Are you looking to turn your passion into a career?
It’s extremely common for fitness lovers to have a career shift from sitting in an office to coaching on the gym floor.
We’ve seen it so many times!
So, we thought we’d share the pros and cons of being a personal trainer…
Pros
YOU GET TO HELP PEOPLE
Arguably the main the reason you would ever consider being a personal trainer is that you want to help people.
You can quite literally change someone’s life.
This isn’t just with results in the gym but their whole outlook on life.
We’ve had members join us at their rock-bottom to go on and be the happiest they’ve ever been.
Another bonus is this feeling never gets old and it’s very rare to experience in other professions.
Our personal trainers feel this every day and we imagine others do as well!
So, if you want to start helping people with their physical and mental health then becoming a personal trainer might be for you.
You get to do what you love!
Second to helping people, you get to do your passion every single day.
Which is pretty awesome.
Programming workouts, guiding people through them and giving them that buzzing feeling is what it’s all about.
If you’re currently at a job where you hate your work and every minute is a chore, then becoming a personal trainer really could change your life.
EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT
If you’re someone who thrives off being active and never having two days the same, then being a personal trainer is perfect you.
Not only will you constantly be on your feet, but you’ll also be coaching all sorts of people every single day.
This means that each day will be unique, and you’ll be tackling new challenges all the time.
MONEY AND FREEDOM
If you’re a successful personal trainer then you can earn a very good salary.
On average you can expect to pay between £30-£50+ per hour for a personal trainer so you can imagine, if your diary is full then your paycheque won’t be too bad.
You also manage your own diary, if you want to have Tuesday afternoon off then you can – your day and time is managed by you.
Cons
EARLY MORNINGS AND LONG HOURS
I know we’ve just said that being a personal trainer gives you freedom, which is does, however…
If you want to be successful, you’re probably going to have to be available outside of working hours (before and after work). This usually results in you getting up early and finishing late.
Earlier I mentioned that you are paid by the hour, therefore the more hours you do the more money you make.
Alongside this, if you’re going to create your own personal training business then you’ll find when you aren’t coaching, you’ll be doing admin, marketing and whatever needs to be done.
The business only works if you work.
However, this is not always the case!
For example, we hire personal trainers at INTENT91.
They aren’t paid by the hour, they have a (above industry average) salary.
They don’t coach every early morning and late evening, and when they aren’t at an INTENT91 they don’t need to work.
Our personal trainers have all the benefits without the stress, risk or long working hours.
TIREDNESS AND LONELINESS
To be a successful personal trainer, your enthusiasm should be through the roof every time you’re with a client/member.
As you can imagine, after 40+ hours a week of this you might be starting to feel tired.
Keeping your energy levels high can be a real struggle and impact other relationships you have in your life.
Finding a balance and a supportive network is crucial.
In addition, it can get really lonely.
Sounds funny right?
You’re helping people all day and doing what you love, but if you run your own personal training business then you’re doing a lot of it by yourself.
You’re facing all the battles alone and it can get tough.
Again, being hired by a gym like INTENT91 really combats this as you’re a part of a team and you can look out for each other.
STARTING OUT
Like anything getting started can be tough.
You’ll need to finance a Level 3 qualification and find a gym/facility that you like.
Getting your foot in the door can be tough.
This is pretty common across most professions.
A Final Note…
Being a personal trainer is great.
You get to do what you love every single day, and you can really impact people’s lives.
Like anything worth having, it can be hard work at times but it’s certainly worth it.
If you’re looking to get into the industry or you’re already a personal trainer, then we’re always looking for talented coaches!
Get in touch HERE and start the process of becoming the next big thing at INTENT91.