If you are weighing up a change of career, it helps to know that the work is varied: health clubs, gyms, hotels and retreats all recruit EPTI-qualified trainers, and the business workshop is there for those who prefer to work for themselves. To ask about dates, send a message with the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass it to EPTI.