Great line of inquiry here...
I am a Director of Personal Training at a Fitness and Wellness Facility that has 12,000 members and a staff of 38 team members who can do personal training... about 10 of them are full time.
Our company has over 250 trainers system wide and 60 full time trainers.
I have hired and managed nearly 50 trainers in the last 5 years here. Prior to that, I worked in fitness on and off over the last 16 years. I was a full time personal trainer for 4 of those and part time for 8. I have never gone longer than 6 months without having at least one student. Needless to say, I've seen a lot of things work and not work in the business of personal fitness and I've been responsible for a good number of mistakes in hiring and development.
It is an interesting time to be in the world of personal training. As an industry, we're limping through a phase of evolution.
Here are a few of the key issues we're facing:
1. We have an abundance load of "qualified" trainers out there that can't interact with non-fitness people.
These are potential trainers that have the right certifications and the right degree, but ZERO interpersonal skills and ZERO business skills.
I made the mistake of looking for those people when I first started hiring... They can talk a blue streak about physiological responses to resistance training, and will split hairs about daily undulating periodization vs. block periodization... I get it, I love talking shop too. But trust me when I say this; your customers don't give one s*** about how much you know.
I have found that I can make a career trainer out of a good "people person" with a hunger to learn how to train. The inverse simply hasn't been the case outside of a couple of isolated incidents. A good programmer with no people skills is, more often than not, dead on arrival...
If a certified, educated trainer interviews with me and they can't keep a conversation going or don't ask good questions, I know they're not ready to work in the personal fitness industry. I sincerely hope they can find a living as a strength and conditioning coach at a school or specialty gym...
2. The industry is in its infancy as a career and the best "jobs" out there are really hard to get.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the best 10% of jobs in the fitness training industry make 72K+... (
Fitness Trainers and Instructors : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The median is half that.
With two Master's degrees between my wife and myself, I can't afford to work for 37K/year...
I am lucky to have stumbled into a "top tier" job in this field, and do not take it for granted... I work my a#@ off to keep that job. If you want it, come and take it from me... I dare you. You chasing my job will make me better and our whole field better. "A rising tide floats all ships..."
as
@Zack mentioned that he wouldn't trade his experience as a big box trainer for the anything. I suggest that you do what he and I did and try to make it in that world for a while... You'll get an amazingly diverse developmental experience and you'll find out what you really like doing and who you really like working with.
This experience will help you no matter what your end goal is in the industry.
A fellow StrongFirst instructor likes to remind me where our industry is at when he asks: "You ever heard of a retired personal trainer?"
Expect to scrape and claw your way to the top... just as you have as an instructor in our school.
3. There's a gap between employer's recognition of qualification and a really great coach.
I believe that StrongFirst coaches are among the best in the world, and that StrongFirst (especially the SFG course) is the finest school of strength and fitness coaching around.
That said, I have had to tell two SFG's that I cannot hire them without an NCCA accredited certification. I recently spoke with a retired Marine NCO who is sharp as can be and has 26 years of experience in physically training Marines, but was passed over for a job at a corporate wellness facility for a recent college grad with the right degree and right cert with no experience...
Big employers and institutions are bound to accredited certifications that you can find here:
ICE : NCCA Accredited Organization Search
select "Fitness and Wellness" in the "industry" field and click through for a list. The good news for you is that NSCA is on there...
Chief SFG
@Brett Jones has been actively supporting the newly created CREP (
USREPS - The United States Registry of Exercise Professionals) and rightfully so. This organization will help us exercise professionals "raise the bar" for coaches everywhere, but just having a great certification won't do a damn thing for you to build a thriving and vibrant business. You have to provide an experience to beam about to your customers.
Get a Cert so you can get a job, then do your best in coaching them and exceeding their expectations in every possible way. Stand out by being a partner in your customer's journey toward fitness success. Don't count reps and don't tell them what to do... guide them, pull them and walk with them toward THEIR idea of what fitness is, not yours, or a textbook's.
4. The recognized certification and degree programs out there won't leave you prepared for the business and psychology sides of the fitness profession.
You're going to have to get these skills somewhere and if you're not interested in at least a C+ level capability in them, please, don't get into this line of work...
I used to be bitter as hell about s***ty trainers and coaches out there kicking my a#@ in revenue. Now, I see that I can't show how good I am as a trainer if I can't get someone to know me and like me first.
You don't have to sacrifice your morals and "entertrain" people, but you sure as hell can't rely on being the best trainer (with no clients) to do the marketing for you. Trust me, with the internet and online training, the people looking for the best of the best coaches aren't looking for someone who just got into the industry...
Swallow the pill... get moderately proficient at marketing, sales and administration if you're not already capable in those areas. You'll need those skills to earn the opportunity to show how great a coach you can be.
OK.
end rant...
@Chrisdavisjr does that help?