Career Choices in Personal Training
Having worked in fitness my whole career, I’m definitely a little biased but I believe it is the most rewarding industry the world has to offer.
We get the chance to brighten peoples’ days, help them positively change their lives and bring people together by building communities.
Although I may be biased, it seems I’m not alone in my belief.
Time and time again I’m hearing that the reason individuals choose to transition into fitness is because they want a more rewarding job.
They also want the opportunity to pass on the positivity fitness has brought to their lives in order to help positively impact the lives of theres.
It’s encouraging to know the next generation of PT’s are just as, if not more, committed to helping people as mine has been.
A topic of conversation that keeps cropping up is peoples’ plans after qualifying.
Some people know exactly what they want to do. Others have a vague idea. And some people have no idea what their options are.
There’s no right or wrong here.
I certainly had no idea of where my career would take me when I finished my PT course, let alone before I started it.
I started out taking the odd spin class and covering shifts on reception, filled my diary with 1-to-1 PT sessions, and moved to Australia where I worked in two different gyms.
Came back to Glasgow after a year, started a bootcamp, coached people online, and built a team of trainers in a commercial gym delivering 1-to-1 PT sessions.
After 18 months I opened Improve Glasgow version 1 and four years later we moved into Improve 2.0 with 150 clients and 5 full time PT’s.
Pre-covid, we were over the 200 client mark with a strong team of 7 and a lovely part-time front of house.
Now, whilst navigating the stormy waters of running a gym during the pandemic, I’ve launched the THE IMPROVE ACADEMY to help aspiring PT’s get qualified and started on their PT journey.
It’s been a fun ride…and it’s nowhere near done yet.
Following my blueprint is probably a bit too complex for most.
After all, it’s taken me through the doors of at least eight gyms across two continents.
(I suppose that highlights just how many opportunities there can be in the industry!)
But I thought it’d be helpful to write about the opportunities that exist for qualified PT’s who are looking to get kicked off in the industry.
I’m speaking to a lot of people who are either in full-time education or employment and are looking to PT on the side, so I’ll be sure to cover part-time options, too.
1. Freelance personal trainer
I’d say this is the most common route into the industry.
It’s fairly simple in that you either pay a rental fee to a gym in exchange for being able to train your clients in it.
You’ll have access to their members list as well as having free rein to walk the gym floor, introduce yourself to members and try to pick up clients.
Many of the ‘big’ gyms allow you to work hours instead of paying rent.
So, for example, rather than paying £500 per month to the gym (which is a very good deal for a busy trainer but not a great one for someone just starting out), you can work somewhere between 12-15 hours in the gym delivering inductions, taking classes, writing programmes and generally keeping the place tidy.
This gives you a great opportunity to meet members, make a positive impression and pick up clients without feeling like you’re having to sell yourself too much.
There are also independently owned gyms who accept ‘pay per session’ rent at an agreed rate.
This is a great deal for trainers just starting out as you only pay for hours you’ve been paid for; i.e. you charge the client £X and pay the gym X% of that fee or a flat rate; i.e. £10.
The freelance route is great for those looking to work both full-time and part-time in the industry.
Although, I’d recommend doing your due diligence on the gym you’re going to be working out of so that the numbers add up for you.
For example, if you’re only looking to PT part-time, paying £500 per month in rent or doing 15 hours for your rent doesn’t make sense. But paying a ‘per session’ rate to an independent gym would be perfect.
Something to note here is that if you choose the freelance route you’re essentially starting your own business. Great if that’s what you want, but an almighty (and time-consuming) headache if it’s not.
2. Gym Instructor/Personal trainer
Local authority gyms typically staff their gyms with gym instructors whose role is to deliver inductions and classes, write programmes, ensure health and safety protocols are followed, engage with members and keep the place clean and tidy.
These roles are salaried and typically have the added bonus of being able to train people rent-free out of hours.
So, for example, you may work 35-40 hours for your agreed salaried rate and then be able to train 5-10 clients per week to top up your salary by putting in an extra 5-10 hours work.
This is an attractive route for those who want to work in the industry full-time and also want financial stability and security.
It’s also attractive for those who don’t want to have to worry about marketing, tax, etc.
You show up, do your scheduled shifts and any PT sessions you deliver after hours is a bonus.
Fairly stress-free.
3. Employed personal trainer
This didn’t seem to be an option back when I first got into the industry; particularly in Glasgow.
However, with more and more independent gyms and studios opening up – particularly over the last few years – there are now more employed PT positions than ever.
In fact, many of the ‘big boys’; i.e. Nuffield Health, are also going down this route.
These can vary in terms of hours, with full-time and part-time positions available.
The benefit of an employed PT role is that you don’t have to worry about sales, marketing or paying rent.
You show up, do your work to the best of your ability and get paid at the end of the month.
Your employer will take care of your tax obligations and you’ll receive paid holidays and pension auto-enrolment, as well.
It’s similar to the Gym Instructor/PT role outlined above in that your work-life balance should be pretty sweet (compared to running your own business).
This is a great option for PT’s who are just starting out as there’s security and stablity in earnings. There should also be plenty of options for professional development and growth in the company.
The employed route is also popular for freelance PT’s who have been in the industry a while and are tired of the ‘added stuff’; i.e. admin, marketing, finance, etc.
They love training people and want to spend their time doing that in a positive and friendly environment, rather than competing for clients in the freelance environment and spending their days replying to emails and bookkeeping.
4. Sales advisor/receptionist
Many of the ‘health club’ type gyms (Nuffield, Virgin Active, and hotel gyms) have front of house staff.
The role of the front of house staff is to be a friendly, welcoming face and – typically – to take care of the admin side of the operation.
These roles are great for inexperienced PT’s who are looking to get their foot in the door.
The benefit of this type of role is that you get to meet every member who walks into the gym and build relationships with them that could potentially turn into training relationships in the future.
You can also do this part-time in the evening and at weekends, giving you an opportunity to work in fitness whilst also in full-time work or education, until you decide to go ‘all in’ in the fitness industry.
The negative of this role is that you won’t be on the gym floor much.
But landing a front of house role in an independent gym could see you doing a hybrid receptionist/gym instructor role with progressions onto the gym as you pick up confidence and experience.
5. Gym manager
Gym manager roles are typically reserved for more experienced heads who have been in the job a while, ‘served their time’ and understand the nuances of customer experience, operations and, of course, personal training.
It’s common for PT’s to move into managerial roles after a few years on the gym floor, if that’s the route they desire. However, if you’re coming from the corporate world and already have managerial experience – you could go straight into a gym manager role.
The benefits of being a gym manager are similar to the other employed roles in that you’ll have a set wage, paid holidays, etc. You’ll also likely have the option of adoing PT hours on the side, if you wish to do so.
The downside is that the commercial performance, health and safety, and general operations will be your responsibility and with that comes an increase in pressure.
Another downside is that you’ll have to manage a team of PT’s, which is no easy task for anyone, but it’s in the job title so I’d assume you’d be expecting that.
6. Gym owner
A lot of aspiring PT’s, and indeed qualified PT’s, have a dream of owning their own gym.
The thought seems great – kit the place out with your favourite equipment, paint the walls your favourite colour and workout with your pals everyday.
Right?
Not so much.
Owning a gym essentially adds the stresses of a freelance PT with the stresses of the gym manager and than compounds it with huge amounts of interest.
Your costs will always be lower than you expect. Things will always break quicker than you expect. And you’ll never grow as quickly as you’d expect.
That’s my experience of gym ownership.
Would I change it? Not a chance.
I love having a gym and reckon I’ll always have one.
On the gym-front, there are many different examples of types of gyms you could open.
Here are a few off the top of my head:
big box Gyms
Broken down into two categories, what I refer to as ‘big box gyms’ are the airport-size gyms that feature on high streets and in retail parks.
They charge a monthly fee for people to come in and use the equipment – typically they’ll have some class offerings and PT’s floating around too.
There’s the budget offerings; i.e. Pure Gym, The Gym Group and JD Gyms. And then there’s the health clubs; i.e. Nuffield, Bannantynes, and David Lloyd.
Typically, these will be out of reach for the majority of us to open and own – unless you’ve got a spare few million or ten.
But they all have freelance and employed PT roles available in them, as well as gym manager roles, sales advisor roles, class insuctor roles and front of house roles.
Hotel gyms
Very similar to the health club-style mentioned above, in that they’ll likely have cafes, restaurants and spa facilities.
Hotel gyms also tend to be a little quieter than budget gyms and health clubs.
An example of this would be gyms in the Village Hotel, The Marriot or The Hilton.
PT Studios
A lot of freelance PT’s working in gyms such as Pure Gym, Nuffield, etc. get to a point where they fancy taking a leap of faith and going it alone.
They’ll typically sign a lease on a small unit and take the operation they’re running in someone elses’ house into their own.
These studios can range from industrial units to garages to converted offices to shop units. At the highest end, PT studios can compete with high street boutiques in terms of fit out, feel and amenities.
One of the best examples of a PT studio is Ultimate Performance who have opened 18 sites all over the world since they first opened their first site in London in 2009.
Large group facilities
Again, this category can be broken down into various categories, from bootcamps to CrossFit to F45 to spin studios.
This option sees an individual take on a space and train 10-30+ people per hour, depending on the size of the space.
This market has exploded over the past few years with loads of businesses starting and then popping up all over the world; from SoulCycle to Orange Theory to Barry’s Bootcamp.
What was previously reknowned for being quite a ‘spit and sawdust’ area of the market has become on of the industry’s most boutique.
Training gyms
The best training gyms combine all of the benefits of ‘big boy’ gyms, PT studios and large group facilities.
Their offerings are size-dependant, but hey typically have open gym access, 1-to-1, smal group PT and large group offerings across various tiers of membership.
Examples of training gyms across the UK are our own at Improve Glasgow, Fit3Sixty in the midlands, W10 in London and Nikafit over in Ireland.
Boxing and martial arts gyms
For the fight fanatics, there are plenty of examples of martial arts gyms across the country.
Most martial arts gyms will run large group classes in the various arts (Thai boxing, boxing, BJJ, etc.) as well as fitness classes and have personal training on offer from their instructors.
A great example of a martial arts gym in Glasgow is The Griphouse where they deliver classes for beginners and also house world champions.
(NOTE: All of these gyms will have employed and self-employed staff in them on both full-time and part-time bases.)
7. Outdoor training
Outdoor training is a popular choice for newly qualified PT’s because there’s no rent to pay and so there’s no need to worry about losing money or giving away a percentage of the fee your client pays you.
However, I have to say it’s my least favourite option on this entire list.
The weather in Glasgow is simply too brutal.
Don’t get me wrong, when I worked in Sydney I loved taking dumbbells, kettlebells and battle ropes down to the park with a group of people and catching some rays whilst getting paid to do what I love.
But in bonnie Scotland we get 2-3 months of weather that’s just about decent enough (although still a bit risky) to make a living outside and then 9-10 months where it’s either freezing cold, lashing with rain, blowing a gale – or all three at the same time.
If you live in the south of England or in sunnier climates – lucky you.
But if you’re in Glasgow, like myself, you’re probably going to want four walls, a roof over your head, and the heating on whilst you’re working.
8. Online coach
I remember back to around seven years ago when I first read Jon Goodman’s ‘1k Extra’ and thought online coaching was the future.
I did it for a while on the side of my 1-to-1 PT and bootcamp and then moved away from it.
I’ve circled back to online coaching a few times over the years, but I never enjoyed it enough to go ‘all in’ on it.
…until the pandemic hit and we had to take our full gym online at the drop of a hat.
With that said, I’ve got a few friends who are solely online, do very well for themselves and absolutely love it.
They get to work to their own schedule and from wherever they want in the world.
Seems a bit too good to be true, doesn’t it?
Maybe it is for the majority.
But for those who have built a solid level of knowledge and understanding on the gym floor, as well as a reputation and online following, the online route can be a winner.
I always recommend people do at least a few years ‘in the trenches’ before going all in online, as I believe it’s necessary to have a solid understanding of what you’re asking people to do before you start asking them to do it.
Typically, online coaching is split into three categories:
- 1-to-1 coaching where you write bespoke programmes for people, look after their nutritional needs and support them at an agreed level (i.e. a phone call per week, daily/weekly/monthly check ins, email support, etc.);
- 1-to-1 programming where you write a programme for the individual based on their goals and progress, and make tweaks as and when their progress/needs dictate;
- Group online coaching where you have multiple people doing the same programme, for example an 8-week fat loss programme
The price you’d charge for each service would depend on the amount of personalisation, support and time it would take to service each individual.
As with most services in the world, the more bespoke and time consuming the higher the price.
And the more generic and scalable, the lower the price.
There are trainers with thousands of people subscribed to their workout apps for ~£5 per month and there are trainers charging hundreds, potentially even thousands, of pounds per month for bespoke online coaching.
online coaching is a popular ‘side hustle’ for many freelance and employed fitness professionals.
If you can supplement your in-person income with a few online clients, why not add the string to your bow; particularly now that the whole world has adapted to online training and Zoom workouts?
9 .Class instructor
Another popular path in fitness is that of a class instructor.
From spin to boxercise to circuits to Les Mills classes, gyms around the world pay an hourly rate to instructors for class delivery.
A lot of gyms have begun getting their on-shift freelance trainers or front of house staff to deliver their classes, but there’s still a market for instructors to hop from gym to gym delivering classes.
Oftentimes these instructors will have a full-time job and choose to take a few classes in the evenings and at weekends.
Or they’ll do some shifts in the gym and take classes for security and stabilities sake, whilst building up their client list – as I did when I first started out.
Looking back through that list, I can confidently say I’ve performed every one of those roles at some point and to some extent.
The only one I haven’t held officially is that of gym manager but I’ve certainly had to manage my own gym and my own team over the past 5 years since Improve Glasgow opened so I’ll tick that box too.
As you can hopefully see, the fitness industry is awash with opportunities irrespective of whether you’d like to start a business or employed, work full-time or part-time, work in a big chain gym or a small independent one, work indoors or outdoors, coach online or in person, work 1-to-1 or with large groups.
The opportunities are endless and the success stories are there.
From those manning receptions in environments they love to those making millions and getting awarded MBE’s, a la Joe Wicks.
Whatever you want to achieve in this industry, you can.
You just need the right education, attitude, and work ethic.
If you’d like to get started by achieving your Level 3 Personal Training qualification, check out our courses page for our next Level 3 course start date.
