My name’s Marie MacLellan, and I’m a fitness lecturer at Fife College. I’ve been teaching here for almost 25 years, but alongside that I’ve also worked as a self-employed fitness instructor and personal trainer for more than 26 years.
Before joining the college, I worked full-time in the fitness industry. When the opportunity came up to become a lecturer, I went through the interview process and was delighted to be offered the role. It’s been an incredibly rewarding career ever since.
At Fife College, I’m the HNC course contact for one of our Fitness Group programmes. It’s a role I really enjoy because I get to build strong relationships with students and support them throughout their journey from Level 5 and 6, right through to Levels 7 and 8. Seeing students grow in confidence, develop their skills, and move closer to their career goals is one of the most exciting parts of the job for me.
I teach a variety of practical and theory-based units across the courses, and every one of them is designed to give students valuable knowledge and real-world skills for the fitness industry. One of the biggest strengths of studying fitness at Fife College is that all of our lecturers are still actively working in the industry ourselves.
That makes a huge difference. As a department, we’ve built strong industry connections and networks, which gives students access to current knowledge, real experience, and valuable opportunities. Everything we teach comes from hands-on experience as well as professional qualifications, and we’re constantly keeping up to date with industry standards and trends.
The feedback we get from students is always really positive, especially when it comes to learning from lecturers who are still out there working in gyms, studios, and with clients every day. It inspires students because they can see exactly what the industry is like and what opportunities are available to them.
Personally, one of my latest developments has been becoming an affiliated coach with HYROX. I competed in my first HYROX event recently and absolutely loved it. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed bringing that experience into the classroom and introducing students to HYROX-style training. We’ve already held a mini competition for students, with more planned in the future.
For me, one of the best things about working at Fife College is seeing students continue to succeed after they leave. I often go from being their lecturer to bumping into them working in local gyms and fitness studios across the area. Because I still work in the industry myself, I get to see former students progress in their careers for years afterwards — and that’s incredibly rewarding.”
Related Courses
HNC Fitness Health and Exercise
The HNC in Fitness, Health and Exercise (SCQF level 7) prepares students for careers in the fitness industry, covering topics like exercise programming, health screening, nutrition, and first-aid. CIMSPA membership offers professional recognition and development opportunities, enhancing students' skills and knowledge.