Personal Trainer

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £22,000

Typical Hours

32 to 34 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays as customers demand

How To Become a Personal Trainer

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could take a college course to help you get into this career. Courses include:

Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness
Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could do a personal trainer advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply to become a personal trainer or set up your business, if you've got qualifications and experience as a fitness coach or gym instructor.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to work well with others
to enjoy working with other people
the ability to work on your own
customer service skills
knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
physical fitness and endurance
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

On a daily basis you might be:

setting short-term and long-term goals and planning programmes to reach them
educating, motivating and coaching clients to help them follow their programmes safely and effectively
giving advice on health, nutrition and lifestyle changes
helping clients with their workouts
checking and recording clients' progress, using methods like measuring heart rate and levels of body fat

Working Environment

You could work at a fitness centre or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

Career Path & Progression

You could take further instructor courses to learn new skills to offer clients, like yoga, pilates, nutrition or aerobics.

With further training, you could also work with people recovering from illness or who have medical conditions.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

It's usual to have a certificate in first aid that includes cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Further information

You can find out more about careers in exercise and fitness from the National Register of Personal Trainers.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks, as you may be working with children and vulnerable adults