Best Gym to work at starting out as a personal trainer

[Pressstar]

Well I recently graduated from college with a fitness diploma, I was wondering which certification is the best and which gym has the highest pay,benefits etc

I live in canada btw

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

I suggest a YMCA. they will teach you. most big gyms just try to work the crap out of you. There is usually more flexibility in how much you can make personal training wise

[Steeeeve]

I'd say go to one of the smaller gyms first. A few months back when I was searching for a position I heard lots of bad experiences at bigger gyms. When I showed up for my interview at Bally's I had to wait 15 minutes because the manager was settling a dispute with her trainers over how much their pay was (I did not accept their offer after hearing that). I am now working at a smaller gym. I am able to schedule clients at any time and am not restricted to a morning or afternoon shift. I don't know about other small gyms but here we get paid a percentage of the session. We start off at 30% and can get up to 50% depending on how much pt we sold the previous month. That's like $10-17.50 per half-hour session. We aren't pressured to meet a quota, but we do get bonuses if we hit our sales goal. I would recommend starting off somewhere where you feel comfortable and you can get experience. Some people like the feel of working at a bigger gym with set hours and others like being more flexible and finding their own clients. Good luck with the job searching.

[BC02]

out in az/co, id say mountainside fitness. starts at 16/hr and no selling. id choose 24 hr over the other coorperate gyms though since they offer health benefits, while la/golds dont

[MT1979]

Depending on location, I'd say Lifetime. Decent insurance, 401k, stock plan and clientele that can afford it.

[BC02]

I'd say go to one of the smaller gyms first. A few months back when I was searching for a position I heard lots of bad experiences at bigger gyms. When I showed up for my interview at Bally's I had to wait 15 minutes because the manager was settling a dispute with her trainers over how much their pay was (I did not accept their offer after hearing that). I am now working at a smaller gym. I am able to schedule clients at any time and am not restricted to a morning or afternoon shift. I don't know about other small gyms but here we get paid a percentage of the session. We start off at 30% and can get up to 50% depending on how much pt we sold the previous month. That's like $10-17.50 per half-hour session. We aren't pressured to meet a quota, but we do get bonuses if we hit our sales goal. I would recommend starting off somewhere where you feel comfortable and you can get experience. Some people like the feel of working at a bigger gym with set hours and others like being more flexible and finding their own clients. Good luck with the job searching.

i waited 3 hrs for ant interview at la fit once, and when they finally decided to interview me the training mngr tried to say it was my fault for not going and getting the dist manager. like Id know who the dist manager was! I told the front desk girl Iwas there and the training mngr just walked right by me after I had just texted him to tell him I was there

[BC02]

Depending on location, I'd say Lifetime. Decent insurance, 401k, stock plan and clientele that can afford it.

seems too snobby of a gym chain for me

[Pressstar]

anyone else?

[jando]

im pretty happy over at a huge golds in a/next to a wealthy area.

there are a lot of factors involed like the median income of the members, how many other trainers there are, number of members, flexibility to create and get involved in programs.

Just don't work at LA fitness or Retro.

I built a full book at my gym within 3 months and 3 years later I manage the sports performance training center and do very well finacially. We're a franchise and I seized opportunities when they arose and worked extremely hard.

[Pressstar]

is goodlife or YMCA good?

[Pressstar]

is there an lifetime in ontario/gta area?

[rdferguson]

IMO, the best gym is the one the pays you for your work and helps you along to becoming a successful PT. I don't know what gyms are in the area, being an Australian, but go to all the gyms you can get to, talk to the PT Manager (or person of equivalent role), tell them about yourself, that you're looking for work in PT, and ask what deal they offer to PTs starting out (ie "Now, if I were to work here, would it be a rental position, or would I get paid by the gym directly?").

[Jonah11]

I am getting certified through NASM my test is in August. I am trying to plan my job search in advance so I can hit the ground running. Does anyone know of a decent health club in Manhattan with benes, and an hourly rate (meaning weather training or not) + training rates, and bonuses etc.
Anyone know what New York Sports Club Pays, or Equinox? I read a "Best Gyms In NY 2013" in Time Out, but are they good places to work for etc. That is what I would like to know. I am not interested in working for a place that pays only commission, or only when training. Any help in narrowing my search would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[SCfitness7]

large corporation gems such as 24 hour fitness do not pay that much money to their personal trainers. You could call it "minimum wage" for personal trainers. This is about $16 per hour. I would search out local gyms that are looking for trainers that have diplomas. You will most likely get close to twice as much money.