Being a Personal Trainer gives you a large variety of employment options for you to choose, so you can find the model that suits you and your needs in the best way. Every Personal Training model have their pros and cons that you will need to take into consideration. Here are a list of the most common models that gyms and studios use to remunerate their trainers:
As an employee of a fitness facility there are many pros, these include:
If you are thinking of accepting an employment position, in comparison to other PT models you are limiting your income to what your hourly rate is set at.
As an Outdoor Trainer, you have the perks of working in the fresh outdoors, with opportunities to be your own boss. As your own boss you can charge what you like and as an outdoor trainer you have low overheads.
Things to consider if you are considering to start an outdoor bootcamp or train your one on one clients in your local park, is that YOU ARE YOUR OWN BOSS!! This takes a lot of responsibility if you plan on being successful, this includes; establishing your own business systems, marketing and lead generation strategies and also being prepared for bad weather!
Starting your own PT business within an established fitness facility has many pros. There is a large pool of potential clients by means of members, you have the support of a club or fitness manager whilst also having the autonomy of being your own boss. As your own boss you can boss you can choose your own hours and you have unlimited earning potential!
As a contractor within a studio or health club there are usually initial setup or franchise fees, and you are required to pay rent weekly or fortnightly.
If you have the capital to set up your own PT Studio or health club you have the opportunity to be your own boss, have unlimited earning potential and can run your business the way you want to.
As a business owner there is a lot of work required including establishing business systems, creating marketing plans so you have clients and there can be substantial setup and maintenance costs!
If you have a desire to help people with their weight loss goals and you work at a gym where you are only training bodybuilders then you won’t be happy. Or if you want to train postnatal women and find yourself training a young rugby team then you won’t be 100% committed to their cause, which will affect their results and your happiness in your career. Conversely if you are able to train your desired clientele then you will have more enjoyment and your clients will get better results.
You need to decide which are the most important pros and cons to you, and then only you be able to decide which direction you will want to follow.
Disclaimer: Where Certificate III in Fitness, Cert III/Cert 3, or Fitness Coach is mentioned, it refers to SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness. Where Certificate IV in Fitness, Cert IV/Cert 4, or Personal Trainer is mentioned, it refers to SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Master Trainer Program™ is mentioned, it refers to Fitness Essentials and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Master Trainer Plus+ Program™ is mentioned, it refers to SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness and SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. Where Certificate IV in Massage or Cert IV/Cert 4 is mentioned, it refers to HLT42021 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy. Where Diploma of Remedial Massage is mentioned, it refers to HLT52021 Diploma of Remedial Massage.