How National Teams Are Selected

Fabienne Humblot, Belgium/France

To date we have a total of 95 members of the TAP team across France and Belgium.

The first step towards being eligible to apply for the team is to complete Advanced Training. We look for Instructors who are role models for others in their club. They must also have at least 2 programs and be recognized as a true leader in their region by their colleagues. One of the ways to do this is to become a Tribe Coach – these are our angels who help new Instructors to prepare for certification and stay upskilled!

Those interested must also be:

• Versatile, great Instructor/Presenter in a few programs
• Have a great attitude and a team player
• Invested in their own personal development and in the development of the business

Cris Tourinho, Brazil

Our team currently has 77 members. To qualify for the Brazilian team Instructors need to be certified in 3 programs and have completed Advanced Training in at least one program.

In our recruitment process we look at: the 5 Key Elements, what programs we need for the business, that Instructors are showing commitment, living the values, and using learnings from Advanced Training.

My best advice would be: believe in your dreams and always do your best to make them come true!

We believe that living our values and being up to date with the Instructor journey (Initial Training, Certification and Advanced Training) will help you to be closer to achieving this dream!

Daniela Gajardo, Chile

Since our country, Chile, is very small, we are a small team of 5 who do the 3 tasks of the TAP Team: Training, Assessing, and Presenting. Despite being very small, we have a diversity of ages, years of experience and programs. Our greatest achievement is teamwork and maintaining having good working relationships. Between us, we love and respect each other a lot, that's why working together is always a pleasure.

We have Tribe Coaches throughout the country, who will frequently graduate to becoming Trainers. When selecting the team we look at the 5 Key Elements of course, but mainly we are looking for their human qualities – we want good people on the team.

My advice for Instructors who want to join the team would be: never stop training, studying and learning, as this "hunger" is necessary to help you to keep striving to achieve more and be more.

Matt Thraxton, China

The Les Mills China TAP Team is currently 113 strong, consisting of 36 Trainers, 38 Presenters and 39 Assessors. We also look after Taiwan (China), Hong Kong SAR (China) and South Korea, taking the total number to 170.

To apply, you must be a certified Instructor, teaching in a licensed club, and have completed Advanced Training. You will be an outstanding role model at your club, with consistently high-class attendance numbers. High performance in 2-3 programs is preferable. Years of teaching is taken into account, but it is not a pre-requisite. Talent is talent whether you have been teaching 5 years or 5 months. More important is attitude. We are looking for positive, supportive team players that live the Les Mills values and that contribute to the team culture, spirit and our Instructor community.

Potential TAP team members must be up to date with all 4 releases each year and show good attendance (3 out of 4) at Quarterly Workshops. This is to ensure they are up to date with any new innovations in their programs, they stay deeply connected to the essence, and are current with the coaching content and style. Quarterly Workshops are also a talent spotting opportunity where current LMC TAP team may recognize talent and put names forward to the Training Manager.

To apply – it starts by role modelling the 5 Key Elements to a very high standard, and you would need to be outstanding in one or more of those key elements. Connection to the music and the people is a high priority, along with being an inspirational physical role model. Teach in the essence of your program and in a natural and authentic way. Show enjoyment and personality on stage. Be able to react to the room – know when, and how to Connect, Educate and Motivate. Take on board your feedback and show a willingness to improve. We are looking for Presenters that can deliver inspirational and memorable experiences. Be a team player and show support and encouragement to others.

Never give up!

• Matt Thraxton shares his story

Katja Zick, Germany

The TAP TEAM has 106 members: 45 National Trainers, 32 Presenter and 29 Assessors. We recruit annually according to the business needs, programs needs and regions.

For Instructors that would like to apply for the German team, the criteria is to:

• Show a high level of communication and team skills
• Be a personality with a growth mindset
• Create WOW experiences for your participants in your Les Mills Classes, no matter how big your stage is
• Love your Les Mills programs, live our values and you are keen to learn new things
• Completed Advanced Training in your program
• Reach your annual development points in your certified programs
• Be actively teaching at least 2 programs (including certification and subscription to the digital kit subscription)
• Are always open to your next challenge and specifically implement constructive criticism
• Be a role model and Les Mills brand ambassador for members, Instructors and clubs

My advice for Instructors to be REAL and AUTHENTIC. On a casting day you can pretend, but sooner or later – especially in stressful situations - you experience the "real I”…

So in a nutshell: Be YOU.

Marc Downey, India, Middle East, South Africa

The IMEA Team is 42 strong and we have just taken on 5 brand new rookies in South Africa!

We need people that cover the basics well and role model the 5 Key Elements. After that we look at people that have a certain ‘wow factor’; this could be that they are a great connector or they have incredible technique that makes you want to watch them. Some things are easier to coach than others. When you are watching people at auditions or bootcamp they need to keep you engaged. This normally happens when they allow their personality to come through when teaching. This makes them unique and you want to keep watching.

For any Instructors that want to become Presenters – my advice is to have patience. I was teaching for 9 years before being invited to a bootcamp and I know Instructors that have been invited after 1 year. If your agency are not taking people on at the moment then think, “What can I do to put myself in the best position when they recruit again?” The number of years you have been teaching has no bearing. I’ve been playing football longer than Cristiano Ronaldo but he is on a different planet! Take action towards your goals and you will increase your chances of being successful. Team teach with local Trainers, send videos in for feedback and most importantly remember WHY you do what you do. Having this anchor will keep you focused on what is important to you and this is where you will get the most growth.

Brigitte Siera, The Netherlands

Our team has 55 Trainer/Presenters. Anybody can apply as long as they are certified, attending the Quarterly Workshops, preferably be a Tribe Coach and have attended Advanced Training. We select based on people having the “X” factor and being a role model for their program as well as having a real passion for fitness and the team.

Tauvaga Siolo, New Zealand

In New Zealand we currently have 28 Trainers and Presenters on our team, and we recruit annually. To apply, we have a two phase process. In the first phase, instructors submit 3 tracks from their two primary programs (we have a 2 program minimum here in NZ) and a short blurb on why they should be selected for the TAP team.

Our criteria at the first stage is to observe mastery in the first 3 Key Elements with moments of authentic connection and performance coming through.

Phase 2 is then to bring the successful candidates to Live Auditions. We carry these out in the 4 major centres in New Zealand. The criteria here is to bring absolutely everything they have to the presentation – incredible connection with the music, movement and participants – and deliver outstanding performance.

In 2019, out of 60 applicants, we took 4 on to the team. It’s incredibly tough and expectation is high.

My advice to those aspiring to be on the TAP team would be, to strive to be the best at what you do. In other words; what evidence can you produce that shows that you are at the top of your game? Are you packing out your classes? Do people line up to come and experience your delivery? Do you have a special talent or quality – whatever that may be – that you can use to help inspire and lead our Instructor market?

Our business needs leaders that can inspire, educate, and grow our Instructor tribe through amazing performances and sessions at the Quarterly Workshops.

I feel the pressure here is enormous – Les Mills started here in NZ and it’s all eyes on us! It is truly our responsibility to be the example for global excellence. Are we there? Not yet. Hand on heart, there’s a lot of work to do but we are committed to the vision. And we continue to strive to help grow and do our part to lift the wider Les Mills Tribe globally by holding ourselves to the very highest standard!

Mathilda Björck, The Nordics

The current Nordic TAP team are 88 in total: 67 Trainers (including 2 Trainees) and the Assessor team are mainly also Trainers but 21 are purely doing Assessments.

Any Instructor can apply or show interest but they have to have completed AIM or Advanced Training. I’m always interested of knowing about Instructors who have the goal to become a Trainer or Presenter.

What I’m looking for when searching for potential trainee candidates are drive and passion for Les Mills Program, the right mindset and focus, presenting skills, and personality. You must be a good ambassador for the Les Mills brand in all interactions with members, Instructors and clubs.

My advice is: attend and complete Advanced Training, participate in events to show yourself and get the experience of standing on a bigger stage, and after that send me an application!

Luis Cerca, Portugal

The current team sits at 44 members.

My advice to Instructors who want to join the team is: first, it´s important to do Advanced Training. Then be sure that you are available to work several weekends. Finally, be committed to being brave, wait for opportunities and to be always learning and improving.

When selecting new members we look at: number of programs Instructors have, if they have done Advanced Training and the needs of programs within the team. The most important thing at recruitment is whether Instructors will fit into the culture. We want people who love what they do, are willing to contribute and believe that as one tribe, being brave, we can truly change the world.

Kirill Ivanov, Russia

In the Russian team, we have 35 Trainers who also work as Assessors and 1 Presenter.

Les Mills in Russia is now actively growing, and the number of people in the team depends on the number of club partners of Les Mills.

In the near future, we are planning to increase the number of Trainers and Presenters in the team.

We are often asked what needs to be done to become a member of the team?

• The most important thing is not just getting Presenter status but having a desire to develop as professional Trainer and develop Les Mills in their region.
• The Instructor must attend all Quarterly Workshops and pass Advanced training.
• The Instructor must be proficient in the 5 Key Elements, as well as demonstrate the skills gained in Advanced training.

Sarah Durnford, UK

The UK team is comprised of 85 Trainers/Presenters, plus 30 extra Assessors.

In order to be considered for the team, Instructors must have completed the whole Instructor journey (including Advanced Training) and be an engaged member of our tribe attending upskills/events/Quarterly Workshops etc.

The selection is done on quality, we would use the Advanced Training criteria as a basis for measurement and individuals would need to excel and bring the ‘wow factor’ in these criteria and be an inspirational role model in their technique. There are occasions that we have specific program needs but the quality always comes first.

I often get asked about “how to get onto the team” and I will always add into the response the importance of staying focused on enjoying what you do (even if you are driven to achieve this specific goal), being committed to being the best you can be in your own authentic way; try not to compare yourself to others and share your enjoyment/passion with your class members – this will then shine through in your teaching.

Take time to reflect and review yourself from filming your teaching, remember to celebrate and acknowledge your great strengths/superpowers as an Instructor and set a clear 1-2 action/development points that will make the biggest difference to your class experience.

Rachael Babiracki, US

The US TAP team sits at around 220-250 Trainers, Assessors and Presenters. Currently in the US we have stipulated that anyone interested in becoming a TAP member must be at a minimum of Advanced/AIM trained standard in their program.

The recruitment process is very much business driven with program needs being the main factor. We then recruit to ensure we are as diverse as possible, giving all an opportunity to shine regardless of sex, age, race or religion. We feel that it is important to be able to represent all in our regions and across the US. We are always looking for the “right people” with the “right talent”. Attitude x Ability = Performance! Team culture is important for this Team so we look to recruit, train, develop and retain Instructors with the right mindset, who are in it for the right reasons.

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