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For Professionals

A free tool to help the people you work with build a career in fitness

MEM Academy gives resettlement professionals a simple way to signpost candidates into self-employment and gym-based careers — one link, no referral paperwork, no waitlists.

Download referral card Refer a candidate now Open referrer dashboard Jump to Institutional pathways

Funded and recognised by

Who this page is for

Built for professionals working with people rebuilding their lives

Prison resettlement officers

Give leavers a credible through-the-gate pathway into self-employed fitness work — no referral form, no waitlist.

Probation workers

Evidence meaningful activity and unpaid-work alternatives by signposting to qualifications and verified gym opportunities.

Youth offending teams

Engage young people through fitness — a sector they already trust — with age-appropriate self-employment guidance.

NHS employment advisors

Support recovery and IPS goals with a flexible, self-directed career route that fits around health appointments.

Social workers

Offer a practical, dignifying next step for adults rebuilding stability — including those with lived experience of the justice system.

Prison education leads

Bridge L2 and L3 fitness learning into real income with an Ofqual roadmap and live opportunities board.

How it works

Three steps. No paperwork.

1
Share memacademy.org with your candidate
Hand over a referral card, send the email/SMS template, or scan the QR. No login, no form.
2
Candidate accesses free tools, qualifications guide and opportunities board
Everything they need to plan a self-employed fitness career — on any phone.
3
MEM matches them to verified gym opportunities near them
Vetted gym partners, chair rent listings and PT roles — briefed on inclusive hiring.

What candidates get

A complete self-employment toolkit — free

PT rate calculator
Tax and NI estimator
Business structure guidance (Sole Trader, LTD, CIC)
Ofqual qualifications roadmap
Live gym job and chair rent opportunities
AI self-employment assistant
Finance dashboard
Client management tools
Invoicing tools
HMRC deadlines calendar
Installs on any phone — no app store needed

Install guide

No app store. Works on prison wifi, NHS networks and personal devices.

Android

Open Chrome and visit memacademy.org
Tap the menu (three dots, top right)
Tap “Add to Home Screen”
Confirm — the app icon appears on the home screen

iPhone

Open Safari and visit memacademy.org
Tap the Share button (square with arrow up)
Scroll and tap “Add to Home Screen”
Tap Add — the app icon appears on the home screen

Works offline once installed. No app store account required.

Referral toolkit

Everything you need to refer in under 30 seconds

Quick share

Printable referral card

Hand-out A5 PDF — one per candidate.

Download A5 card

Shareable link

https://memacademy.org

QR code

Scan with any phone camera to open https://memacademy.org.

Pre-written messages

One-click send — prefilled with the link

Opens your mail or messaging app with the message ready to send. The text is also copied to your clipboard as a backup.

Send prefilled email Send prefilled SMS

Email template

Subject: A free tool to help you build a career in fitness

Hi [name],

I wanted to share a free service called MEM Academy. It's designed for people who want to build a self-employed career in fitness — personal training, gym work, or renting a chair in a gym.

You can sign up here: https://memacademy.org

It's completely free and includes:
- A PT rate calculator and tax estimator
- A guide to qualifications (Level 2, Level 3, Ofqual)
- Live gym job and chair rent opportunities
- Business setup help (Sole Trader, LTD, CIC)
- An AI assistant that answers self-employment questions

There's no waiting list and no paperwork. Open it on your phone — it installs like an app.

Let me know if you'd like to talk it through.

[Your name]

SMS template

Free tool to help you build a fitness career — qualifications guide, live gym jobs, tax & rate calculator. No cost, no waitlist. https://memacademy.org

Why this matters

Evidence behind the model

67%

of ex-offenders reoffend within 2 years

Unemployment is the single biggest driver of reoffending

Stable

Fitness careers offer flexible, self-directed income

Tracked

MEM candidates tracked digitally with verified outcomes

Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, UK Government and London Marathon Foundation. Outcomes tracked digitally and shared with formal referral partners on request.

Lived experience policy

A fair, dignifying route — by design

MEM does not screen candidates on unspent convictions for non-safeguarding roles
All gym partners briefed on inclusive hiring before going live
Candidates are never asked to disclose unless legally required
GDPR-compliant outcome tracking available to formal referral partners on request

Institutional pathways

Partner, fund or list with MEM

Dedicated routes for prisons, the MOJ, the NHS, local authorities, funders, commissioners and charitable organisations.

Formal referral partnership

Structured reporting for organisations referring at scale

Dedicated MEM contact for your team
Monthly anonymised outcome reports
Staff briefing session available (in person or remote)
GDPR-compliant data sharing agreement

Enquire about a referral partnership

Pass it on

Share MEM with someone who needs it today

memacademy.org/professionals — bookmark this page and keep the QR on your desk.

Download referral card Open referral toolkit

memacademy.org