When researching how to become a nutritionist, it can be difficult to decide on the best option for you. To help put you on the right path to your new career, we’ll cover:
- About the Role of a Nutritionist
- Step 1 – Decide How You Want to Qualify as a Nutritionist
- Step 2 – Decide on Your Type of Employment as a Nutritionist
- Step 3 – Secure Your First Clients as a Nutritionist
- Step 4 – Expand Your Client List as a Nutritionist
Are you ready to begin your new career? Enquire today about our Personal Training Diploma or download our course prospectus to find out what else we have to offer.
About the Role of a Nutritionist
Before we break down the steps to become a nutritionist, let’s discuss the role!
The main responsibility of a nutritionist is to educate the public on diet and nutrition, helping them live healthier lives. In addition to offering 1-on-1 support, nutritionists can also be responsible for shaping policies and guidelines.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a nutritionist in Ireland is €31,113. The lower end of the payscale is €29,000 and the higher end is around €48,000. Salaries will also vary depending on experience and location.
However, it’s important to mention nutritionists and dietitians aren’t the same. The main difference is dietitians can work with clients with medical illnesses while nutritionists can only provide general diet and lifestyle advice.
Step 1 – Decide How You Want to Qualify as a Nutritionist
To become a nutritionist there are 2 routes you can take:
- University Degree
- Vocational Nutrition Course
While you don’t need a degree in nutrition to become a nutritionist, some choose to pursue this route to study the subject at a deeper academic level. However, the cost and duration of studying this way is something to carefully consider.
Currently in Ireland, the cost of an undergraduate course can range between €9,850 to €55,000 depending on what students are studying. The length of undergraduate degree courses are between 2 to 4 years.
For example, if you chose to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of Cork, this would cost €7,458 a year for 4 years:
However, by studying a vocational course in Level 5 Advanced Sports Nutrition, the fees and time it takes to qualify will be significantly reduced. For instance, studying with OriGym means you can be qualified on average in 10 weeks and our course costs just €1,399!
There are also no prerequisites to enrol on our nutrition course compared to university degrees which most commonly require some form of academic qualifications.
Most university degrees are studied in person, requiring students to either move or commute during their studies. As we have the option of studying entirely online, you can study at your own pace in the comfort of your own home.
If taking the vocational route to become a nutritionist, you must ensure your course is regulated by an Ofqual-approved awarding body such as Focus Awards.
- Ofqual: Regulate qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England. Having this regulation ensures the same standard of training regardless of the course provider you decide on.
- Focus Awards: Provides the certification to the student, should you see this advertised it means that the educational provider meets the educational standards to receive their endorsement.
The bottom line is to decide on the type of qualification you want and the length of time you want to study for.
Step 2 – Decide on Your Type of Employment as a Nutritionist
After qualifying, it’s important to decide on an employment route that works for you.
For example, once you become a nutritionist you can pursue full-time contracted roles in:
- Public Health
- Private Health
- Clinical Nutrition
- The Sports & Exercise Industry
- The Food Industry
From planning meals in schools and hospitals to conducting research for the government, nutritionists can take on a variety of enriching responsibilities.
Whilst working in the public sector can be highly emotionally rewarding, it has been noted that nutritionists who work privately earn a significantly higher wage. This is just another factor to consider when deciding how you wish to work.
Alternatively, you may decide to become self-employed, the benefits of which include:
- Flexible working hours
- Setting your own prices
- Take on clients from around the world
- Have control over your own brand
Being self employed will involve working with clients on a 1-on-1 basis. Depending on the type of nutritionist you are, the responsibilities of this role will include:
- Selling meal plans
- Conducting online consultations
- Providing nutritional advice and guidance
Setting up an online business has proven to be one of the most lucrative methods of self-employment. If you’d like to pursue this role yourself, please refer to the list of curated articles below:
- How to Get Clients as a Nutritionist: 11 Top Tips
- How to Write a Nutrition Business Plan
- The Key Skills Needed to Become a Nutritionist
Step 3 – Secure Your First Clients as a Nutritionist
As a self-employed nutritionist it’s crucial to advertise your business in order to secure your clients. There are many ways in which you can do this, such as creating social media accounts, designing a website, and paying for Ads across platforms like Facebook and Google.
Our guide about how to get nutrition clients provides 11 tips to market yourself successfully.
As a nutritionist, it’s also vital to cover yourself with insurance when dealing with the public. The two most important types of insurance for nutritionists include:
When becoming a nutritionist it’s important to insure yourself as these policies can protect you in the event a client makes a claim against you. Failure to legally protect yourself could result in severe fines and even jail time in serious instances.
Step 4 – Expand Your Client List as a Nutritionist
After you become a nutritionist, it’s important to continue expanding your client list. You can do this by completing Advanced Level 5 Courses or personal training qualifications.
Advanced certifications that can be combined with your nutrition qualification is a great way to attract new clients and separate yourself from the competition by offering services they don’t.
Let’s explore how these qualifications can benefit you as a nutritionist!
Personal Trainer Diploma
While it’s not a requirement to be qualified as a Level 3 Fitness Instructor or Level 4 Personal Trainer to become a nutritionist, this is a great way to expand your client list and deepen your health & fitness knowledge.
By being both a personal trainer and nutritionist, you can help clients reach their goals faster and also offer your service as packages to include both training programmes and meal plans.
Level 5 Obesity & Weight Management
This qualification allows you to deliver tailored exercise programmes for overweight clients, helping them maintain long-term weight loss and improve their quality of life. This is a great way to expand your client pool by extending your services beyond fitness.
Level 5 Diabetes Control & Weight Management
As reactive and preventive measures are becoming increasingly important with the rise of diabetes in the general public, this is another way to offer your services. By creating training programmes for this demographic, you can offer help to those who really need it.
Ready to Begin Your Career as a Personal Trainer?
As one of the leading and most trusted health and fitness education providers, we specialise in helping new and experienced personal trainers successfully reach their career goals.
For more information, download our course prospectus to see everything we offer or enquire about our Personal Training Diploma today.
