Personal question for personal trainers

[LaBelleRebelle]

What kind of $$$ do personal trainers make? I have made the decision to go back to college and get my degree in music education, but I have 2 kids and a huge amount of debt, so I must keep working to make ends meet. DH is in pharmacology school, so he works very little.

I was thinking about working as a personal trainer. I used to work in a gym (childcare area) and one of the trainers there worked a couple hours a day 3-4 times a week, usually holding 1 or 2 appointments on the days she worked, and worked according to her client's schedules and availability. I was wanting to try an arrangement like that, if it works out with my school schedule. I would need to make about $150 (after childcare expenses) to equal what I'm bringing home now (after childcare.) I've heard that trainers make good money, and I've also heard that really don't earn as much as people think they do. I've never actually bothered to ask any of them.

What do trainers earn? Does this sound like a good way to earn a little money? (I've been wanting to be a trainer for a long time, but didn't want to do it full-time.)

Thanks for any input!

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, LaBelleRebelle! I'm not a personal trainer (I am an extremely part-time group fitness instructor), so I'll give you my $.02 (about what it's worth) with that in mind . . .

Personal trainers can make a lot or a little, just like you've heard. Much depends on their level of education, their geographic location and whether there's a market of clients to tap, whether they're associated with a facility or totally independent, etc. I've heard numbers, from trainers, that range from $10.00 per session to $50.00-$70.00 per session, so you get an idea of how variable it can be.

If it's a steady, RELIABLE part-time income you need to help pay the bills and do something interesting at the same time, I would ask to interview some of the personal trainers at your gym to see if their clients are reliable! One of the banes of a personal trainer's existence is clients who cancel appointments! As well as clients who have variable schedules, and need you to accommodate them rather than the other way around.

You may want to check out the IDEA website (www.ideafit.com) and see if you can access any of the information available on the business of personal training. You may also want to think about group fitness instruction as opposed to personal training; if you get an ongoing class schedule, that may be more reliable than training individual clients.

Good luck!

Annette

 

[JBsMommy]

Hi! I am certified as a personal trainer through NSCA and AFAA, but right now I am staying home with my 10 mo. old son. When I was working, I made about $15.oo per hour. I worked at a fitness center, and was constantly cancelled on by clients. It was particularly annoying because my appt. were usually spaced out quite a bit, and I would go home in between. So I made a lot of trips to the fitness center, only to have clients cancel at the last minute! I also found that people either wanted to meet super early in the morning or else later in the evening. I only had a couple of stay at home moms who I trained in the afternoon.
I did enjoy working with the people I had, but it took me almost a year to build up to where I had 4 or 5 clients a day. Then I got pregnant and ended up deciding to stay at home.
I think a lot of it depends on where you live. I'm in a medium sized town in Illinois, and there just doesn't seem to be a huge base of people who are willing/able to spend that kind of money on themselves. If I lived in Chicago, I probably would have been more successful.
That was my experience. Good luck with your decision!

 

[kimroberts]

At our gym, we all make $25 per hour and we do not have to pay a "floor fee" to the gym. Some gyms require you to pay a percentage of your income to the gym, so that would be a big factor. We have to pay to keep our certifications up to date, which involves time and money.

Also, there are many people who call themselves trainers but in reality all they do is walk around and reset the pin in the machine, or go fetch the dumbbells. These folks don't get many clients. People aren't dumb and they'll catch on quickly if you don't know your stuff. There are about 5 gyms in our small town, all with trainers on staff. To make any money, you have to use imagination and know how to do create "sports specific" workouts to help with golf games, soccer, marathon running, etc. Personal training is one of those fields where you absolutely cannot fake your way through and make any money.

Trainers make more money in Jan/Feb/March than in the rest of the year. So when Christmas time comes and you need money the worst, is when everybody is holding onto their tightly.