How to become a Personal Trainer. Job Description: Personal Trainers are persons who are responsible for helping people achieve or maintain fitness. Personal Trainers are generally expected to be reasonable, fair, Level -headed and Inspiring. The hours depend on the environment they work in. Being a Personal Trainer is a good job for many people, but the key traits to have are a sociable personality, helpful, intuitive, a good sense of humour and calm under pressure. You must be able to listen, speak clearly and not be prejudiced towards anyone.
Entry Requirements
To become a Personal Trainer you have to have a good understanding of fitness and sports. You don’t have to have any formal qualifications, although it can be beneficial to you if you are looking to be employed by a gym or sporting establishment to have some form of qualification. Colleges run many courses which you could consider such as sports science, coaching and leadership or health and nutrition (Food Economics).
Responsibilities and Duties
Standard duties vary dependent on the type of Personal Trainer you are. You will generally be expected to decide if you wish to work within a gym or similar sporting environment, or whether you wish to work for yourself. Gyms employ personal trainers so that members that require a little more pushing or guidance can have that in place within the gym environment. Your job would be to speak with each member and decide on the best exercise regime for them in the gym, and then help them to be motivated and achieve what they are looking to achieve. IF you choose to work for yourself you may prefer to run classes that you can set up and run yourself, thereby choosing what activities you carry out. OR you may choose to carry out one on one training with people. Meeting clients at set venues and then taking them through a safe and suitably demanding exercise regime to ensure that they are getting the workout they require. You can also offer tips and advice on eating healthily.
Working Hours
These may vary depending on the duties and job you are doing. Many Personal Trainer Jobs can be 9-5, whilst just as many can be out of hours. Usual shift length is 8 hours. Many Personal Trainers are expected to work weekends and evenings.
Skills and Training Development
Personal Trainers can expect to progress through their careers with improving skills and knowledge as well as time served. You may find if you gain additional skills such as communications, counselling or management that you may find additional opportunities such as holding team building/bonding days, or group fitness camps. Holding afterschool clubs or sporting activities may make you a more suitable candidate for promotion as it shows dedication and an ability to work with all ages and demographics. An education in healthy eating will benefit your career in many ways.
Average Salary
The average salary for a Trainee Personal Trainer is £19,000 PA.
The average salary for a qualified Personal Trainer is £26,000 PA.
photo by: training
