job as a fitness instructor/ personal trainer

I've been in the field for about 7 years now. What my experience is is in both commercial gyms (gyms like gold's gym, etc.) and corporate gyms. From my experience, you are not going to make 35 a year... or even close to that. Granted, some places have all sorts of sales goals bonuses etc. so if you don't mind being a salesman and making it all about making the numbers than you may have a completely different experience.

Me personally, I'm not a salesman, I don't want to push my services onto people that are not interested. I will also not trick people into signing contracts that they aren't super interested in. As I stated above, this was my experience. I know there are gyms out there that do not run this way, however, from talking to many other people in the field the majority of big chains are more like this than not.

I went into this field because I have a passion for movement, health, and helping people, not because I wanted sales goals and cold calls to rule the majority of my day. When I worked in commercial gyms this what what I found happening the most. I was also working early mornings, lunchtimes, and evenings with 3-4 hour breaks between client "shifts" which meant lots of down time but not enough time to really go out and do things. I was logging 45-50 hours a week and barely making 28 per year. No commission since they doubled my sales goals. I was also expected to give "orientations" (the free personal training sessions they offer their new members) for no compensation (yes, they would not pay me for my time, but I was expected to do them).

Moving out of commercial gyms I changed jobs to work in a corporate setting. The perks of that move were set hours, 40 hour work weeks. period. compensation for ALL hours worked. In the corporate world it also includes health promotion and incentive programs, group classes, and one on one trainings. Every place is different, and depending on the size of the facility you may or may not work alone. My facility is small so I am the only staff in the gym, which can get really lonely. The pay is hourly, and lands me around 33 per year. Full time also provides benefits and paid time off which is really nice.

I'm not trying to discourage you from joining in the field, as it can be very rewarding once you find your niche. But there's a reason that a lot of people make it their side job, or open their own gym or personal training studio. I am also a group exercise instructor which is a big selling point when they look at your resume. Many places (especially corporate) require you to teach at least a couple classes, or in my case, all the classes. It will depend on the facility and how big it is, some places hire trainers strictly for training, but many places pay separate for classes so many trainers end up teaching classes to get a little extra money.

Another aspect to consider is certifications. You'll need a training certification in order to train. Some gyms will only accept certifications from certain associations (ACSM, ACE, NASM etc.) Each certification requires a certain amount of training, and fees. Followed by CEUs (continuing education units) that you need to accumulate between renewal years to keep up your certifications. CPR and First Aid trainings are often required as well. If you plan on teaching classes there is also the certifications and CEUs that go along with each format i.e. AFAA Group Exercise, Zumba, BodyPump etc. each have their own trainings and certification requirements.

Hope this information helps. I am still working on finding my niche and how this field will work into my goals and life, but I have helped and met some wonderful people along the way.

I agree with these guys but it is possible to make a lot of money if you are lucky. I have a friend that is a competition fitness competitor and also a trainer. She is lucky that she has the background on her resume, she lives in a huge city and works at a place that pretty much caters to really rich people. She makes at least 100k a year and she's told me that she is pretty much working from the time that she wakes up until she goes to bed.

I have a full time job, but also put on programs on the weekend and evenings for those around me in my area. This way I still have something steady, but also get to do something I love