Author: Tegan

22:20:20 GMT • 22 January 2025

How much does a painter and decorator earn?

5 September 2023

•

8 mins read

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Tradespeople are in demand across the UK right now, so it’s no surprise that many people want to know ‘how much does a painter and decorator make?’. Whether working in domestic, commercial or industrial settings, becoming a painter and decorator could help you earn very good money, once you’ve got the right experience in place. But what is the scale of your potential in this industry?

This guide takes an in-depth look at how much painters and decorators can earn in the UK. We’ll look at typical salaries for different levels of experience, how much you could potentially make through a self–employed painter and decorator hourly rate, and what you can do to maximise your earning power.

What is a typical painter and decorator salary in the UK?

The amount that you could earn as a painter and decorator varies substantially, depending on a number of different factors, perhaps the biggest of which is your level of experience. We’ve used figures from Checkatrade research to underline what you can expect to get at different stages of your career – and highlight how your earnings could ramp up over time:

If you’re an apprentice

Typical salary: £6.40 per hour (£11,238 per year)

Typical earnings for a painting and decorating apprentice come in at £6.40 an hour, or £51.20 for an eight-hour day. This equates to an annual salary of £11,238, and the good news here is that this is below the income tax threshold, so you would only be liable to make some small payments towards National Insurance. As a result, you can expect to take home £10,869 a year, which is just over £900 a month – a decent amount with which to combine your studies and training.

If you’ve just qualified

Typical salary: £9.50 per hour (£16,682 per year)

Once you’ve got your basic qualifications in place, you’ll start off somewhere around the National Living Wage level, which varies slightly depending on your age. Typically, you can expect to earn around £9.50 an hour, which means £76 a day. This generates a pre-tax salary of £16,682 per annum, which comes down to £14,837 once tax and National Insurance have been deducted. This is just under £1,250 a month take-home, but as you gain experience and a good reputation, your earnings should increase quite quickly.

If you’re employed full-time

Typical salary: £16.50 per hour (£34,320 per year)

Once you’re settled into full-time employment with a painting and decorating firm, you should be able to attract a decent wage. According to Checkatrade, typical earnings for an experienced, employed painter and decorator are £16.50 per hour, or £132 per day. This would generate a pre-tax annual salary of £34,320, which is a good chunk above the national average salary. Your net earnings would be £26,831, for a take-home of more than £2,200 per month.

If you’re self-employed as a sole trader

Typical salary: £37 per hour (£54,576 per year)

If you decide to branch out and start your own painting and decorating business as a sole trader, then the earning proposition is very different. How much you earn will be dictated by how much you charge as your hourly rate, minus any business expenses you incur, from fuel and transport to materials and safety gear.

A typical self-employed painter and decorator hourly rate is £37, which translates to £296 for an eight-hour day and £54,576 a year. Once expenses, tax, and National Insurance have been deducted, you should still be left with around £36,000, or £3,000 a month take-home.

If you run a limited company

Typical salary: £48 per hour (£70,802 per year)

How much you earn running a limited company depends on whether you’re still doing the work yourself, or whether you’re employing someone to do it for you and taking a management role instead. For the purposes of simplicity, we’ll assume the former here.

The average hourly rate that a limited company would charge for painting and decorating services is £48, which works out at £384 a day. This means you could generate £70,802 a year. However, in addition to expenses and your own tax and National Insurance, you’ll also have to pay corporation tax. What you end up with as your net earnings is therefore highly variable, but within reason, your earning power is unlimited!

Ways to improve your earnings

If you want to push those figures up a notch, or you’re thinking that they may be a little low for your personal financial needs or expectations, then there’s plenty you can do to make more money out of the profession. None of them will necessarily make a huge difference, but all are good ‘marginal gains’ that can help you improve your earnings incrementally:

Get more qualifications

When the public are looking for a self-employed painter and decorator, they want maximum confidence that they’re working with the right person for the job. The best way to convince them of your abilities is to gain more qualifications at more advanced levels: ideally, you should adopt a continuous approach to education and constantly be on the lookout for new skills and techniques.

Specialise your offering and skills

If you want to stand out in a competitive marketplace, then pursuing some specialist skills and types of painting and decorating can help. It will give you a niche that not many of your competitors will offer, and also may allow you to charge a premium. This could be anything from particular types of paints and materials, to heritage conservation or commercial premises.

Expand and move yourself into admin

As mentioned above, if you’re experienced and operating as a limited company, you could move into a management and admin role. This means you’ll be involved in quotes, estimates, contract management, design, sales and materials procurement, and you’ll be employing other people to do the actual painting and decorating for you. If you’re employed by someone else, you may find that larger firms also have their own openings for these types of roles.

Raise your rates

Perhaps the simplest way to generate more income is to put your prices up. Far from being an opportunity to grab more cash, many businesses have had to do so to counteract their own rising costs, but this still ensures a greater level of profitability. Raising rates should be done with caution, though: you don’t want to go too far and price yourself out of the market relative to your local competitors.

Look for cost savings

If you don’t feel you can put your prices up, then the best alternative is to look at ways at bringing your costs down. Naturally, you don’t want to compromise in quality of goods or services, but there may well be some efficiencies in your business processes. Think along the lines of more economical transport, using tools and equipment for longer before replacing, or even bringing a packed lunch instead of buying food on the go.

Explore tax efficiencies

If you operate as a limited company, then work with a good-quality accountant, who will be able to advise on ways for you to minimise your tax liabilities within the boundaries of the law. For example, you may be able to reduce your income tax and National Insurance liabilities by paying yourself a small salary and the rest in business dividends. See our limited company tax guide for more details.

Protect yourself against claims

One of the biggest impacts your earnings might face is if you have to deal with a claim for compensation. This could be because you’ve accidentally damaged some customer property, not completed work to the expected standard, or an employee who works for you has got hurt on the job. You should always make sure you’re insulated against these major expenses.

Affordable painter and decorator insurance from Protectivity

At Protectivity, we provide affordable tradesman public liability insurance which is specialist cover for small businesses, sole traders and self-employed trades people.

Our policies include public liability as standard with the option to add employers’ liability if you hire other people and all-risk insurance which can include a combination of plant and tools cover and contractors works insurance. That way, when unforeseen circumstances occur, you and your business won’t end up out of pocket.

Starting from just £4.16 a month, our cover represents a minimal business expense but could potentially save you thousands of pounds in the long run. We now also offer specialist tools cover to protect your tools and equipment.

Take two minutes today to take a closer look at our painter and decorator insurance policies.

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11:36:43 GMT • 12 February 2025

How to become a nail technician

24 August 2023

•

9 mins read

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If you love keeping your nails healthy and making them look fantastic, then there’s a career opportunity waiting for you as a professional nail technician.

As with most beauty treatments nowadays, there is huge demand for qualified, professional nail technicians to sell their services and add some shimmer to clients’ hands and feet. However, in order to make the most of the opportunity, there’s plenty to learn, do and understand, whether you want to work for yourself or for someone else.

In this guide, we’ll cover all the basics you need to know around how to become a nail technician. You’ll read about what it involves, the qualification and training that you need, your potential earnings, how to go about starting a nail technician business, and much more.

What is a nail technician and what do they do?

A nail technician delivers all kinds of different treatments to the fingernails, thumbnails and toenails of their clients. These can include treatments to keep them healthy, such as grooming cuticles, removing dead skin and even massaging the arms and legs to promote overall health in that part of the body. And it also includes more style-based, beauty treatments such as manicures, pedicures, nail art, and the application and removal of nail polish and false nails.

Other responsibilities that nail technicians are required to undertake include:

Giving advice on nail care and advising on possible courses of action

Conduct repairs for broken or damaged nails (more on this below)

Ensure that the skin and areas around the nails are in good condition

Use chemicals and other substances correctly, safely and in accordance with relevant regulation

Keep tools and equipment, as well as working environments, clean and sanitised so as to minimise the risk of accident or infection

What qualifications do I need to be a nail technician?

First of all, it’s important to state that there is no formal legal requirement to possess a qualification and offer nail technician services professionally. However, it can make a major difference to your employability, or your attractiveness to clients as a freelancer, so gaining some proper credentials is strongly recommended.

There are many different colleges and education bodies around the UK that offer nail technician training courses, but one way to train and earn at the same time is to take on an apprenticeship. Here, you’ll be able to work in a salon and learn some of the basics of the job in a real-world environment, while doing the academic study parts of the qualification alongside.

If you can reach level 3 of your apprenticeship, then you will have gained:

All the key skills and trends to provide a wide range of nail-related services

An understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements of the job

The preparation and knowledge to start your own nail technician business

From this, you can then go on to explore some specialist nail technician courses which can help you stand out from the crowd and expand your offering. These can include (and are by no means limited to) manicures and pedicures, acrylic nails, fibreglass and gel extensions, and nail art.

What tools and equipment do I need?

Obviously, you’ll need some nail varnish and paints, and suitable brushes! However, there are lots of other pieces of equipment you’ll need, such as clippers, files, glue, sanitisers, buffers and cuticle oil. You’ll also need to consider some clean, professional clothing, as well as any protection you might need to keep your hair out of the way.

Furthermore, you should make sure you have the right environment for giving treatments, so that both you and the client are comfortable, and so you don’t make any mistakes. A sturdy table and chairs are a must, while you should also look at mirrors and portable lighting so that you can easily see what you’re doing at all times.

Can nail technicians fix broken nails?

With the right skills and training, yes. Nail repairs are one of the most common reasons that clients come to a professional nail technician, making it a potentially lucrative channel of profitability for those who are able to do it to a high standard.

Repairs can either be carried out using a special gel to fill the crack, nail glue to put the two cracked sides back together, or through localised reapplication in the case of acrylic nails.

It’s vital to get some good training and qualifications in repairing broken nails, so that employers and clients can get the job done right. If you make any errors, then it can be disruptive (and painful!) for the client.

How much do nail technicians make?

There is quite a wide range of potential earnings when it comes to nail technicians, and that’s because there are many different factors at play. Firstly, you’ll be able to command greater salaries (or charge higher rates if you’re self-employed) if you have plenty of experience and a good reputation in your local area.

Additionally, the part of the country you live in may increase your salary potential (for example, if you live in London or the south-east), but this can often be counterbalanced by higher living costs. And then there’s expenses to consider: many freelance nail technicians wanting to operate from salons will have to pay for chair rental, which will eat into profit margins.

Overall, according to the National Careers Service, annual salaries for full-time employed nail technicians’ range between £15,500 for younger newcomers, up to £25,000 for older and more experienced technicians at high-end spas. If operating on a self-employed basis, then rates per treatment range between £15 to £35, before any business expenses are taken into account. Which leads nicely onto the next section…

How do I start my own nail technician business?

If you’d prefer to be your own boss, or you want to progress long-term after starting out in a salon, then you have the opportunity to set up your own nail technician business. This means that your earning potential is theoretically limitless, but there are plenty of considerations and expenses to take into account, too:

Business model

Firstly, you’ll need to decide how your business is going to operate. For example, do you want to freelance out of a salon and pay for chair rental, or do you want to go it alone and provide services yourself? The former option is the simplest from a business admin point of view, but can come with the substantial expense of the chair rental. The latter gives you more flexibility, although it requires an important decision to be made in the next point…

Place of treatment delivery

Where are you going to be providing your nail treatment services? If you want to set up your own salon (and are unable or unwilling to do so from their own home), then you’ll need to find and pay for suitable business premises. Alternatively, you could set yourself up as a mobile nail technician, and travel to clients’ homes: compared to many types of beauty treatment, nail work doesn’t require lots of big, heavy kit, making it more viable as a mobile operation.

Company arrangements

Whichever of the options above you choose, you’ll need to decide the status of your business in legal and taxation terms. The easiest way (especially if freelancing alone) is to set yourself up as a sole trader; however, in this situation, any debts you incur will have to be settled through your personal finances. While a limited company can take more administration and be more expensive to set up, it does give you some financial protection, especially if you go on to employ other nail technicians in the future.

Overheads and transportation

Any prices and rates you set (whether on a per-treatment or an hourly basis) need to account for the fact that you will incur expenses in many different areas. These can include premises, transport, products, tools, equipment, health and safety provision, heating, lighting, water, Internet and business administration. You’ll also have to bear in mind that you’ll need to pay income tax and National Insurance on the earnings you make, as well as Corporation Tax if you operate as a limited company.

Insurance and employing staff

If you’re really successful with your nail technician business, then you’ll be able to expand by hiring staff to work for you. This multiplies the amount of clients and treatments that you’ll be able to offer, but also comes with an extra layer of requirements and expenses. As well as paying your staff a fair wage, you’ll also need to make Employer’s National Insurance contributions. In addition, it’s a legal requirement to have employer’s liability insurance in place, so that you’re protected against a claim in the event of your employee suffering an accident or injury in the course of their work.

Affordable nail technician insurance from Protectivity

If you’re branching out as a self-employed nail technician, or you’re setting up a nail technician business, then it’s important to be sure you have the correct insurance cover in place.

Protectivity’s specialist nail technician policy covers you in case unexpected incidents occur where a claim is made against you. Our insurance includes public liability, products liability, equipment and stock, employers’ liability, personal accident and much more. That way, you can grow your business with confidence and avoid costly claims that could seriously damage your finances.

Take two minutes today to explore our affordable and flexible nail technician insurance policies.

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15:47:51 GMT • 13 November 2024

Best personal trainer courses

22 August 2023

•

8 mins read

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If you’ve got an enthusiasm for health and fitness, and you love helping others, then becoming a personal trainer may well stand out as a career option for you. But there’s far more to it than putting your kit on and encouraging your clients to push themselves on – and that’s why you need to get qualified, ideally from one of the best personal trainer courses around.

In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at the best personal trainer courses around and the options available to you. We’ll cover the importance of the level 3 personal trainer courses accredited by CIMSPA, the alternative options for getting yourself qualified, and a selection of Britain’s leading personal trainer course providers.

Why are personal trainer courses so important?

There is no hard and fast legal requirement to be qualified in order to become a professional personal trainer. However, you’ll find it extremely difficult to progress your career to any meaningful level.

Gyms and other fitness businesses that want to hire full-time or part-time personal trainers will want to know that they’re hiring someone that’s up to the job. If you don’t already have extensive experience and references, then your list of qualifications will be the first thing on your CV that they’ll look at. Without much to show in that area, you’re unlikely to get a foot in the door.

The same principle applies if you want to work as a self-employed personal trainer. Clients spending their hard-earned money on a private or group training session will be looking for someone with the right credentials.

Courses and qualifications will continue to play an important role throughout your career. As you gain more experience, you can look at the best personal trainer courses which allow you to specialise your skills, and explore niche areas where you can differentiate your business model and earn more revenue.

CIMSPA level 3 personal trainer courses

The baseline of personal trainer qualifications is the level 3 personal trainer course, accredited by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity. Because you’ll have to work your way through levels 1 and 2 before you can achieve level 3, by the time you get to the end of the process you’ll have all the key skills and knowledge you’ll need to operate professionally.

The level 3 personal trainer course normally covers seven key areas: biology, nutrition, healthcare, communication, planning, administration and self-improvement. That way, you’ll not only learn how to deliver sessions, but also cover important functions from a business perspective. You can find out more on the CIMSPA level 3 personal trainer courses in our guide.

Other personal trainer course options

While the level 3 personal trainer course is very important, it is by no means the be-all and end-all. For example, you can then go on to take level 4 qualifications in different specific skills, such as strength & conditioning, nutrition or yoga. But this is only part of the story.

Other course types you can explore include (but are by no means limited to):

Continuous Professional Development (CPD): while this isn’t a specific qualification, it is a process which allows you to keep developing and improving your knowledge throughout your career. If you’re working for someone full-time, you should explore any CPD programmes that they’re running, while you may find that some private course packages contain CPD opportunities, too.

Gym chain courses: many of the leading gym chains and businesses around the UK have their own corporate training and development programmes. You may well find that you gain some formally recognised qualifications along the way, especially if you’re starting out through an apprenticeship. However, you should remain aware that any of the chain-specific qualifications you gain here might not be valued as highly (or even be considered) by other companies if you’re looking for alternative employment in the future.

Online courses: the advance of the internet and the move towards flexible and hybrid working means that it’s far more viable these days to gain some personal trainer qualifications online. But if you decide to try an online course, check the requirements very carefully: it’s likely that you’ll still need to travel for in-person learning and assessments at some point, and you’ll need to make sure you can reach the location in question.

The best personal trainer courses around

There are countless personal trainer courses all over the UK for you to explore, so it’d be impossible to list them all here! Instead, we’ve picked out some of the best personal trainer courses in the country, which should act as your first port of call if you want tuition and support of the highest quality:

Study Active

Study Active takes a largely online-based approach to learning, but with all the mentoring and support that you’d expect of an in-person course. It combines a range of resources, webinars, tutorials and practical workshops, available on a flexible basis that allows you to fit your training alongside any work or family commitments you might have.

As well as personal training, Study Active can also help you learn gym instruction, nutrition, physical activity, lifestyle, mental health awareness and more. But one of the stand-out features of Study Active is that they’ll continue to give you advice in translating your qualifications into careers, and can even help connect you to available entry-level roles.

OriGym

OriGym is arguably the biggest personal training course provider in the UK, tutoring the best part of 10,000 people every year. It offers an excellent blend of online and physical learning, thanks to a wide range of digital resources and a nationwide network of lecturers and trainers.

Everyone who works for OriGym is a qualified professional themselves, meaning you’re learning from people who have had to pick up the same expertise themselves along the way. And if you’re worried about the financial strain that your course represents, don’t panic: you’ll get free resits on both theory and practical exams if you need a second bite at the cherry.

HFE

If you want all or most of your personal training course to be delivered in person, then HFE is a good place to start. They can provide study and learning facilities at more than 30 locations all over the country, and their personal training courses are fully CIMSPA-approved.

You can augment your in-person training with access to digital resources if you so wish, while its CV Connect programme gives you a chance to get your foot in the door with prospective employers when you graduate.

AMAC Training

AMAC Training is built on a friendly approach that understands the needs of those wanting to get personal training qualifications. They produce all their courses and learning resources themselves, and focus solely on personal training and gym instruction through a tuition team who have all picked up their own credentials. AMAC also offers financial support in the form of Advanced Learner Loans, backed by the Education & Skills Funding Agency, to make learning more accessible for everyone.

Future Fit

Future Fit is one of the longest-established and most respected providers of personal training courses in the country. They’ve been training people throughout the health and fitness industry for more than three decades, and are able to provide personal training and gym instructor courses up to Level 4.

If you want to branch out and specialise your skills, then they could well be the provider for you. They offer a large number of advanced courses, including sports massage, pilates, strength & conditioning, and much more. And with both hybrid learning options and flexible payment available, the training can very much work the way you work.

Get personal trainer insurance with Protectivity

Whether you’re starting out working full-time as a personal trainer, or decide to go down the self-employed route, you’ll quickly learn that the unexpected can and will happen.

This is where Protectivity’s personal trainer insurance can help you. Our comprehensive policies make sure that if you’re hit by unforeseen circumstances beyond your control, you don’t end up out of pocket. A combination of personal liability, public liability, equipment cover and more can give you the confidence to grow your business, while you can also get the legally-required employer’s insurance if you go on to hire your own staff.

Our personal trainer insurance can give you confidence you’re covered for just a few pounds a month, so take some time today to explore your options in more detail.

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15:54:03 GMT • 13 November 2024

How to become a painter and decorator

17 August 2023

•

10 mins read

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My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

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Have you ever wondered how to become a painter and decorator? If you love making interiors look great, applying some flair and creativity, and working out and about rather than in an office, it could be the career for you. And at a time when demand for good tradespeople continues to outstrip supply, it’s a chance for you to potentially earn some really good money in the long-term. But if you’ve never explored painting and decorating as a career option before, where do you start?

This guide tells you all you need to know about how to become a painter and decorator. You’ll discover your day-to-day duties, the qualifications and skills you’ll need, how much you could potentially earn, and what you need to consider when setting up a business.

What does a painter and decorator do?

The range of duties and jobs that professional painters and decorators are hired for is huge. That’s because every home and building is different, and every client has different ideas about what they’d like to see.

First of all, when looking at how to become a painter and decorator, it’s important to remember that the job isn’t just restricted to people’s homes. The same services are just as in demand in commercial settings like shops, and in industrial environments like offices. This is good news for you as it gives you the opportunity to differentiate your skills and business, and stand out more from the competition in your area.

From a more practical, day-to-day perspective, your responsibilities may include some or all of the following:

Mixing paint and applying it to walls, ceilings and other materials

Applying primer or undercoat

Carrying out repairs to surface, such as filling cracks

Pasting and applying wallpaper

Stripping old surfaces for new substances to be applied

Surveying and measuring environments, both for quotation and to determine the quantity of materials required

What qualifications do I need to be a painter and decorator?

Technically speaking, there is no legal requirement to become a painter and decorator. However, it’s strongly recommended that you get some formal training and qualifications behind you. Without them, it will be extremely difficult to get a job with a decorating business, which will want concrete evidence of your capabilities. Similarly, if going down the self-employed route, then customers will be more likely to trust you if they can see any reliable credentials of your skills.

The good news is that there is a wide variety of courses and qualifications you can take to get the certification you need. Perhaps one of the most common is the Painting and Decorating NVQ, starting at Level 1. This initial course gives you theoretical and practical experience of using the right materials, best practice in health and safety, the range of products available to you, and being able to mix and apply paints, varnish and sanding.

From this, you can move onto Level 2, which brings in paint and surface preparation, up-to-date techniques, and further information around business and customer management. Level 3 takes these skills to the next level and allows you to gain a Gold Advanced Craft Card, which stands you out as a highly competent painter and decorator.

Alternatively, you can go down the City & Guilds route, starting with the Basic Wallpapering course. From this you can take the Intermediate and Advanced Painting & Decorating courses, and gradually build up the knowledge and practical skills that you need over time.

Some of the courses available do have the option for online learning, but it’s important to check what the facilities are for practical training in your area.

How long does it take to become a qualified painter and decorator?

This depends on the type of courses you take, and whether you’re learning full-time or gaining your qualifications on-the-job. Using NVQs as an example, in most vocational professions it generally takes between one and two years to reach Level 3 from a standing start.

You may find some colleges and training providers offer ‘intensive’ training that allows you to gain qualifications in much shorter timeframes. However, you should never neglect the value of practical experience: you’ll never stop learning as a painter and decorator, and practice will ultimately make perfect!

What skills do I need to be a painter and decorator?

First and foremost, painting and decorating is a practical and hands-on job, so you’ll need to be good with your hands! Perhaps just as importantly, you’ll need to have a strong work ethic: you may well be required to work outdoors, in difficult conditions, and sometimes at unsociable hours like evenings and weekends.

One skill set you might not associate with the profession – but can be a real differentiator – is computer proficiency. That’s because the planning of painting and decorating is becoming increasingly digitised, with digital colour charts and paint mixing apps taking some of the guesswork out of the job. So, if you’re good with computers, it can add another useful line to your CV. Painting and decorating also requires a decent level of mathematical skills, so that you can work out quantities of materials, and formulate quotations.

If you intend to work on building sites at any time, then it will also be a legal requirement for you to gain a Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) card.

What tools and equipment do I need?

You’ve probably already worked out that you’re going to need paint, brushes and rollers if you’re going to be a painter and decorator. But that’s only a small amount of the equipment that you’ll need. Other equipment and tools required includes (and is not necessarily limited to):

Trays for brushes and rollers, and materials for cleaning them

Dustsheets and other measures for protecting items from paint damage

Sandpaper and other abrasive items that help prepare areas for decoration

Stanley knives, spirit levels and stepladders

Suitable clothing and footwear that will keep you clean and safe

A first-aid kit in case of an accident or injury

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and you may have further requirements depending on the environment you’re working in. For example, on a building site, steel-capped boots and a hard hat will be mandatory, even if the work you’re doing isn’t especially dangerous or heavy-duty.

If you’re taking a job with a professional decorating firm, make sure you check in advance how much equipment is going to be provided. Some may lay on everything you need, while others may expect you to bring some of your own stuff with you.

How much can painters and decorators make?

The range of potential earnings on offer for professional painters and decorators is substantial, and there are two main reasons for this. The first is that the public is willing to pay a premium for access to good-quality workmanship with an excellent reputation, especially as skilled tradespeople are in particularly short supply at present. The second is that your earning power is potentially limitless if you’re self-employed or run your own business, rather than earning a fixed salary working for someone else.

According to the National Careers Service, a full-time employed painter and decorator can expect to earn anywhere between £17,000 and £32,000 a year, depending on location and experience. But if you’re running your own business, your rates (minus expenses and overheads) are up to you, meaning your earnings can increase by a substantial margin.

Business formation

Firstly, you should decide the legal status of your business, and there are two main options open to you. The first (and simplest) is to operate as a sole trader, which is preferable if you’re intending to work on your own. This means that your income and expenditure is directly tied to your own personal finances, and are assessed for tax when you fill out your Self-Assessment every year. But there is a downside: if you fall into debt, including if a claim for compensation is made against you, then you are personally liable for the bill. In the worst case scenario, your home could be at risk if you have no other way of settling the bill.

The safer, but slightly more complex option, is to set yourself up as a limited company. This means you have a degree of separation between your business finances (operated through a business bank account) and your own affairs. It also means that any debts are the responsibility of the business rather than you personally. This can make things much clearer from an operational point of view if your business will be relatively complicated, and especially if you intend to hire other people to work for you.

Setting prices and rates

The next step is to work out how much you intend to charge per hour for your services, and there are two defining factors at play here. The first is how much other firms in your area charge: you may want to charge a little less to attract business to begin with, but this will naturally limit your potential profitability.

The second consideration is your expenses, from your wages and earnings, through transport to different sites, to the materials, tools and equipment you need to do the job. When you quote for different jobs, it’s vital you take materials into account as well as labour, so that there is a decent amount left over for yourself.

Marketing and promotion

Your ideal starting point for marketing your services is to set up a simple website that details your skills and services, and link it to some social media platforms on which people can find you and enquire. However, don’t neglect the usefulness of more traditional forms of marketing: flyers, posters and adverts in your local newspapers are still often relied upon by people looking for reliable tradespeople.

Legal and insurance

When you run a business, you’ll be required to comply with a range of different legal frameworks, health and safety perhaps being one of the most important. But there are others to take into account, too, especially if you’re employing other people: you’ll need to pay Employer’s National Insurance, and take out a tradesman insurance policy that encompasses cover for employees. In any case, covering your business with specific painter and decorator insurance is always a good idea, given the potential for an accident or incident that can be disruptive and expensive.

Affordable painter and decorator insurance from Protectivity

Even the best and most experienced painters and decorators get things wrong at times – nobody is perfect, after all! The only problem is that from a business perspective, mistakes, incidents and accidents can become expensive.

At Protectivity, we provide affordable painter and decorator insurance cover specialising in small businesses. Our policies include public liability, products liability, commercial legal protection, and employers’ liability if you hire other people. That way, when unforeseen circumstances occur, you and your business won’t end up out of pocket. We now also offer insurance for your tools to help protect you should they be stolen or damaged.

Take two minutes today to take a closer look at our painter and decorator insurance policies.

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22:14:33 GMT • 22 January 2025

How to become a massage therapist

15 August 2023

•

7 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

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Have you ever considered how to become a massage therapist, and how to turn your skilled hands and passion for care into a career opportunity? Whether working full-time or on a self-employed basis, massage therapy could be your way to do a job that you love – and potentially earn a good living at the same time.

If you want to know how to become a massage therapist, then this guide is the perfect place to start. We’ll give you all the key information you need to know: the qualifications and skills you need to be successful, how much you could potentially earn, and how to go about setting up your own massage therapy business.

Why is massage therapy so popular?

Massage therapy is being used by more and more people, hence the rise in opportunities to make it a career. The range of massages that can be administered is huge, including sports massages that help muscles and joints, shiatsu that undoes any knots and stresses, and Swedish massages that reduce tension.

The physical benefits of massage therapy are well-known, but at a time when people’s mental wellbeing is in sharper focus, massages are increasingly being used to help the mind as well as the body. Being able to relax for a period of time, and remove all the strains and pains from the body, can make a huge difference to a person’s mood and character.

What does a massage therapist do?

Obviously, the core of your role as a massage therapist will be to deliver massages of the highest possible standard, and help your clients get the best possible results. But that’s only one part of the job.

There’s a lot of planning that goes into effective massage therapy and treatment. You’ll need to identify the areas of the body which need the most attention, and work out the best way to apply your hands to good effect. Within this, you may need to speak with the client to identify their needs and objectives, and potentially explore their lifestyle, diet and medical records as part of your planning.

Your business administration tasks will include keeping client records up-to-date; maintaining clear communication with clients before, during and after therapy; and referring clients to other medical professionals if you feel that they need further help. Connected to this, you may also be required to give advice to clients on how to maintain good physical and mental wellbeing in their day-to-day lives.

What qualifications does a massage therapist need?

While it’s true to say that it isn’t a legal requirement to get massage therapy qualifications, you’ll find it very difficult to progress your career without them. Businesses hiring massage therapists will be looking for your qualifications on your CV before pretty much everything else, while clients searching for self-employed massage therapists will want concrete proof of your credentials.

The good news is that you don’t need to commit the time and money of getting a degree to obtain the qualifications that you need. Instead, you can take more vocational courses like the International Massage Diploma, or a course certified for Continuous Professional Development (CPD). You can also explore options like a BTEC in Advanced Clinical and Sports Massage, as well as advanced vocational courses which can allow you to get trained in specific massage techniques and specialisms.

If you’re looking for an alternative that can allow you to work and train at the same time, then there may well be massage therapy apprenticeships available to you, too.

How long does it take to qualify as a massage therapist?

How long is a piece of string? There are so many different qualifications that there’s no fixed timeframe you should devote to becoming qualified. Certainly, you should expect to take anywhere between one and three years to get your credentials up to a good standard for a professional. However, you should never stop learning: there are always new techniques, opportunities and specialisms to explore, so in theory, your work to get qualified should be a constant process throughout your career.

How much do massage therapists earn?

There’s no hard and fast rule about how much you can earn as a qualified professional massage therapist. That’s because your location, level of experience, and specialist areas of expertise will all influence your earning potential. There’s also a substantial difference between working full-time for an employer, and working for yourself on a self-employed basis.

As a general rule, a full-time employed massage therapist can expect to earn around £30,000 a year, although this can be higher if you have specialisms or skills that are relatively rare or in high demand. If you work for yourself, then theoretically your earning power is limitless, depending on the hours you’re willing to work, the rates that you charge, the amount you lose to tax and expenses, and how well you market yourself.

How do I start my own massage therapy business?

If you decide to go down the self-employed route, then you’ll also have plenty of business-related duties to take on, in order to maximise your profitability and comply with rules and regulations. These include (and are not necessarily limited to):

Business type

You’ll first need to work out whether you want to operate as a sole trader or register as a limited company. While the limited company option is a little bit more complex from an administration perspective, it does give you separation between your personal finances and those of your business operation. If you run into debt or you face a substantial liability, this can give you extra protection and ensure that your home or other assets don’t end up at risk.

Rates and expenses

It’s vital to strike the right balance with the fees you charge your clients. You’ll need to take into account how much you want to earn, and how much you’re paying out in your business overheads and expenses. But you’ll also have to consider how competitive your rates are against other massage therapy businesses in your area, and avoid pricing yourself too cheap – or too expensive.

Marketing

It’s vital to get your name and your unique selling point out there, especially in a relatively saturated market like massage therapy. While social media and online promotion will play a big part, don’t overlook physical methods of advertising, such as leaflets, flyers, business cards and advertising your local paper. You should also try to leave marketing materials in places relevant to your specialism (e.g. at leisure centres if you offer sports massages).

Insurance

Insurance is strongly recommended for any small business – and if you employ anyone else to work for you, then having employer’s insurance cover is a legal requirement. Even if you provide your massages from home, you may not necessarily be covered under the terms of your home insurance, so it’s always strongly recommended to take out cover that’s specific to the nature of your business. Good cover will also protect the value of your equipment such as massage tables.

Get massage therapy insurance with Protectivity

As with every type of small business, taking out comprehensive insurance cover is crucial, particularly having specialised insurance for massage therapy.

Protectivity’s massage therapy insurance is designed with skilled entrepreneurs like you in mind. Our cover includes public liability insurance of up to £5million, professional indemnity, personal accident, equipment cover, and employers’ liability if you employ other people.

Our policies are available through flexible payment plans giving you peace of mind and the confidence to grow your business. Take a closer look at our massage therapy insurance in more detail today.

Get Massage Therapist Insurance from Protectivity

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16:16:46 GMT • 13 November 2024

How to promote your hair salon

3 August 2023

•

9 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

Get hairdressing insurance from Protectivity

It can be difficult to know how to promote your hair salon. After all, there’s plenty of competition in your marketplace, and it’s a challenge to stand out from the crowd. Repeat business and loyalty counts for a lot, so convincing customers to switch to your salon – even if your offering is top-quality – can take a lot of time and effort. The good news, however, is that it doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money if you apply the right ideas in the right ways.

This guide is full of hair salon promotion ideas, from social media and advertising to ways you can get yourself known in your community. Whatever your promotional budget and however long you’ve been operating your salon, we’ve got ideas that can help you take your business to the next level.

Social media

No doubt you will already have some social media profiles and a good level of community and engagement within them (if you don’t, then this is something you need to address as a priority!). However, it’s important to stretch your horizons beyond your own pages and be proactive in getting involved elsewhere.

For example, being active in local community groups can help you get in front of a wider audience. While many groups don’t allow explicit advertising of services (or at least ask for permission before doing so), there’s nothing wrong with making normal posts in conversations, and benefitting from the name of your business appearing in your username.

Guest posting

The same principle mentioned in the previous point applies to social media pages that relate to your industry. It’s worth getting involved in conversations and threads that are started by industry leaders and influencers, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it gives you the opportunity to learn new trends and techniques, but it also gets you in front of potential customers who are similarly interested in that kind of content. It’s an indirect way of marketing yourself, but costs nothing and can generate substantial benefits further down the line.

Blog and video content

Forward-thinking salons and salon owners are setting up their own channels on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, producing content that potential customers can engage with.

This content often isn’t a direct sales pitch in any way: it could be a masterclass on how customers can care for their hair at home, or on how certain cuts and styles are created. You can later mix up these videos with more overt promotional activities, such as any special offers and events you have planned, once you’ve built up an interested and dedicated audience.

Don’t underestimate the amount of time it can take to develop this content, but also remember that by involving your staff and the customers who visit you, there’s a lot of fun to be had, too.

Charge a fair rate

One way many hair salons attempt to stand out from the competition is to differentiate on price, i.e. charge less than other salons in the area and try to lure customers away. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, where people in general are trying to make savings, this can be an especially attractive proposition.

However, it’s easy to take this too far, and charge rates that are so low that you aren’t making sufficient profit, or you’re so overwhelmed with interest that you end up turning customers away. Ultimately, there’s a balance to be struck between customer value and profitability, so it’s important that you don’t get tempted into selling your skills and abilities short.

Personal branding

We’ve mentioned the idea of leaders and influencers in the beauty and hairdressing industry. What’s stopping you trying to be one yourself?

As a salon owner, you can have just as much success marketing yourself as you can with your business. This is especially the case if you’ve been known in your local area for a long time, and have a reputation for great styling. This puts you in a position where people are more likely to listen to what you have to say, and are more likely to visit a salon that you’ve put your own personal stamp on.

Working to get your face into local media and across your wider customer base can help you build your brand, from which you can then apply the social media and content strategies mentioned above.

Build a community profile

Connected to the previous point, you should also be proactive in getting involved in wider activities in your local community. If there are local carnivals, fairs or street carnivals, for example, then advertise in the programmes, hold hairdressing events on stage and set up a stand where people can come and visit you.

At the time, these activities can often feel that they aren’t worth the effort, because they often don’t translate into direct sales. But don’t underestimate the long-term benefit that these community events can generate: people attending will have you front-of-mind when trying to remember local hair salons, helping you get business instead of your competitors.

Traditional advertising

While social media is an increasingly popular and valuable option in promoting a hair salon, don’t neglect the power of more traditional and physical forms of advertising. Hairdressing is one of those services, similar to painting and decorating, or building work, where people will still look for local newspapers and business directories to find a suitable business. Even placing a poster on a local noticeboard with a special offer can still work wonders in attracting new business.

Market research

The key to traditional advertising (and indeed, several of the other promotional tactics mentioned in this guide) is to know your customer. If you can understand the type of customer that you attract, then you can market to them in the right channels and maximise the effectiveness of your efforts and spending.

For example, if your clientele is generally older, then traditional advertising like local papers and noticeboards will still have some value. Alternatively, a younger demographic means that you’re best off focusing mostly on social media and content. You’ll probably already have a good idea of your customer base from who you see coming into your salon day-to-day. But surveying your existing customers by email can help you get hard evidence on who you serve and how to target them.

Paid media

If you don’t feel that your social media posts are getting the attention or engagement that you’d like, then it might be worth considering a paid media strategy. This is where you pay for posts to be displayed in user feeds, normally marked as either adverts or promotional posts. You have the ability to refine the geographical areas where these are posted, meaning you can get the biggest bang for your buck.

Promotional events and sponsorship

This is probably one of the most investment-heavy ideas on this list, but it’s one that can really generate rewards if you get it right. You can designate particular days at your salon as ‘open days’ or similar promotional events, which can bring people down to your premises and learn first-hand about your offering. And for an idea that’s a little more out of the box, why not sponsor a local female sports team in a sport such as football, hockey or netball?

Cross-promote with other local businesses

The phrase “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” is just as true today as it’s ever been. Coming to agreements with other local businesses in your area (obviously not ones that are direct competitors!) can help you widen your potential customer base and get your message in front of new people. For example, you could partner with a local nail bar, whereby your leaflets appear in their premises, their leaflets appear in yours, and special discounts are offered to customers using both businesses.

Get your hairdressing insurance from Protectivity

As you can see from these ideas, some hair salon promotion ideas cost more than others. You may be tempted to make savings in other areas to find your promotional activities – but one area where you shouldn’t cut any corners is with your insurance cover.

That’s because if the unforeseen happens and you aren’t covered, the financial implications could cause long-lasting damage to your business. This applies whether you accidentally injure someone else, damage a client’s property, if you’re sued for negligence, or if someone who works for you is injured while doing their job.

Protectivity’s hairdressing insurance is specifically designed to cover you for these circumstances and more. Our cover includes public liability, equipment cover, personal accident cover, and employers’ liability (which is a legal requirement if you employ people). That way, you can promote and grow your business with confidence. We can also offer liability insurance for barbers if that’s your speciality.

Our flexible policies are available from just £4.50 a month, making it easy to fit insurance in with your other expenses and business plans. Take a closer look at our hairdressing insurance policy today.

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12:39:37 GMT • 14 November 2024

How to become a sports therapist

1 August 2023

•

8 mins read

Contributors

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If you love sport and want to make a career out of it, then become a sports therapist: it’s an excellent way for you to do something you enjoy and make some money out of it at the same time.

Sports therapy isn’t just limited to working for professional teams and athletes: there are plenty of members of the public and amateur competitors who can benefit from treatment, too. This means there’s a huge range of opportunities open to you if you want to turn it into a career, whether you want to become a sports therapist that works for someone, or branch out on your own.

In this guide, we’ll tell you all the basics you need to know on how to become a sports therapist: the types of treatments to provide, the jobs and business models available to you, and how much you can potentially earn.

What will I do if I become a sports therapist?

There are two major variations in sports therapy: the type of work and treatments that you deliver day-to-day, and where you’ll be working from.

Your normal duties could involve any or all of the following (and is by no means an exhaustive list!): examining injuries and diagnosing issues; planning out programmes and timescales for treatment; administering a range of treatments including massage, manipulation, electrotherapy and more; and work out how long it will take someone to regain full fitness.

You should also remember that there will be paperwork to fill in, too: for example, your treatment may well require a client’s medical records to be updated. In any case, you will certainly want to keep your own records on the treatments you have administered, and allow your clients to keep track of their progress.

Most people naturally think of a sports therapist working in a studio or specialist fitness centre, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. You might find yourself working in a hospital (either NHS or private), out on a sports field during the game, or as part of the back-up crew at a mass participation event like a marathon. Naturally, this means that if you want to become a sports therapist, you should be prepared to work in all kinds of environments, both indoors and outdoors, and at unsociable hours.

How do I become a sports therapist?

The first thing to say is that you will definitely need some qualifications of a good standard if you want to become a sports therapist. However, there are multiple routes you can take to get the credentials that employers, clients and health bodies will be looking for.

If you decide to take the university route, then look for degrees in Physiotherapy, and make sure that your chosen course is approved by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). There is also the option of taking a postgraduate course if you have an undergraduate degree in something related like Sports Science or Biological Science. Be aware, though, that you may well need a first or upper-second class degree in order to qualify for the postgrad course.

If the university route isn’t available to you, then you can explore getting a degree apprenticeship and gain the skills and qualifications you need on the job, instead. These typically take around four years to complete, but give you the chance to work and gain relevant experience at the same time. Ideally, you’ll need two or three good A Levels to qualify for a physiotherapy apprenticeship, and one of them should be in Biology.

In either of the above cases, don’t neglect the value of volunteering to gain extra experience and improve your suitability for the courses. These can be in any healthcare or personal care role, and it’s also worth looking for work placements in private clinics, local sports teams or even nursing homes.

Another area that you should explore at an early stage is getting all the relevant registrations that you’ll need to provide sports therapy services professionally. Start by registering with the Health and Care Professions Council, and look for further information about the industry with the CSP and with Physios in Sport.

What skills will I need if I become a sports therapist?

Having the right qualifications and treatment skills is only half the story when becoming a sports therapist: you need plenty of positive human attributes, too. Ideally, you’ll have:

Compassion: the people you treat will likely feel upset, frustrated and/or in pain because of their injury, and they’ll be looking to you for emotional support just as much as physical aid. Being able to understand how someone is feeling with sensitivity and patience is therefore critical

Team skills: unless and until you branch out with your own sports therapist business, you’ll be working with other therapists and members of healthcare, fitness and administrative staff. You’ll need to build good relationships with all these people in order to build your reputation and grow your career, and be able to share knowledge and motivate others

Good hands: the vast majority of the treatments you’ll provide will be delivered by the hands, so you will need a good sense of touch. You should be able to apply your hands strongly enough to massage muscles or to apply effective treatment, but without causing undue pain or distress to the client

IT skills: most documentation and paperwork is now digitised, so you’ll need to have a reasonable working knowledge of common computer applications. You may also be required to get to grips with hand-held devices like tablets, especially if you’re working outdoors and remotely

Background checks: as you’ll be coming into physical contact with many different people, you will be legally required to pass enhanced background checks before taking up any sports therapist employment

How much can I earn as a sports therapist?

There is no hard and fast answer to how much you can earn, because there are so many different variables involved. However, many of them are variables that you can work on and influence, in order to maximise your earning ability:

Experience: as is the case in any walk of life, you’ll be starting at the bottom and working your way up. If you can prove your ability and build up years of experience, then you should be able to increase your earnings over time

Qualifications: the more credentials and certifications you have, the greater your credibility in the eyes of companies looking at hiring you. This perhaps can make an even bigger difference if you’re self-employed and trying to attract clients directly

Specialism: certain skills and areas of work are in high demand, and being able to offer proficiency in those skills can stand you out in competitive job markets. If there’s a particular area you’re interested in, look at focusing on experience and qualifications that can add focus to your CV

Location: some parts of the UK have higher average salaries than others (although this can be tempered by higher living costs, especially in and around London). However, if you have the ability and flexibility to move further afield, then your chances of finding a job that meets your earning expectations will increase

Business model: as you gain experience, you may decide to go it alone and set up your own sports therapist business. Theoretically, this means there is no limit on what you can earn, but it comes down to your talent, work ethic, communication skills, and the level of competition in your area

Generally speaking, as an employed sports therapist, you can expect to earn anything between £24,000 and £45,000 a year if you’re working full-time hours. However, if working evenings, weekends and bank holidays, these figures can increase.

Get sports therapist insurance with Protectivity

Every good sports therapist will understand that there can be a number of risks associated with the business. You can suffer an accident or injury, and perhaps even more concerning is if you cause injury to one of your clients. That, along with any damage to property or negligent advice, could lead to them making a claim for compensation against you, the costs of which could easily run into the thousands of pounds.

To cover yourself against these major financial consequences, we recommend taking out the comprehensive sports therapist insurance policy that we offer at Protectivity. Our cover encompasses public liability, professional indemnity up to £5million, and optional equipment cover, too.

Our policies start at just over £3 a month and can be paid for through flexible payment plans, meaning you can get protected without breaking the bank. Take a closer look at our sports therapist insurance policies today.

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16:21:23 GMT • 13 November 2024

How much can I earn as a hairdresser?

27 July 2023

•

8 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

Get hairdressing insurance from Protectivity

If you love styling hair, and like to help people look fashionable and proud of their appearance, then hairdressing might well be the career opportunity for you. It gives you a chance to be creative, to work with like-minded people in a vibrant setting, and to put a smile on the faces of the people you treat.

It’s entirely possible to make a successful long-term career out of hairdressing, and to make enough money out of it to support your family and your lifestyle. However, earnings can vary substantially for a variety of different reasons, and it’s important to take these into account before you fully commit to the industry.

In this blog, we’ll answer the question of how much do hairdressers make in the UK. We’ll look at ballpark figures for full-time and freelance stylists alike, and explore some of the influencing factors that can improve or hold back your potential earning power.

How much do hairdressers make in general?

To provide a relevant guide on a hairdresser salary it’s necessary to breakdown the different type of hairdresser you might be, as this will have a significant impact. Clearly as junior, with no experience you will need training but once you are at a high level and specialising your rates will be significantly higher. Here are the most common categories:

Apprentice or trainee hairstylist

From £6.40 per hour

As an apprentice you will likely get started on minimum wage, which currently stands at £6.40 per hour for an apprentice. However, you can expect your employer to pay you minimum wage over the age of 19: 19-20yrs – £8.60 per hour or 21+ – £11.44 per hour.

Hairstylists average salary (salon based)

£20,000 – £40,000

According to the British Hairdressing Association, the typical annual earnings for a hairdresser is between £20,000 and £30,000, depending on a range of factors that we’ll explore in the next section of this guide. Those rates, of course, apply to salaried employees working either full-time or part-time for someone else, most often in a salon. However, if you take on a more senior role you could be on £40,000, in certain circumstances.

Self-employed hairdresser salary

Wide-ranging from £15-£80 an hour

For self-employed hairdressers, rates can range much more widely. It will also depend on whether you operate as a mobile hairdresser, visiting your customers, or rent space in a salon.

Beginners may sometimes charge as little as £15 per hour, but with qualifications, experience and a growing reputation, these rates can grow significantly. Experienced stylists can attract between £40 and £80 per hour (bearing in mind that some of this may be lost to chair rental if operating from a salon).

Specialist hairstylist salary

Upwards of £300 a day

Finally, it’s important to remember that hairdressing as a profession doesn’t have to be solely restricted to styling members of the public. There are plenty of businesses that need expert hairdressing services, too: advertising, marketing, modelling, fashion, TV, film and more. Indeed, at the very top end of the market, hair stylists working on TV or film productions can earn upwards of £300 per day.

What influences how much hairdressers earn?

Here, we’ll take a look at six of the biggest factors that can affect how much hairdressers get paid. Some of these will be easier to do something about than others, but nevertheless, you should still be aware of all of them so you can plan your financial and career future with confidence:

Location

Geography plays a big role in hairdresser earnings. There are two different ways that are significant:

Regional Differences in Pay
Some parts of the UK have higher average wages than others. Generally speaking, London and the surrounding areas pay more than Scotland, Wales, or Cornwall. However, moving to a high-paying location isn’t always practical.

Affluent Local Areas
Even within lower-income regions, there are more affluent communities where people have higher disposable income for beauty treatments. Mobile stylists who target these wealthier areas can maximise their earnings by catering to clients willing to pay more for convenience.

Experience and qualifications

Every hairdresser starts at the bottom and works their way up in experience, skills, and earnings. Those who make hairdressing a lucrative career continually improve their techniques and value.

Get Qualified
To build a strong foundation, obtaining the right qualifications is crucial. Salons and freelance clients pay more for skilled professionals. If you’re just starting out, aim to complete:

The National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Hairdressing (ideally up to Level 3)
Additional diplomas, courses, or certifications to expand your skillset

Type of work as a hairdresser

As mentioned earlier, hairdressing is a diverse field, offering various career paths:

Salon Work
If you want to work in a salon or focus on regular, public-facing styling, then that’s absolutely fine and can help give you a solid income and a regular rota of hours to work each week.

Freelance & Mobile Hairdressing
More flexible and potentially more lucrative, especially in high-income areas.

Creative and Specialised Fields

If you want to be creative and have more of an entrepreneurial spirit, then some of the other opportunities like media and fashion are well worth exploring.

Media & Fashion hairdressing can be high-paying but competitive.
Bridal Hairdressing is extremely lucrative—brides and bridesmaids are willing to pay top dollar for perfect wedding-day styling.

If you go freelance, you don’t have to be restricted to one type of hairdressing: it’s perfectly possible to work for different people on different types of styling one day to the next. If you have the skills and you’re willing to travel, it’s one of the best ways to take your earnings to the next level.

Employment status

One of the biggest variations in how much hairdressers can make is the type of employment they pursue.

Your employment setup significantly affects how much you can earn.

Working for a Salon

Provides a steady pay cheque but limits your earning potential to employer pay scales.
Can be difficult to get salary increases, often requiring switching salons for better pay.

Freelancing / Mobile Hairdressing

No income ceiling—you set your own prices.
You control your hours, but you must factor in costs (covered in the next section).

Costs

For every pound that you earn as a self-employed hairdresser, you’ll lose a fair chunk of it to cover various costs that you’ll incur. For example, if you’re operating from a salon, then you’ll have to pay to rent one of their chairs: this can often cost as much as £20-30 an hour, depending on location and type of salon.

If you’re self-employed, your earnings aren’t just what you take home—several expenses eat into your income:

Salon Chair Rental

If renting a chair in a salon, this can cost £20-30 per hour depending on the location.

Everyday Business Expenses

Equipment & maintenance
Transport costs (to clients’ homes or salons)
Advertising & marketing
Hairdressing insurance
Taxes & National Insurance (though some expenses are tax-deductible)

Read our guide to small business taxes for more information in this area.

Hours worked and rates of pay

There’s a similar divergence between employed and self-employed hairdressers when it comes to working hours and typical pay rates.

Employed Hairdressers

If you’re employed full-time or part-time, then you’ll be working to a fixed salary, or to an hourly rate which would mean your earnings go up and down depending on the number of hours you’re given. However, you may also find that you can earn more per hour by working shifts at less sociable times, such as at weekends.

Self-Employed Hairdressers

If you’re self-employed, then it’s up to you how much you make, in terms of the hours you work and the rates you charge (taking into account your expenses as mentioned previously). You have total freedom to adjust these over time as you see fit, and to create offers and incentives that attract new customers and encourage repeat business: for example, offering a loyalty discount for your regulars.

Get your hairdressing insurance from Protectivity

Whether you’re just starting out in the hairdressing profession, or you’re an experienced stylist wanting to progress, the industry is full of rewards – but it’s full of risk, too. Even the best hairdressers in the world make mistakes from time to time, and in the worst case scenario, this can lead to customers putting in substantial claims for compensation.

It’s for this reason that any self-employed hairdresser should have full insurance cover in place for all their services and equipment. At Protectivity, we offer comprehensive insurance for barbers and hairdressers, meaning you won’t end up out of pocket if you accidentally injure someone, a negligence claim is made against you, or if your or someone else’s property is damaged. And if you employ other members of staff, our cover can also include Employers’ Liability that safeguards you against any staff illness or injury.

Take a closer look at our hairdressing insurance today, including affordable pricing options that start from just £4.50 a month.

Get Hairdressing Insurance from Protectivity

Last updated by

11:32:15 GMT • 12 February 2025

Types of personal trainers

25 July 2023

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9 mins read

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Get personal trainer insurance from Protectivity

If you’re sporty and like the idea of being your own boss, then becoming a professional personal trainer is a stand-out career option. You can share your passion for exercise and healthy living with paying clients, and feel the satisfaction of helping them achieve their goals, whether it’s completing a marathon or just losing a couple of stone in weight.

As the personal training market in the UK has grown, so the types of personal trainers out there have diversified more and more. There are now some highly specialised PT services in the marketplace, filling specific needs with focused skills, techniques and expertise. But which one represents your perfect career aspiration?

In this guide, we’ll highlight many of the different types of personal trainers there are and give you advice on how to work out which one would be the best career option for you.

What are the different types of personal trainers?

Personal training has evolved into such a broad industry that it’s pretty much impossible to list every single type here. Instead, we’ve listed eight of the most common types of personal trainers, so that you can get a feel for the full spectrum of what’s out there:

Health and lifestyle

An increasing number of people don’t just want someone who can help them with their fitness: they want someone who can help them improve their lifestyle and wider approach to health. This is especially the case for people who are managing a long-term health problem, and need to make lifestyle changes that can accommodate their ailment but still allow them to keep fit. A lifestyle-focused PT can therefore help these people devise exercise plans that are safe, effective and helps them meet their goals – and doing so can be incredibly rewarding.

Bodybuilding and physique

Many people work out to improve their physical appearance, often to the point of pursuing bodybuilding and putting on muscle in key areas. This requires a very specific type of personal training to ensure that clients get the results they want, across detailed training patterns and highly focused nutrition plans. Taking the idea to its fullest extend, personal trainers that work with competitive bodybuilders are normally able to teach poses and other competition elements, and help keep them motivated.

General fitness

One of the most common types of personal trainers is those that work to improve a client’s overall fitness, without necessarily focusing on one specific area of improvement or development. For many people, personal trainers give them the motivation and drive they need to commit to a regular exercise regime, especially if they’re able to provide programmes that are tailored to their individual requirements. This can include diet, nutrition, medical condition management and other areas, as and when required. This type of personal trainer can also offer group training if working with people with similar goals and levels of performance.

Cardio and endurance

Anyone working towards endurance-related goals, such as running a marathon or completing a long-distance cycling trip, needs focused cardio training. That way, their heart, lungs and wider circulatory system can be better conditioned for the strain that sustained exercise will put on them. A good cardio PT can help a client safely improve their capacity in this area and develop greater capacity to perform at a higher level for a longer period of time. While this work can sometime be geared towards a particular event, runners and cyclists who compete regularly may need ongoing PT support.

Strength and conditioning

Similar to the point above, many sportspeople need specific training to improve their muscle strength in certain areas and to boost their conditioning. For example, footballers and rugby players need to be able to maintain their power and performance over an entire match, rather than drop off within the first 20 minutes. This is where personal trainers who can devise long-term plans really come into their own, helping players understand the types of workout that can help them build up the strength and longevity that they’ll need in matches.

Sport-specific personal training

If you have experience or an interest in a particular sport, then offering personal training in that sport is a great way to get involved. This kind of work requires detailed knowledge of the human anatomy, and of the demands that the individual sport places upon it. That way, a personal trainer can help athletes develop their bodies in such a way as to improve their performance and minimise their risk of getting injured. Sport-specific PT can be offered to amateur and professional athletes alike: for example, with out-of-contract footballers who are recovering from injury and need to regain full match fitness.

Gym instructors

Almost every gym will have a bank of personal trainers who will work with regular gym-goers to focus and improve their exercise regimes. It is often the first port of call for personal trainers who are new to the profession, as it helps them build up more rounded skills from which they can go on to specialise in the future. As well as working with individuals on cardio machinery and weights, many gym instructors also run group exercises like spin classes, yoga, aqua-aerobics and Zumba on a regular basis.

Mobile PT and bootcamps

Personal training work doesn’t have to take place in a gym or on a pitch. For example, mobile personal trainers will offer services in a client’s home or in a local park, bringing with them some basic equipment that a client will use. This is especially popular with people who find gym environments intimidating or have issues around body image.

In much the same vein, bootcamp and CrossFit personal trainers offer intensive workouts over a day, weekend or sometimes longer, delivering a comprehensive set of exercises and plenty of motivation along the way. This work will require some travel and time away from home, but it can be incredibly satisfying to see the difference it can make to clients in such a short space of time.

Which one is right for me as a career option?

So, you’ve had a good look at all the different types of personal trainers you can choose from as a career or business proposition. But how can you work out which one is right for you? A good place to start is considering these three factors:

Interest

It’s important that you do something you enjoy, and you’re interested in if you possibly can. If you want to become a professional personal trainer, then it’s highly likely that you have a passion for sport and fitness and have your own preferences of what you like to do. These areas will therefore give you the best chance of making it a job that you love.

Existing qualifications and skill sets

Similar to the point above, any credentials, qualifications or skills that you already possess will give you a really strong starting point. When looking for a personal trainer, clients want to know that they’re paying for someone who knows what they’re doing, and has the experience and skill sets to back that up. Anything you already have – even at a basic level – might help you get up and running more easily.

Earning potential and work-life balance

Some types of personal trainers have the ability to go on and earn big money much more than others. However, they have to work very hard, as well as often long and unsocial hours, to get to where they are today. So, you’ll need to consider what’s right for your own career aspirations and personal circumstances.

For example, operating as a general PT out of your local gym might not generate the most income. However, it would give you more regular work at more consistent hours, which may fit much better if you have a family to take care of.

Get personal trainer insurance with Protectivity

As you can see from this blog, there are so many options to choose from if you want to get yourself set up as a personal trainer. However, there’s one thing that unites them all: taking out comprehensive gym insurance cover is absolutely essential.

There’s a very good reason for this: if something unforeseen happens or a claim is made against you by a client, the financial cost could easily run into thousands of pounds. This can cause significant and long-term damage to your personal finances – but if you’re insured, then you can be sure that you won’t end up out of pocket in such a situation.

Protectivity delivers affordable personal trainer insurance policies to PTs just like you, no matter what your specialism is or how much experience you have. We can pick up the tab if you injure a client; if you hurt yourself and you’re unable to work; or if any of your equipment gets damaged, lost or stolen. Available from just a few pounds a month, our cover means you can grow your business with confidence – and could prove to be one of the smartest investments you ever make.

Start your journey towards a successful PT business by taking a closer look at our personal trainer insurance policies.

Get Personal Trainer Insurance from Protectivity

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