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How much does it cost to become a personal trainer?
You could approach this question with a simple answer, find out exactly how much it costs to enrol on a PT training course, maybe even work out your monthly repayments with an interest free loan over 10 months. You could create some complicated spreadsheets that will inform you how many clients you need to train in order to have the course pay for itself. However there are some other cost/benefits you might want to consider.
How to become a personal trainer?
Personal Training is an unregulated industry, there are various on line courses you can take which will not see you having to commit too much of a financial investment. As an employer I have interviewed people with just this sort of qualification and they have been incapable of executing a safe bicep curl, let alone being comfortable with talking confidently to customers. I’m pretty sure if you’re a regular gym user you have come across the self confessed ‘expert’ who is coaching anyone who will listen.
So you want to be a trainer but you don’t want to be that kind of trainer. You want to stand out, be proud of your achievements and your knowledge. What’s the answer?
Get certified!
Most reputable gyms will require a REPs and/or CIMSPA accredited qualification and to obtain insurance this is essential. The cost of courses can vary greatly, from extremely cheap on line courses to much more expensive class room based training. How do you choose what is right for you?
Firstly, clients won’t actually care about your certification. Generally YOU will sell your services, your ability to build rapport, set goals, get your clients to adhere to their program. How well you motivate and build loyalty will get your clients coming back for more. Think about a course where you can practice these skills, see if you can shadow another PT.
The PT certification is just the beginning of your qualification. Some training providers will farm you in, fill their courses to bursting. You can sit there passively, tired, disengaged, slightly irritated by the know it all at the front of the group. The PT training course should ignite a passion for lifelong learning to enable you to become outstanding in your field. As well as reading from books and passing exams you need to accumulate tons of practical & varied experience. Go to classes, practice on your friends, start to develop your own personal style.
CPD courses are opportunities not just obligations. If you are a member of REPs it’s a requirement to commit to annual training, learning & development. CPDs give you a chance to further your knowledge, make new connections, learn new skills.
How are you going to fit all this new learning into your currently over booked schedule? Sometimes it can seem unreasonable that you are eager to start but have to wait until the training provider can fit you into their schedule of courses which are sometimes run miles away from you.
Access to experts is the real benefit of an accredited certification. The course content has been collated to include current methodologies, based on appropriate research put together with a system for learning. By going through the process of learning a system and becoming competent to pass a test proving as much gives you a start in an industry suffering from information overload.
Sometimes the direct cost of something doesn’t always relate to the benefit you will receive. When you are considering investing in your education and your future it’s important you find the right fit.