9 popular active jobs (Plus benefits, salaries and duties)

Working in active roles can provide you with an opportunity to get paid while staying healthy and mobile. There are many careers you can pursue that can provide you with an active and healthy lifestyle. Learning about the salaries and duties for these roles can help you to decide if any of them align with your interests. In this article, we outline the benefits of working in an active role and list nine popular active jobs, alongside the salaries and primary duties for each role.

What are the benefits of working in active jobs?

Some of the main benefits of working in active jobs include:

Enhance your fitness

One of the main benefits of working in an active role is the positive effect it has on your fitness. These roles can help you to consistently stay active, which can help to strengthen your cardiovascular system and support your overall bodily functions. Sometimes, it can be challenging to find the time to exercise when working full-time. By working in a job that keeps you active, you can ensure that you get enough exercise to live a healthy life.

Improve your mental health

Being more active and exercising regularly is also good for your mental health as exercise helps to increase your serotonin, which is a chemical that balances your mood and improves your happiness levels. Working in a role that involves plenty of physical activity can help you to avoid periods where your mood is low. Many active roles also require you to work outside, which is good for your overall health due to the vitamins you gain from sunlight.

Related: How to Become a Paramedic

Work in various locations

Many active roles involve working in various locations. This can be beneficial as a frequent change in work location can help to keep you motivated while at work. By working in different locations, you can also experience various levels of physical activity. For instance, if you work as a cycling tour guide, your role may require you to cycle on a mix of terrains.

Meet more people

Working in active roles can also allow you to encounter more people. These multiple interactions can have a positive impact on your mental health and, due to potentially working in various locations, you can meet individuals from various backgrounds. This can be beneficial for networking purposes, as the individuals you meet while working in an active role can potentially assist your career development at a later date.

Related: How to become a fitness instructor

9 popular active roles to consider

Below are nine popular active roles for you to consider, alongside their respective salaries and duties:

1. Personal trainer

National average salary: £27,455 per year

Primary duties: A personal trainer works directly with a client, or a group of clients, to help them improve their fitness and reach their health goals. To do this, they regularly create tailored workout plans for their clients. As each client usually has different needs, each workout plan tends to be unique.

Personal trainers have extensive knowledge of exercise regimes and how to live a healthy lifestyle. They also have a high degree of patience and can motivate their clients. Personal trainers typically work in a self-employed capacity and find their own clients. They can also work at gyms where they offer one-on-one sessions to gym members.

Related: Top 10 outdoor jobs that pay well (salary and requirements)

2. Labourer

National average salary: £21,923 per year

Primary duties: A labourer completes manual tasks on construction sites and also assists with property development projects. Their duties typically include bricklaying, heavy lifting, window fitting and clearing work sites. Alongside this, they're also responsible for ordering work materials and following health and safety regulations when on a construction site. Labourers usually work long hours and are constantly physically active. To succeed in this role, a high degree of stamina and strength is essential.

3. Massage therapist

National average salary: £22,021 per year

Primary duties: A massage therapist performs specialist massage techniques on clients to help ease their bodily complaints, pains and aches. They work with a client for a session, or over several sessions, to remedy these problems. To complete their work, massage therapists use a variety of techniques and remedies, which they apply to specific areas of their clients' bodies.

Massage therapists typically require an excellent understanding of the body, including its health and muscle functions. They're also responsible for keeping a clean work area and tidying between each appointment. Massage therapists also need a high degree of stamina, as they stand for prolonged periods when applying their massage techniques.

4. Landscape gardener

National average salary: £22,760 per year

Primary duties: A landscape gardener is responsible for maintaining a property's land or gardens. They can either work on a large estate or on a client's personal garden. This role allows you to get plenty of fresh air and exercise and, due to the role's physical demands, requires a high level of stamina. A landscape gardener's duties tend to include planting, trimming, mowing and clearing leaves.

Landscape gardeners usually have good knowledge of plants and flora, including how to properly grow and maintain them. They can either work in this role alone or as part of a larger team when working on vast estates and large projects.

Related: How to become a gardener (with skills, salary and FAQs)

5. Farmer

National average salary: £15,691 per year

Primary duties: Farmers maintain vast areas of land, grow crops and rear animals. This role is best suited for those that love animals and want to live an active lifestyle. Working on a farm involves a large amount of manual work and many farmers start work in the early hours of the day. A farmer's duties include growing and tending to food crops, operating farming machinery, rearing herds of animals and keeping track of stock and produce. This role may also involve attending fairs and shows to sell crops and livestock.

6. Tour guide

National average salary: £13,511 per year

Primary duties: A tour guide works on behalf of an organisation to accompany groups of individuals around a location, which can be inside or outside, and provide relevant information about the area they're visiting. This is an ideal role for those who want to stay active, work outside and explore popular tourist attractions. Tour guides usually have extensive knowledge of the areas where they provide tours and are confident when speaking in front of large groups.

7. Paramedic

National average salary: £36,577 per year

Primary duties: A paramedic assists the public when there's a medical emergency. They help to give specialist treatment to those who require urgent medical attention. A paramedic's presence is typically required in a hospital, at people's homes or at the scenes of accidents. Paramedics typically travel in ambulances when responding to medical emergencies and they use their quick thinking and extensive medical knowledge to assist those that have urgent medical requirements.

These medical professionals are usually very active. They can stand for several consecutive hours when performing their roles and may rush to reach accident scenes on time. Additionally, they lift heavy equipment and, on some occasions, may lift patients.

8. Firefighter

National average salary: £26,980 per year

Primary duties: A firefighter is an integral member of an area's fire and rescue service that attends to dangerous fires and accidents. These individuals typically respond to emergency calls to put out fires, assist with accidents and operate heavy machinery.

Being a firefighter requires extensive knowledge of fire safety procedures and a high level of physical fitness, alongside the ability to work with heavy tools. To work in this role, you also require quick thinking skills and a willingness to place yourself in potentially dangerous situations to help others. For instance, a firefighter may enter a building that's on fire to save members of the public.

9. Choreogropher

National average salary: £65,716 per year

Primary duties: A choreographer is a highly skilled dance instructor that plans routines for performances and shows. Choreographers are constantly active, as they not only plan routines but teach dances to their clients or dancing groups. A choreographer is responsible for ensuring that dancers perform a routine correctly and understand all the moves and steps. To succeed in this role, you need a high level of dance knowledge, stamina and creativity.

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