Annual Salary
£0 to £0
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Athletes compete in track and field events for their clubs, with some going on to represent their country at international level.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
0.5% more Athlete jobs in 2027.
As an athlete, you could:
You may need to wear a sports kit.
You could work on a sports field or at a sports arena.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, physically and emotionally demanding and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this career through:
You can apply to do a course at university in the usual way through UCAS and join your university’s athletics performance programme, where one is available.
You may be able to apply for a university sports scholarship, if you’ve competed at club, regional or national level and have shown the potential to go further.
You'll usually need:
You could apply to do a sports related apprenticeship, which would allow you to develop your athletics career while gaining skills to work in the sport and leisure industry.
Apprenticeships include:
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
The first step to becoming a professional athlete is to join an athletics club. You would work with qualified coaches to develop your skills and compete at a level appropriate to your age and stage of development.
There are several athletics programmes that support individuals to achieve their potential.
The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme allows you to study for a qualification at college or university, while you continue your sporting development. You must be 16 or over, and be performing at a high level. You are nominated for a place by UK Athletics, the national governing body.
You may be able to join the Para Academy, if you have the potential to compete at national and international paralympic level.
England Athletics has more information on pathways from junior and youth programmes through to senior and world class levels.
You are likely to travel a lot to compete in athletics events, including overseas for international championships.
You can get more details about how to become an athlete from British Athletics and UK Athletics.
You could move into coaching with athletics clubs, colleges and universities. Your skills and experience would also be useful for a career in community sports development or sports management.
You might wish to take further training to become a:sport and exercise psychologist; nutritionist; performance sports scientist
You may also have opportunities for sports media work.
You'll need: