Working in a gym is a great way to earn money and build your personal trainer reputation. Some gyms and leisure centres hire personal trainers as employees whereas others prefer personal trainers to work independently yet use their facilities and provide services to their members. It is essential that you can differentiate between these to avoid being accidentally or deliberately taken advantage of by the gym you’re working for.

Personal Trainer Gym Contracts

As an actual employee the gym or facility generally has more control the exclusivity of your services, such as preventing you from training in other facilities or in clients’ homes, for example. You may also be required to use specific methods or programs that are specific to the gym’s program or studio, limiting the amount of your own techniques you can use. Your responsibilities will most likely also include general maintenance of the gym, administration work and assisting members as necessary. That said, you will often be given a guaranteed number of hours to work, get the chance to build loyalty with clients, enhance your skills and develop a better understanding of the different aspects of personal training as a business.

Independent Personal Trainers

As an independent personal trainer you will be responsible for paying your own tax after receiving payment from your contractor. Be sure to find out whether it is you or the facility that will be paid for your services, and whether you are paid a flat rate or on an hourly basis. Depending on your contractor you may have the ability to work your own hours, but more commonly your contract will include set hours you have to work (usually in the busiest times). Within these, you generally have the freedom to run your own classes – though be sure to check how many people you can train at any one time.

Getting Hired as a Personal Trainer

Both being hired by a gym and working independently as a personal trainer in a gym environment has its advantages and disadvantages, so make sure you research each options thoroughly to determine which is the best choice for you. At Diverse Trainers we design our personal trainer courses to cover the various personal trainer employment opportunities and the key aspects of business that you must understand to be a successful personal trainer. For more information about any of our gym instructor courses or working in a gym as a personal trainer, please call our team or use live chat to talk to one of our advisers now.