How to Get a Job as a Personal Trainer
Working as a personal trainer is a great job to get into these days. More and more people are starting to take health and fitness more seriously these days. As a result, the demand for personal trainers has increased. If you want to become a personal trainer, then it can be a fulfilling and exciting career. But it is highly competitive, and there is a lot of work to put in before you get to that stage. Are you up for the challenge?
Still here? Good. Personal training is a chance for you to help make a difference in someone’s life. You can help enrich their lives, improve their fitness and build their confidence.
Here are some important aspects you need to consider in your quest to get a job as a personal trainer:
Training
Make sure you have the correct and necessary training needed. If you are serious about being a personal trainer, then you need to apply yourself and get the right training under your belt. You will need to know about how the human body works. Also, you will need in depth knowledge of muscles, exercises and weight loss regimes.
You should not cut corners with your training. If anything it may be better to over train rather than under train. You’d rather know too much that be under prepared. Contact local personal trainers in your area. See if they can give you any help or advice. Ask them if they wouldn’t mind you shadowing them for a few weeks for free. Maybe if it’s even to get their coffee or take their calls. You may learn some valuable lessons and pick up important contacts on the way.
You could even volunteer at a gym or a running club for the same reasons. Always think about creating opportunities for yourself. This is great chance to give yourself an advantage over everyone else who wants this career.
Qualifications
Qualifications are important in any career, and personal training is no different. You will want to make sure that you have passed any relevant qualifications. There will be high-intensity courses that you can take to fast track your progress. But there will also be longer more in-depth courses. You could even think about taking both to stand out from the crowd.
There are likely to be online courses that you can take in your own time as well as plenty of research opportunities. Qualifications won’t always make you better at your job, but they will create more opportunities for you.
Work in a gym
A great way to help yourself get a job as a personal trainer would be to get a job in a gym. This doesn’t have to be a personal trainer job at this stage. It can be a job in any capacity. By doing this, you will ensure that you have a regular paycheck. You will also become familiar with the layout and operation of the gym, as well as getting friendly with regulars.
This approach won’t be as flexible as running your own business but you will get valuable experience. Once you’ve been working there a while, you can enquire about personal training opportunities and work your way up. You will already have a colleague support network and clients who use the gym. This is a great way to get yourself started and develop a good work ethic. It will also allow you to observe current personal trainers and pick up tips for yourself.
Decide if you want to go freelance
A big decision to make with regards to working as a personal trainer will be to decide if you want to go freelance. The great thing about freelancing is that you’re working for yourself, and you can control your income. It also affords you a more laid back lifestyle and the opportunity to try out new things.
But the problem is that it can be unstable as there isn’t a guaranteed check at the end of each month. You will also need to consider important legal requirements like personal trainer insurance. It is also hard to start as a freelancer. In a competitive market, you need to have experience and contacts. It’s difficult just to dive straight into being a personal trainer and expect to have success right away.
Your best bet is going to be to start with personal training in a gym and then branch out and work for yourself. By that time, you will have learned your craft, and you will have a client base from the gym that you can take with you.
Work on a cruise ship
Another more unusual way you can help yourself is to try to get work on a cruise ship. Many of these ships are at sea for weeks or even months, and a lot of them have gyms on board. A lot of passengers are looking for experts who speak their language to help keep them in shape during the cruise.
This is a fantastic opportunity to get yourself some paid experience and have and adventure at sea at the same time. You will be able to broaden your horizons, as well as gain invaluable career experience. You might even impress people enough that you pick up some clients when you return home.
Take other classes
A good way of getting your foot in the door as a personal trainer is to each other classes as well. Things like pilates and boxercise are always popular. You should be able to use your experience and training as a personal trainer to take some of these classes. This will give you extra income and keep you in a fitness related job. You will also develop correspondence and relationships with the people taking these classes. They could go on to become important clients for your personal trainer career.
Know your stuff
The most important part of getting a job as a personal trainer is to make sure you know your stuff. You must know what you are doing and what you are talking about. People need to trust you and view you as a professional. There is nothing less professional than not knowing your stuff.
If you are unsure of anything, do extra training or research until you are clued up. You could even ask other personal trainers. It’s important that you know the ins and outs of the role before you start taking on clients.