HOW DO I START MY CAREER AS A PERSONAL TRAINER?

In an industry that is evolving year on year, guided by consumer trends the modern Personal Trainer of today is part of a multi million pound industry that continues to grow.

Consumers are spending more and more every year on; gym memberships, group training experiences, online fitness, supplements, and personal training. With more opportunity than ever before in the industry, how do you start your career as a qualified Personal Trainer? Here are 3 steps to becoming a Personal Trainer:

One: Get Qualified

It all starts with education. The minimum level now required in the industry is a level 3 Certificate in Personal Training. The industry made a commitment to ensuring that trainers coming into the industry have the skill sets not just to instruct but to educate members on how to be more active and reach their fitness goals. A level 3 trainer has the ability to design and prepare periodised training plans that apply fitness principles, while knowing how to motivate and support clients through effective coaching and behaviour management skills.

Personal Training courses do take varying lengths of time to complete and this really depends on the level of existing knowledge you have in the subject area prior to your course taking place. PT Skills understands that everyone is different and based on prior learning our enrolment team will ensure your course takes the right time for you. If you have been studying the subject areas at College or University there is likely to be some crossover in the content you will study. You may already hold a level two fitness instructor qualification allowing you to upskill to a level 3 certificate rather than taking on a full Personal Training Diploma. Our enrolment team can assess this and enrol you on the most appropriate course.

The important part to remember is that your level 3 Personal Training Certificate is a vocational qualification, like training it requires “reps reps reps” to become an expert in your chosen career. Your certificate gives you technical knowledge allowing access to employment or self-employment in the industry, while you are studying and after you complete your certificate it is highly important to keep learning and honing your skills.

Two: Employment or Self Employment?

As a newly qualified trainer you have opened the door to a very rewarding industry with trainers now having what seem to be limitless incomes. Social media has helped this and specifically YouTube, Instagram and Facebook now helping trainers achieve over £1,000000 in annual earnings. This will not happen overnight and it will require; time and reps to becoming an expert, good people skills, and gaining results for the people you work with. It is easy to learn how to post an Instagram post but becoming a really good personal trainer requires practice and time. Everyone starts in the fitness industry at different ages and ability but everyone can achieve their own success with the right commitment and mindset.

One decision to make is to choose employment over self-employment. Coming straight out of college or University is the next big step in life for some. Employment will provide a bit of a safety net if you’re looking to concentrate on becoming a strong personal trainer without the worry of finding your own income. Providers that offer employed roles do offer a bonus style of structure these days, this allows you to take home a basic salary and as you begin to deliver a higher number of personal training sessions for the company you are rewarded with a commission of the sessions you deliver. This is exactly how car sales executives work. They receive a basic salary and as they sell more cars they earn more money. Personal Training is exactly the same.

Ok, maybe you are the more adventurous type or you have some life experience, have already travelled, or had a job in other industries where you have learned a thing or two about working with people and how to sell? Self-employment could be a good start for you, the freedom to be your own boss and choose when you want to work. At first you will need to put in the work to make this happen. Gym operators in the industry offering access to their members do allow you to be self employed, essentially you are delivering a “service agreement” in return for access to the gym members. You do not have to spend excessive money on marketing your new business, simply be in the gym and meet as many people as it takes to build your new personal training business. There will be stipulations by the gym to ensure you as a “supplier” are delivering a good service to their members. You will wear gym uniform provided to you so that members know who you are and why you are in the gym. In some cases, you will also provide your time in return for access to the gym members, usually carrying out induction activities such as group classes, inductions, and general gym operations. The time you give to the gym will be on a shift basis of between 10 and 15 hours each week instead of paying a rental payment.

Once established as a trainer and you’re delivering 20+ training sessions a week you may consider paying a rent instead of delivering hours to free up more of your time to achieve a higher number of sessions each week and give yourself the flexibility to work when you want. If you are starting out in the industry this is a common pathway for a lot of trainers. While you are on the way to becoming a fully self employed trainer you will have a clearer picture of where you want to be in the industry. Self employment provides a number of opportunities to “sell” your education. Joe Wicks The Body Coach is a recent example of a trainer who once worked for a national gym chain, ran outdoor boot camps as a self-employed trainer for years then moved his programs online to start “The Body Coach”. Joe applied himself over the years to get where he wanted to be and had fun doing it. I will also be sharing with you how I became a personal trainer and how it has lead me to teaching fitness.

So, this next step of choosing employment or self-employment requires a bit of consideration, here are a few things to consider.

Self-employment

Do I want to be responsible for my own tax and national insurance?

Am I ready to work what it takes to be a self employed trainer?

Do I feel confident in my ability to “sell” me?

Do I have a plan of how to build my personal training business?

Employment

Do I want my working pattern set?

Do I want a safety net to start my career?

Do I want to learn more about the industry?

Do I need that extra support to get my career started?

Step Three: Interview preparation

Once you have made the decision about how you want to start out in the industry you will need to prepare your CV and freshen up your interview skills. Updating your CV with your new qualification will be a good start and then consider the key attributes gym operators will be looking for in a personal trainer. Spend some time reviewing your course material and browse through some current job adverts, this will help you understand what gym operators will be looking for. The next thing to do is research into the companies you will be applying to, learn about their business and how they work. This will help you build a set of questions if you are asked in the interview. PT Skills will help you at the final stages of your course, allocating time for interview preparation and information you will want to know and what gym operators will be looking for.

Starting your new career is an exciting prospect and will fill you with boundless energy to get your first step on the ladder. Yes, it can be rewarding but there are no short cuts in creating a long-lasting career. Spend time learning what you love and make sure every rep counts.

For information about enrolling with PT Skills please visit www.ptskills.co.uk

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