Need some advice from Experienced Personal Trainers

[bae9pa]

Hi, I am studying to become an ACE certified Personal Trainer. I would like to ask somebody who has much experience in personal training industry with broad understanding of employment and human resources of fitness industry.

I recently got accepted to graduate school and will start school (away from home) in August. As I am trying to become a physical education teacher, I would like to work as a trainer especially in the summer time when I am off from school. I think it will be possible for me to work just the summer ONCE I make connections and network with people or fitness center I work for (they will be sure of my credibility and character then), but my question is for now and how I should start. I hoped that I could work as a trainer for at least half a year before I go off to school in August, but it did not turn out as I planned. It is not likely that I will work as a trainer while I am in school. I want to start working as a trainer some time soon and continue to work during the break (while I am still in school and even after I become a teacher) , but I am not even sure if the fitness clubs are likely to hire a trainer for only the summer time.

I am planning to take the certification exam in a few months, hoping that I could start working as a trainer as early as May until the end of August. Please tell me how it generally works. For your convenience, I summarized my questions below:

1. Do fitness clubs generally offer personal training positions for only the summer?

2. Is it likely that I could work as a teacher during the year and trainer for the summer? Can I even work part-time as a trainer while I am teaching, if my time and energy are allowed?

3. Any words of wisdom for me?


Thanks and God bless you.

Sincerely,
Justin
Aspired Teacher and Personal Trainer

 

[Pure Pilates]

My client base is very wealthy and I find they leave for their second & third homes once the kids are out of school. Therefore, summer is typically the slowest months for me. It might not be that way with the larger gyms however. Good luck.









visit Pure Pilates in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
http://www.pure-pilates.net

 

[OC Renegade]

Just do it on your own. Working for a gym sucks. Go independent

If I we're you and had no clients I would start training a whole bunch of people for no cost and have them pay you with referrals

I know a few trainers in OC making over 200k a year now who started that way, and that's how I started to. If you do it right you could have like 20 paying clients in 3 or 4 months

Chris
KickBacklife.com
Facebook

 

[tbuzzell]

I started out working for Bally Total Fitness. They are great when you do not have a client base because they pay hourly just by being in the gym. I also worked for a Gold's Gym that paid by training only and when you do not have a client base you starve.

Gym's are always looking for trainers and will always hire no matter what the circumstance. If you do no have your certification they still will hire you just because of your education. That is my experience in two different states. I've been in training for 10 years and know gyms are hungry for trainers especially if you have sales experience. When it comes down to it, you cannot be a successful trainer unless you are good at sales.

Gyms that pay per hour even when you are not training tend to pay lower training rates than gyms that pay only by training session. For example:

You are paid $6.50 per hour to be at the gym, but when training you are paid $20 per session.
OR
When you are training at a gym that does not pay by hour they pay you $40 per session and you must find your own clients.
Or
You work for a gym that finds clients for you and you are paid $18 per hour whether or not you are training.

Regardless, you need to find something that will work for you. When working for a gym you make your own schedule and can still work evenings and weekend even when you are in school or have another job.