Are you interested in becoming a personal trainer? This can be a fantastic role with excellent job satisfaction, but is it is not perfect for everyone. To establish whether personal training is the right career path for you to move forwards with, take a look at these questions and answer them for yourself. They can reveal some of both the advantages and disadvantages of being a personal trainer.
Could you work unusual hours?
One of the most unconventional aspects of working as a personal trainer is that the typical peak hours are completely different to those of a traditional ‘9 to 5’. This is due to the fact that the majority of people who want session will work their standard hours and then look to workout outside of that time.
This means you would need to get used to having early mornings, evenings and weekends as the busiest working periods of your life. This can be difficult for some trainers to adapt to as it means re-thinking your working schedule. On the other hand, many trainers are happy to work these hours and can ensure that they retain a good work-life balance – it’s just a different way of working to get used to.
Are you committed to the qualifications?
Some people believe that to become a personal trainer you simply need to get in great shape and then start working with people who want to attain a great physique or become healthier – but nothing could be further from the case. To become a personal trainer, it is essential to gain qualifications so that you are legally allowed to work in gyms. Having these qualifications also gives your clients a reason to trust your advice and stick to the plan you create.
But you need to be committed to learning. These qualifications don’t necessarily come easily, so you will need to have a passion for the subject area and have a desire to improve your knowledge of health and well-being.
Are you a people person?
Yes, being a personal trainer involves coming up with a workout schedule, but this is only a part of the job. In reality, you are a mentor and a coach. You need to be invested in the people you work with to help them achieve their goals.
Can you build a rapport with clients to ensure that they keep coming back to you for personal training sessions? Remember that your personal training business is very much down to your ability to find and retain clients, so your personality is an important part of that. Of course, this is something that you can work on so it’s definitely checking out personal training blogs and videos for tips on how to engage with your clients.
Do you want a job where everyday is different?
You might be under the impression that working as a personal trainer is simple. It would be easy to assume that you can create one fantastic workout plan that you can roll out to all of your clients, along with guidance for how they can improve their diet. In reality, every client is different and you will need to create an individual plan and suit their needs on a personal level.
In short, this is not a job for those people who like to a routine every day at their job. Every client will be different and every day will be different.
Can you be your own boss?
This is an important one. One of the things that attracts people to personal training work is the opportunity to be their own boss and manage their own time. This can be extremely appealing, but it is almost important to ask yourself whether this is something that you are suited to. In order to make a success in a personal training role you need to be highly organised and make excellent use of your time.
If you provide yourself with too much slack it can be easy to fall into a routine where you do not get enough work. On the other hand, some personal trainers make the mistake of overworking themselves and getting burned out. Can you manage your own schedule successfully?
