Being a personal trainer is often described as people’s dream job, but it is sometimes often seen as too risky to do. Many ex-trainers who didn’t make it will try to portray it as a bad career choice, and you will also hear this from many people who have never even experienced it. But while personal training can be very challenging, it can also be the best job you’ll ever do.
This list of perks will not be placed in any particular order, nor will there be a particular theme. This is just a collection of awesome benefits that personal trainers will experience. The benefits are based on those running a successful business and are fully self-employed.
During your first six months or so, you will likely be spending as much time as possible in the gym trying to drum up business. And while this may be the case, you really can make up your own hours to suit you! If you don’t ever want to work a Sunday morning in your life, but you are okay with training clients on a Friday night, then you can do that. Make sure you are clear with your clients about what times you can train and what times you can’t. This will help in creating a timetable that is both suitable for you and your clients. It is important to not be too inflexible during your first few months.
Anyone who has worked in an employed job knows how difficult it can be organising a holiday with your family or friends. Having 80% of the office all trying to get a week in August, or having to work on Christmas eve because you’re on the rota can make holiday booking impossible. As a self-employed personal trainer you can easily book off a holiday, as long as you are earning enough to justify doing so.
When you first start out as a personal trainer there is a temptation to work with anyone who will pay you, and depending on your circumstances it may be a good idea to train with awful clients. But, you don’t have to! If a client is rude, or doesn’t pay on time, or you don’t enjoy training with them you can choose not too. Obviously, you will need to do this in as nice a way as possible as your reputation is important. However, dumping bad clients can be a huge perk…something that your employed friends will be very jealous of!
Being a self employed personal trainer means that you won’t have a boss and you won’t have colleagues. Sure there will be other personal trainers, but they are not there to help you nor will they be able to hinder you. That’s not to say that there isn’t politics within a group of personal trainers, we’re all still human. But you can completely cut yourself off from it, and it will have no effect on your business.
At first, being completely on your own can be very scary, but after you’ve been training for a few months you will begin to embrace the independence. Most of all, you can choose your business route and by working hard you will be watch the rewards follow. However, if you slack off you will be punished. You can’t blame anyone else for your business, but you can also take all the plaudits. If you want to change your training style, or only work with women as clients, then you can do that. It’s a very liberating experience.
Remember why you wanted to become a personal trainer in the first place was to help people. You will see their successes as your successes. You will help people to lose weight, build muscle, improve their self-image, and gain confidence. You will help people reduce their risk of diabetes, heart disease, strokes, dementia, and cancer, just by helping them to exercise regularly. You are making a positive impact on their lives.
If any trainer tells you that you shouldn’t make friends with your clients then they are wrong and should be ignored. It is impossible to spend hours of one on one time with clients over weeks, months, and even years, without making friends. You will end up knowing all about them, their work-life, their family, their friends, their hopes and dreams. Embrace this, spend time with them outside of work, treat them to a drink once in a while (remember they’re paying your bills with their custom). While personal training is a lonely job in some ways, you will interact with awesome people all the time.
These are just a snapshot of the many benefits of personal training as a career choice. It’s all down to you, if you want to work 7 days a week and earn a fortune then you can. If you want a job that allows you to spend more time with your family while still earning a decent wage then you can. If you want to use personal training as a stepping stone to another job entirely (physiotherapist, fitness blogger, bodybuilding coach etc) then you can. You have complete freedom to do whatever you want.
Yes, personal training is hard work, and yes it is by no means the fantasy job where you can train clients for £200 per hour while on a beach in Morocco (though there are personal trainers who do this). But the rewards are there for anyone who wants them enough.
Check out our amazing personal trainer qualifications today and give yourself the best chance of making these perks a reality.