- People
- 27/11/2025
Behind the Scenes | Greta Suslaviciute, group class head SSC
From technicians to schedulers and from IT staff to hospitality workers: it takes many hands to keep TU/e running. But who are the people behind the scenes? Cursor puts them in the spotlight. This time: Greta Suslaviciute, cluster head of all group classes at the Student Sports Centre (SSC).
Greta Suslaviciute was born and raised in Lithuania, but she has lived here for eleven years. Less than a year after arriving in the Netherlands, she started working as a group class instructor at the Student Sports Centre (SSC). Since then, she has worked her way up from teaching just one weekly class, to becoming an all-round instructor for nearly all group classes, to cluster head responsible for all SSC group classes.
Alongside her coordinating role, she still teaches classes herself—and very intentionally so. “That combination really adds something. It helps me better understand my instructors, and it makes me more aware of opportunities for improvement.”
What time do you clock in?
“That varies a lot; I definitely don’t have a standard nine-to-five job. If possible, I try to be here at nine. But on Thursdays, for example, I teach until eight in the evening, so I start later on those days.”
“My schedule can also change at the last minute if I’m covering for other instructors. If that’s in the evening or during the weekend, I make up for it at another time.”
What exactly does your job involve?
“I’m the cluster head for the group classes department at the sports center. That includes all the classes in which a group receives instruction from an instructor—except the classes that fall under a sports association. So I’m responsible for things like cycling, all kinds of dance classes from Zumba to hip-hop, BodyPump, different types of yoga, Pilates, aqua hit in the pool, and much more.”
“Each week, just over 30 instructors together teach about 85 group classes. As cluster head, I schedule all these classes, but I also guide and support the group class instructors. I hire new instructors, train them, monitor whether their classes are going well, give them feedback, help them when they run into challenges, and so on. Everything needed to organize the group classes—I’m behind it. I don’t do all of this entirely on my own, of course; I’m supported by one of the instructors, Iker Abin.”
“As cluster head, I’m also involved in collaborating with the rest of the sports center. All clusters meet regularly, including fitness, the sports associations, and the sports café. We discuss what can be improved, but we also brainstorm new ideas. Right now, for example, we’re working on a new initiative to offer active team building activities specifically for TU/e and Fontys students and staff.”
“In addition to that, I usually teach nine fixed classes per week. I teach everything except yoga. I’m a very energetic type, so although I enjoy doing yoga myself, as an instructor I prefer teaching the more active classes. I really turn those into a party.”
How did you end up in this job?
“It was actually very random. When I moved to the Netherlands in 2014, I immediately started taking Zumba classes in the city. That instructor also taught at the Student Sports Centre. Pretty soon she asked me: ‘You’re a good dancer—don’t you want to teach?’”
“So in early 2015 I started as a freelancer at the sports center. At first I mainly taught Zumba and aqua hit, but very quickly that expanded. More hours, but also more different types of classes. I couldn’t teach every sport right away, of course, but I was open to learning everything. I took additional training to improve, and after a year and a half I got a permanent contract.”
“The step from group class instructor to cluster head was really a right-place-right-time situation. By then I was teaching many different classes, so I had a lot of content knowledge, and I had also taken on some coordination tasks for group classes and events. So when the cluster head position became available, management came to me.”
What do you enjoy most about your job?
“The impact we have on our visitors every day. People often come to our classes to get a bit of extra energy. We provide a positive distraction when students are stressed about their studies, or when employees want to unwind after a long day.”
We provide a positive distraction when students are stressed, or when employees want to unwind after a long day
“It’s also great that every day here is different: different classes, different instructors, different visitors with different levels and different energies. It never gets boring.”
And what do you enjoy least?
“Last-minute changes are always difficult—when an instructor can’t make it because of illness or traffic, for example. That can be stressful because I need to act quickly. I always try to find a replacement, but sometimes I have to cancel a class. Nobody likes that, of course. Fortunately, we have a strong team, and we can almost always step in for one another.”
What time do you clock out?
“I usually leave on time to pick up my child from school, except on Thursdays when I have evening classes. And sometimes it varies when I’m covering for other instructors.”
What do you do after you’ve clocked out?
“My hobby basically became my job, because I originally started taking Zumba recreationally, and that’s how I ended up working at the SSC. For a while, it felt like I didn’t have a hobby anymore. But lately I feel again that dancing is truly my passion, so I picked it back up: I now dance bachata and salsa twice a week.”
“I also have a five-year-old, so I spend a lot of my free time with my little one. Just relaxing together. At work I’m so active—people around me all day, music in the background, talking constantly. So it’s extra nice to do absolutely nothing at home.”
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.
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