In the absence of any legislation, regulations or licensing, there are currently no restrictions on anyone offering training and claiming to be qualified to teach exercise or fitness classes or giving gym instruction /personal training. Following  the REPS Registers established in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, REPS Ireland has been established by ILAM (who are the Employers and Industry Body for the sector in Ireland). REPS Ireland has agreed mutual recognition with REPS UK and Fitness Australia. Agreements with other countries is expected to follow in the near future through EREPS, ICREPS and directly with other National registers.

ICREPS is The International Confederation of Registers of Exercise Professionals is an international partnership between national registration bodies around the world that register exercise professionals.

The standards that are agreed by REPS Ireland are based upon the European Qualification Framework (EQF) which is a common European reference framework that links countries' qualifications systems together, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable.

REPS Ireland occupations and the status of registration awarded to members are based on standards for:

Approved Training Providers and Qualifications

If you hold an accredited qualification from one of the verified Training Providers that was gained in the year of accreditation or two years prior, you will be eligible for full registration of REPS Ireland. Otherwise you may apply for Provisional registration which is valid for 12 months and you must fulfil the conditions required for full registration within this timescale. This can be done online at www.repsireland.ie. In order to achieve full registration there are 2 options:

• Undertake a conversion course with an approved REPS Ireland training provider, as listed on www.repsireland.ie

OR

• Your training provider needs to achieve REPS Ireland verification for the qualification(s) that you currently hold. This will enable you to upgrade to full registration if your qualification has been gained within the 3 years prior to the training provider being verified.

For a list of approved training providers and qualifications click here

To maintain registration an individual must continually up-skill to keep up to date with the latest trends and developments in exercise delivery. This re-registration process occurs annually. To protect the public, all registered exercise professionals are bound by a code of ethical practice, that covers professional standards and conduct of the individuals. REPS Ireland also has a complaints process to deal with any breaches of the code.

All REPS Registered Exercise Professionals are issued with a membership card with embedded photo to enable easy identification, as well as being able to be verified anytime by contacting REPS Ireland. In the same way that you would use are registered Physiotherapist, using the services of a REPS Registered Exercise Professional ensures your exercise advice is both safe and effective.