Why am I having such a hard time finding a personal training job?

[CharlottePT]

I'm NASM certified....i have a solid work history, its just that i'm changing fields so i don't have any personal training experience so to speak....although i count the fact that i've been working out, coaching baseball since i was 13 (coaching since about 16)

I here all these gyms hiring people who aren't even certified.

I'm lucky if I can get a response to an email or response to a phone call.

I was assuming that everyone would be trying to stock up on trainers now to prepare for the new years resolution crowd.

[volitionfitness]

one: you arent a female. (not being sexist, this is from experience) ive worked in box gyms before where i was told to hire females over males, regardless of experience, due to approachability and better compatibility w female clientele. needless to say, i quit.

two: the more experience and certifications you have, the more you earn (typically...), and the more threat you are to existing staff. they could care less about how awesome you are at actually training people, they want sales + retention, while appearing superior to new staff - thus hiring the un-certified

three: the economy sucks, and some gyms are testing the water to replace highly paid staffers with newbs (true story, quite infuriating) without explicit intent to hire

[CharlottePT]

even fitness togethers in my area all seem to be booked. One gym has been posting craigslist ads but not responding at all. Getting annoying.

my local bally's is tied up cause i guess a lot of those got bought by la fitness and corporate has a strangehold on them or something. I called them yesterday and he hasn't called back yet.

[CharlottePT]

i interviewed at one gym, nice gym....about 2 or 3 months ago

lady interviewed me, always picked up her phone...good contact but they only paid $14 per hair + commissions. She was trying to sell the commission thing real hard like they pay more than other places in general but i didn't know how to compare cause I'm not familiar w/ how commissions work (i've always been hourly). At least I could get in touch with her.

I didn't take the job cause it was $14 an hour, and i have bills...i felt that was unreliable but my gf and i are moving in together so i can take a little risk. I still think 14 is insulting lol but i don't understand the commissions she was offering.

[UtahTrainer]

Could be your location.

[ericmackcarter]

i interviewed at one gym, nice gym....about 2 or 3 months ago

lady interviewed me, always picked up her phone...good contact but they only paid $14 per hair + commissions. She was trying to sell the commission thing real hard like they pay more than other places in general but i didn't know how to compare cause I'm not familiar w/ how commissions work (i've always been hourly). At least I could get in touch with her.

I didn't take the job cause it was $14 an hour, and i have bills...i felt that was unreliable but my gf and i are moving in together so i can take a little risk. I still think 14 is insulting lol but i don't understand the commissions she was offering.

$14/hr plus commission is above average. I think you dun goofed. The gym where I started, $13/hr (no commission) was about the highest pay grade that you could only expect only if you had been there for years or you negotiated in the beginning.

Let's say you sell 1,250 sessions per year. At $50 per session, that is $62,500. Let's say you get 10% commission that would be $6,250. Working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, you'd make $34,250. So $35k is not stellar but consider:

a) You make tons of threads about not getting work and experience. Now you have it. From there, ask for a raise or move on. Repeat yearly.
b) 1,250 sessions per year is relatively average for full timers. You could sell more.
c) 10% commission is not the high end. Some trainers make up to 70-75% commission (without the hourly wage).

Just my take on your situation.

[Bergemann]

Its a foot in the door and experience for down the road... I say jump on it if you can still get it.
Today, you just have to take what you can get at first sometimes and work UP from there.

[mikehayman]

i interviewed at one gym, nice gym....about 2 or 3 months ago

lady interviewed me, always picked up her phone...good contact but they only paid $14 per hair + commissions. She was trying to sell the commission thing real hard like they pay more than other places in general but i didn't know how to compare cause I'm not familiar w/ how commissions work (i've always been hourly). At least I could get in touch with her.

I didn't take the job cause it was $14 an hour, and i have bills...i felt that was unreliable but my gf and i are moving in together so i can take a little risk. I still think 14 is insulting lol but i don't understand the commissions she was offering.

$14 an hour + commission isn't bad at all dude. My first PT job was @ LA Fitness in 2007 (what a joke that company is, but gotta start somewhere right?) and I made $6 per session, or $12 an hour and I think we got something like 2-4% on re-signs and/or upgrades. This is why LA Fitness never hangs on to quality trainers because the compensation is insulting. Funny story though..my boss knew that good trainers were hard to hang on to, so he "looked the other way" and let me and two other trainers do under the table training. The difference was substantial, I would log in about 110 sessions every 2 weeks through them..so I was working 55 hours every 2 weeks and making $660 BEFORE taxes...pathetic! I started training almost all of my clients an extra session or two per week for just $20 and had a few clients on the side paying me cash only. With my UT clients I was making $900 a month for about 23 hours of work vs. $1300 BEFORE TAXES for 110 hours of work. This is why I won't work for corporate gyms ever again.

Anyway I guess my point is since you're new to the field you've gotta start somewhere and your compensation isn't bad at all for having no experience. If I were you I would see if that job is still open and take it. But also you said you were a baseball coach right? Try and get referrals from the parents of the kids you coached and do some training on the side as well. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool when training independently so take that approach as well. It will only help. Good luck!

[CharlottePT]

Well another manager at the gym i go to said they start at 18 + commissions which is basically the same type large member large size gym. I can't remember what bally's offered.

At the time i couldn't have taken it anyway b/c the unreliability of the first month or so. Now, with me moving in with gf i can afford to take a little more risk.

Don't most gyms offer commissions? I think every one i've talked to does aside from the few that just offer straight pay and they take care of feeding you clients

[CharlottePT]

$14/hr plus commission is above average. I think you dun goofed. The gym where I started, $13/hr (no commission) was about the highest pay grade that you could only expect only if you had been there for years or you negotiated in the beginning.

Let's say you sell 1,250 sessions per year. At $50 per session, that is $62,500. Let's say you get 10% commission that would be $6,250. Working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, you'd make $34,250. So $35k is not stellar but consider:

a) You make tons of threads about not getting work and experience. Now you have it. From there, ask for a raise or move on. Repeat yearly.
b) 1,250 sessions per year is relatively average for full timers. You could sell more.
c) 10% commission is not the high end. Some trainers make up to 70-75% commission (without the hourly wage).

Just my take on your situation.

Thanks, I believe it was more than 10%....and i think it was different for signups and referrals...she also said the gym would give some type of commission for membership signups (personal training management is seperate from gym mgmt)

[MkADcision]

don't feel too bad i'm in the same boat,bro.. newly certified/switching careers but everyone I've contacted wants a couple of yrs experience. (well how do I get experience goof, if i'm just starting out?!)

Looking for work is such a frustrating process...endless fuk'n loop of emailing resumes, scouring job sites,calling people, and at the end of the day there is no progress.

[KyleAaron]

Take any job where you are not actually abused in some way. Voila, now you have experience and can look for a better job.

Whatever your profession, you have to view job-hunting as a continual thing. Always look for better opportunities - and let your bosses know you're open to better opportunities. If they're offering decent money and conditions, they won't feel worried about this. I don't feel worried that my clients look at other PTs training people, because I'm confident I'm the best trainer for that particular client - if several left me for other PTs I'd reassess. Likewise, a competent manager won't be worried that you have your eyes and ears open for other opportunities.

You have to start somewhere, and whenever you're establishing yourself in a new career, that somewhere will be at the bottom. What you've done is like never squatting because you're saying, "I'm looking for a routine where I can squat 225 the first session"; it would be better to start squatting even just the empty bar, since 45lbs is 45lbs more than nothing. $30-$40,000 wasn't enough for you, instead you've earned $0.

[popupwindow]

As well as what everyone else has said, GO to the gyms, don't call and email them. Walk into the gyms and talk to the managers, it's much easier to show your competence and get interviews that way, rather than by phone/email where they can easily brush you off. It also shows you're more serious about working for that gym in particular, not just emailing every gym in your area looking for anyone who will take you.

[CharlottePT]

I had interview and they want me back tmrw for new hire orientation to do paperwork and learn systems. Didn't say I had job but that is good indication. 16 per hr plus 10% commissions.

Now I need to learn how to market myself in a gym. How do u sale yourself. Do I just walk up introduce myself and say I'm new, what's your name.

Also not sure what to expect tmrw in orientation thing. Much more nervous about that than the interview

[CharlottePT]

What are some realistic goals and expectations as far as sales go. I was thinking of asking people to join a mailing list, give me good reason to break ice and intrpduce.

Also, what about these half hr sessions, I don't think I care for that idea more. Is it best to talk clients into hr long. Getting 10 clients for example seems like a challenge as most gyms I've joined training appaeared slow

Ill only be available in the mornings/afternoons...will that be advantage or disadvantage? I didn't noticfe any trainers when I came in at 930am

[KyleAaron]

tl;dr version: talk to lots of people, do 2x 30' rather than 1x 60' sessions, stick to your planned hours, be patient

Long version. Around 3% of gym members will be interested in PT. So if your gym has 1,000 members, that's 30 potential clients. 6,000 is 180, and so on. So you have to talk to 20 or so people to get one client. Shy introverts don't do too good as PTs.

You can do only half-hours, or only hours, or only weight loss clients, or whatever you like. But the more you restrict your choice of client, the fewer clients you'll have. That's okay, you might decided that only certain kinds of clients are worth the trouble. In time per week, remember that people only have a certain amount of time and money to spend on training. More people will do 1hr a week than will do 2 or 3hr.

And if they're doing 1hr, they'll actually get better results with 2x 30min than 1x 60min weekly. If they get results, they stick around. Which means less time hustling for more clients and more time spent actually training people.

It's realistic to get 2-3 new clients each month, and lose 1-2 of them. It's never that neat, of course - you might get 3 clients in a week and then nobody new for two months, you might lose 2 clients in one day and then get another one the next day. But that's the average.

Some people will do 10-30 sessions with you in all and then quit. Some quit because they achieved their goal - prepared for that race or wedding day, got better knowledge of lifting, etc - and some because they weren't that dedicated or the two of you didn't get along that well. If they do more than 30 sessions you've probably got them long-term.

Gain 2-3 clients a month, lose 1-2, as some of them pass the 30 session mark they start staying, you don't work so much on getting new ones and less of them drop off. Eventually you reach a sort of balance, where you have 12-20 clients. Most trainers won't be able to handle more than 20 clients, it's just too much to keep track of and you won't be able to stay fresh.

8 of 12 would be steady ones, another 4 are those who've just started and/or are leaving soonish. Or 12-14 of 20. It takes most trainers about 12 months to establish themselves and have that steady client base who'll follow them anywhere. If after 12 months you have 0-3 clients like the typical trainer, you'll probably never have any more, and if given them by another trainer or management you won't keep them.

The exact client numbers aren't as important as the total sessions you do, since in most cases you're paid by the session. Would you rather have 10 clients doing 2 sessions a week each, or 20 doing 1?

So okay, you gain 2-3 and lose 1-2. If you're not turning people away, maybe half the clients do 1 (half-hour) session a week with you, and half do 2 or more. Around one in six sessions don't happen for whatever reason, someone's injured or has to work or go on holiday or whatever. So it averages out to 6-7 sessions a month per client. So it works out to 10 sessions a month growth. For example, you start in January and do 10, in February 20, etc. Again, just an average.

Another point is that clients come from two sources: you, and the gym as a whole. Some people just wander up to the front desk and ask for PT, others never would but you might give them training tips in the gym and then one day they ask. At a good gym with good trainers it'll be about 50-50. You should get the occasional call from the gym manager, "I'm calling about a new PT client." Most gym managers will give you 1-2 clients to start out, if you keep them, they'll give you more; if you don't keep them, you won't be given any more. If you get 10 clients of your own and keep them, the manager will funnel even more clients your way - the manager's not going to give clients to that doofus who keeps losing them.

That's how much PT can grow, but where does it stop, if ever? Will you do 40hr a week of PT? Probably not. As to hours, what you find is that of all PT clients, about 40% want to train before business hours of 9-5, 40% after, and 20% during. Most gyms will open at 0600, people want to get showered and changed for work at 0900, so that gives you 5 possible sessions each morning. Work 5 days a week, that's 25 sessions a week, or around 100 a month.

Who can work out during the day? Retirees, stay-at-home parents, university students, trophy wives, etc. There are lots of them but most of them are not trophy wives so have limited income - this is why you didn't see anyone around at 0930. So you get half as many during the day as in the morning. Another 2-3 sessions a day. Brings it up to 7-8 sessions daily, 35-40 a week, about 150 a month.

If you could work in the evenings too, it'd be as much as 250 a month. But getting up at 0500, working 0500-1000, then coming back to the gym to work 1700-2100, this is pretty draining and most people can't keep it up. And at 6-7 sessions a month per client, 250 sessions would be 40 clients - you're unlikely to keep that up.

So in practice 100-150 half-hour sessions a month is the most good trainers will do. At $30-$50 a session the members are paying, with you getting $15 (at a Y, where you also do gym shifts) to $40 (at Genesis or Fitness First, where you also pay $300 a week rent), you can do the arithmetic and figure out the income.

This is why lots of trainers are into bootcamps and the like. $10-$20 a person, up to 12 per trainer, less work more money. Or some flat fee like $60 from the gym for running a BodyCombat class. And gym shifts at that $16 an hour will help.

Last financial year, I earned A$32,471 (but didn't work for 4 weeks of the year). However, this was 1,219 hours of work - 25hr a week. $676 a week for 5 hours a day is not bad, I think. My pay rates have gone up and I'm doing more PT rather than gym shifts this year, so I should hit $40,000 this year - again, 25hr/week. I could work more but my son was born in June, I'd rather put my time towards him.

When you're starting out you'll be tempted to accept whatever clients come along and whatever times they want. Better to just decide when you want to work and only accept that. "Sorry, I am only available at these times. If you like, I can refer you to the PT team leader and they can find you another trainer." Sometimes they'll accept that, you score points with the PT boss and get referred clients later, usually they just say, "Well actually, I guess I could come at that time..."

[CharlottePT]

So in practice 100-150 half-hour sessions a month is the most good trainers will do. At $30-$50 a session the members are paying, with you getting $15 (at a Y, where you also do gym shifts) to $40 (at Genesis or Fitness First, where you also pay $300 a week rent), you can do the arithmetic and figure out the income.

Thanks for detailed post

I would get $8 for 30 minutes...the three big commercial gyms i interviewed at around here were all around the same ballpark 14-18 per hour plus 10% commissions or greater.

Now assuming a good trainer works 100 half hour sessions (12.5 hours a week), that's only 800 a month before taxes. Granted you will make a little more with commissions but then the government is gonna take at least 200 from you. How do people survive with lets say 700ish a month? With families?

I have another part time job where I will make about 13,000 a year for 20 hrs or so a week but i'm just hoping the new years crowd really gives me a boost.

I am shy and introverted somewhat as well, if people come up and talk to me i'm fine but randomly I don't ever go up striking conversations....however now i have incentive to do so.

Two idea's i had where going around introducing myself and asking if people would like to join my weekly newsletter w/ exercise tips, nutritional advice, etc...Gives me topic. Also posting signs about self myofascial release, and to come ask me for demonstration. I don't think SMR is that common in gyms (i haven't seen it), and it sounds interesting i think it could spark curiosity.

[UtahTrainer]

FYI, you're never going to make great money in a commercial gym working for someone else. The experience is the true value. Stick with the commercial gym for at least 6 months and if its something you love and have a passion for go independent.

[CharlottePT]

FYI, you're never going to make great money in a commercial gym working for someone else. The experience is the true value. Stick with the commercial gym for at least 6 months and if its something you love and have a passion for go independent.

Assuming i may look for a private studio type deal where they may charge 75 i keep 55....wouldn't they want atleast a year experience or do they just really care about the clients you bring in?

I did get the job at this gym, and i start in two weeks but will go in a few times before. TBH, i need the practice of simply talking to people more than anything i think. I'm not very social especially if i don't have to be and this will force me to come out of that shell a little bit or i'll fail.

I still think online networking/marketing will be my niche b/c the other manager/trainer i was there with and the people already with the company didn't really have anything going on online. They were shocked that i had two ********s (business/personal), plus they have a gym ******** page where i can communicate with potential clients that come during all hours. I can communicate with everyone almost daily that way.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

I applied to 3 gyms, got called back by 2 of the gyms, but was hired at the first gym before the second gym even called me about my application. I saw it like this: I can't be picky about where I will work, I am a 1 cert trainer with ZERO experience, I sure wouldn't hire myself at that juncture... Just because I'm working somewhere right now doesn't mean I will stay there, even today I was driving around town to places I am interested in to try for after I get my second certification under my belt + at least a few months experience at the big box... The big gyms don't want you training outside of your employment with them, but lettuce be cereal, if you are a career trainer, you DO NOT want to work at a big box for very long AT ALL lol... Trying to be as seamless as possible through my steps up the ladder.

[6packngunz]

Its a foot in the door and experience for down the road... I say jump on it if you can still get it.
Today, you just have to take what you can get at first sometimes and work UP from there.

Totally agree with you. After my MBA I took a $12/job just to get my foot in the door. I wanted to work in investment banking and could not get anywhere. Worked there for 2 years and I found my way into investment banking after that job.
You have to start somewhere so take the job.
Good luck.

[KyleAaron]

Now assuming a good trainer works 100 half hour sessions (12.5 hours a week), that's only 800 a monthbefore taxes. Granted you will make a little more with commissions but then the government is gonna take at least 200 from you. How do people survive with lets say 700ish a month? With families?.

I've no idea.

Here Down Under there are two setups - the community gym, and the commercial gym.

At the community gym they start you up with 2-3 x 4hr gym shifts a week at $20-$25 an hour. After that, it's up to you to get PT clients, the clients pay $60/hr and you get $35; this may go up as you get more experienced.

At a commercial gym, you pay $200-$300 a week rent. No gym shifts. PT clients you get, you can charge them anywhere between $45 and $120 an hour. You get 75-90% of that, though.

So if you're new, you go to a community gym. If you're an established trainer, a real gun, you can make more money at a commercial joint. In terms of how the money stacks up: Unsuccessful trainer (0-3 clients), better at a community gym; moderately successful (6-15 clients), same-same; very successful (15+), better at a commercial gym.

People usually combine gym shifts and PT and some group class stuff, either bootcamps or Les Mills stuff. Admin positions are usually part-time, too. With a lot of hustle people make a decent living - definitely not rich, but they pay the bills.

You do have to be social. Fake it.

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

Do you want to work in a gym? have you considered working for yourself? this is what I suggest. Put an ad in craigs list. make it professional. if you dont have a website, make that first then do the CL post. make the CL post in bullets -its easier for people to read. Also, think about specialization. dont try to be all things to all people. This will help you bypass gyms, and work smarter, not harder.

Good luck!

Joe