First of all, it’s important to stress that this isn’t going to be a nine-to-five job: working extremely varied, and even unsociable hours, comes with the territory. It’s also important to remember that clients will be paying you for your knowledge and expertise: staying up-to-date with fitness trends, constantly developing your own skills and understanding the mechanics of the human body are all vital.
On top of this, there are many other considerations to take into account:
Responsibilities
A good personal trainer will take on a wide range of responsibilities, including (but not necessarily limited to):
– Assessment and progress: establishing the fitness level of a client and monitoring their progress
– Planning and advice: setting realistic targets, developing personalised and interesting exercise plans and advising on good health and nutrition practice
– Encouragement: making clients feel positive and motivated, both inside and outside of workout sessions
– Client retention and attraction: developing and executing strategies to keep existing clients, and bring in new ones – including online presence
– Analysis and feedback: exploring client fitness data and feedback to make improvements to all of the above as required
Salary
If you’re operating on a freelance basis, then the amount you earn (before tax and expenses) will be determined by how much you charge your clients per hour. Between £20 and £40p/h is common, depending on location, although top-quality trainers in sought-after locations can earn considerably more. Trainers employed directly with a gym can expect to start on around £20,000 per year, rising with experience thereafter.
Working hours
As mentioned above, working hours can be highly variable, but there is a difference between trainers employed by a gym and freelancers. If in a gym, you’ll most likely have a regular shift pattern, but it is possible to be during the evenings and weekends when gyms are used most often. If you’re freelance, then you have the freedom to set your own working hours, but you’ll have to bear in mind that you’re far more likely to get more clients working outside of normal office hours.
Skills and qualifications
All good personal trainers have Level 3 qualifications from an organisation recognised and accredited either by CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) or UK Coaching. A first aid qualification is not mandatory, but could come in extremely handy.
From a skills perspective, a friendly, positive and enthusiastic attitude is a must: if you’re feeling negative about training, then your clients will feel negative too. You’ll need to be organised too so that you can keep track not only of your schedule, but of the training plans and progress of each one of your clients. In these areas, having a good level of proficiency with computers and relevant software is important, and will also help you build a brand with your website and social media output.
Previous experience
Most gyms will expect some prior experience before taking you on: not having any qualifications at the time you start isn’t that important as you can get certified and take apprenticeships on the job. Any work experience you can gain on a less formal basis is therefore crucial for giving your CV a solid foundation. Private clients hiring freelancers will expect more extensive experience and credentials, which is why many trainers start off in gyms before branching out on their own.
