Chloe Reynolds- Chloe Reynolds
How to become a personal trainer
The fitness industry is constantly developing and growing, with new career options appearing all the time. To create a fantastic new career, you need to select a job (or combination of roles!) that suits your skills set, personality, financial goals, current lifestyle and position, as well as looking at your career path. In the second part of this mini series, we will be looking at becoming a personal trainer. Personal training can be a lucrative and rewarding career, but there is an incredibly high turnover rate in the industry. We'll look at your expected earnings, what qualifications you need to do and whether your personality would suit the job. If you want a more in depth look at the fitness industry as a whole, why not enrol in my free course "how to kickstart your fitness career in less than 60 minutes?"
Minimum qualification needed
- Level 3 Personal Training
Necessary start up costs
- Qualification: between £800 - 1500 depending
- Public Liability Insurance: between £50 and £80
- Membership to REPS or CIMPSA: £30 per year
Average pay per hour
Pay as a personal trainer can vary wildly depending on where you operate and how you market yourself. If you work in a commercial gym, such as Virgin Active or David Lloyd, you will probably be employed and the price you are paid per session will be set by the employer. If you work in an independent gym you will have to pay monthly rent to the facility but can set your own prices. Average earnings for a personal trainer can be between £19,000 a year to £60,000 a year, according to Payscale.
This translates to around £10 - £45 per session in a commercial gym or £20 - £75 as a freelancer.
Day to day running costs
- Transport to and from your places of work: up to £400 a month
- Equipment needed for sessions: upfront cost
- Marketing materials: up to a few hundred pounds per month
- Resources for gifts for clients: up to £50 a month
- CPD courses: average £200-500 a year
- My PT hub subscription: £20/£49 a month
- Calendar/Scheduling software: ~£10 a month
