Personal Training Qualifications
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| shoreshot |  | ... | 07-09-2010 @ 15:43 |
 has a pro grade bell Member 657, 720 posts SQ 162.5, BP 125, DL 207.5495.0 kgs @ 75kgs UnEq | thosebananas said: So id need/want a worldwide recognised qualification to get my foot in the door. and there lies the problem............ Most places in the UK would want you to have a qual recognised in the UK. Im pretty sure its the same over seas. | ||
| edstudham | | ... | 07-09-2010 @ 16:59 |
 like Ed, but more of a stud Member 948, 140 posts SQ 220, BP 145, DL 240605.0 kgs @ 111kgs UnEq | thosebananas said:I didnt really give any info in my question so ill elaborate. Im 21, have 3-4 years experience, working in the leisure industry - life guard, first aid, coaching kids various sports on a daily basis (summer scheme mainly), coaching handicapped and disabled kids and adults, also stepped in to cover some (boring) aerobics/circuits classes as well. Ive got various qualifications in this industry but don't have anything down the line of PT. I'd basically like to complete the package so i could potentially up sticks for a year and go live/work in a random city. So id need/want a worldwide recognised qualification to get my foot in the door. Although from reading random snippets from various manuals, i hardly agree with anything taught. "squats are bad, zone diet is good etc etc" Im at uni this year - "part time" - so don't receive any funding, would i be able to get funding to do a PT course? Cheers for all the replys so far. I have actually just qualified through Future Fit as a PT. The course has cost me a total of £4k But for this I have done my level 2, level 3 PT, Circuit Training, Sports nutrition, Anatomy and physiology, Gp referal and will be doing the NVQ level 3. So Its a lot for your money. Personally you need to go with a company that has a good reputation, as if you have a qualification from a crap one then everyone in the fitness industry knows its a crap qualification, So you would be unlikely to get into a gym. Personally I would go for a level 3 PT qualification and the Crossfit level 1 course. You could do quite well with that. As for spreading the cost, I pay about £195 p/m on a direct debit to them, which Ive almost paid off. But the big companies over here like future fit, premier and I think lifetime are all well recognised in the States, Australia etc as many people come over here to do them as they are a higher standard. The main thing to remember is that when on the PT course they should tell you that what they are teaching is just to give you the basics, and to train safely and effectively. We were encouraged to make up all sorts of exercises. And I have realised that it doesnt matter how good you are as a trainer, if you cant market yourself well you will struggle. Its all about promoting yourself and marketing! | ||
| stainless | | ... | 07-09-2010 @ 17:06 |
Big fan of TWI Member 761, 425 posts SQ 220, BP 165, DL 260645.0 kgs @ 99kgs UnEq | thosebananas said: i agree with you pal... come in where thou? I'm based in the west end,close to the Kelvin Hall.Ken can give you directions and my number if you want. | ||
| plonker | | ... | 08-09-2010 @ 10:20 |
The world famous projectile vomit master Member 1293, 443 posts SQ 210, BP 155, DL 280645.0 kgs @ 105kgs UnEq | Did mine with innervate.. cheap and quick, 2 weekends for level 3 same for level 2 + plus s**tty home study stuff.... They spout the usual bulls**t myths, but they all do, you'll get the ticket though | ||
| Powergirl44 | | ... | 08-09-2010 @ 12:02 |
 Failure to comply in 2006? Member 1570, 238 posts SQ 145.00, BP 90.00, DL 145.00380.0 kgs @ 55.7kgs Eq | edstudham said: I have actually just qualified through Future Fit as a PT. The course has cost me a total of £4k But for this I have done my level 2, level 3 PT, Circuit Training, Sports nutrition, Anatomy and physiology, Gp referal and will be doing the NVQ level 3. So Its a lot for your money. Personally you need to go with a company that has a good reputation, as if you have a qualification from a crap one then everyone in the fitness industry knows its a crap qualification, So you would be unlikely to get into a gym. Personally I would go for a level 3 PT qualification and the Crossfit level 1 course. You could do quite well with that. As for spreading the cost, I pay about £195 p/m on a direct debit to them, which Ive almost paid off. But the big companies over here like future fit, premier and I think lifetime are all well recognised in the States, Australia etc as many people come over here to do them as they are a higher standard. The main thing to remember is that when on the PT course they should tell you that what they are teaching is just to give you the basics, and to train safely and effectively. We were encouraged to make up all sorts of exercises. And I have realised that it doesnt matter how good you are as a trainer, if you cant market yourself well you will struggle. Its all about promoting yourself and marketing! I agree... i got my ymca and bawla qualifications years ago and i put together a good cv, With my experience and what i achieved in powerlifting i always seemed to get jobs quite easily in gyms and health clubs and became a supervisor, in charge of students straight out of uni with degrees in sports sciences etc. I think experience and marketing yourself is a plus. | ||
| Jaako | | ... | 08-09-2010 @ 13:18 |
Mr. Abb. Member 239, 581 posts SQ 172.5, BP 100, DL 212.5485.0 kgs @ 74.1kgs UnEq | I agree with the last two posts. Marketing and selling skills and putting in the time and effort in selling is 99% of making the money in PT. I've worked as a PT for about 6-7 years now and I've struggled a bit because I am too damn lazy and hate (feel uncomfortable) with sales/selling. I've also been on my high horse when it comes to the point of how you should train and what's more important, which has not been in line with what 99% of people who might be a potential PT client think. So, I've only relied on people actually seeing what I do and approach me, which doesn't yield many potential clients and then you still have to sell your method/person to them. So, I agree that marketing is the number one skill for a successfull (earnings wise) PT. Back to qualifications and the importance of them. In my experience and from what I've seen 99% of people don't give a s**t about what qualifications you've got. If you can sell them the trust that you'll get them the results they want they don't care what letters there are behind your name. So IMO you just need the qualification in order to get your insurance (which any gym will require by law and you need in case something goes s**tty). Most gyms have a policy that the qualification has to be REPs approved but many don't care where you got your level 3 PT certificate from as long as you have a valid insurance. With that you are likely to pay the rent or they can make money out of you somehow. The cheapest way of getting a Lvl 3 PT cerificate seems to be through Fitness First. If you have a Reps lvl 2 Gym instructor cert you should be able to get a job as a gym instructor with them. They want you to become a PT as you will then make them money through the rent (was roughly £900/month last time I worked in FF, now £19/day in a small MA gym I work in) you will pay them eventually. When I left FF about two years ago they were hand in hand with NASM (through PTS or whoever) and this is where we have seen the biggest boom and load of new PT's come from the last couple of years. FF will put you on the course and I think you get it for free as long as you start as a PT in FF when you are finished, if you don't you have to pay FF something like £600 to cover what it cost them to put you on the course (still cheap cert). It's all distance learning with one or two days in class and then you do the tests and you are done. It's purely a big money belt that spits out new PT's for FF. When I left FF we were up to about 10 PT's in the club, up by about 3-4 new ones after FF bought the previous chain Fitness Exchange here in London. Now two years later they have 22+ PT's in the same club. Most on them on the conveyour belt so 2/3 of the PT's have left and are replaced every 6-12 months. I can't say what the course is like but not much worse than the YMCA course I did 7 years ago or so. IMO it doesn't matter where the qualification is from, although as has been mentioned it helps with a lot if it's REP's recognised (and the NASM one is). Also, the biggest money seems to be in group classes in the park which I will try my hand in once I drop my PT'ing to just one day a week (when I hopefully get a full time IT admin job). | ||
| shoreshot | | ... | 08-09-2010 @ 16:18 |
has a pro grade bell Member 657, 720 posts SQ 162.5, BP 125, DL 207.5495.0 kgs @ 75kgs UnEq | Jaako said: Also, the biggest money seems to be in group classes in the park which I will try my hand in once I drop my PT'ing to just one day a week (when I hopefully get a full time IT admin job). I definately agree with this from my experience. MUCH easier way of earning a wage once you have all the basics covered and have created/addressed the demand in the first place. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 08-09-2010 @ 18:53 |
 Old Age Presser Member 75, 7740 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Post Edited: 08.09.2010 @ 18:55 PM by Martin1956 There are far more personal trainers than there are people wanting personal training atm (bearing in mind you'd need 10 to 20 clients a week depending on what you charge) - and the successful ones focus more on sales skills than training skills. Personally I wouldn't recommend it as a main career, but five or six clients a week could give you a nice little secondary source of income if you're dead set on doing it.Edit: it always amazes me that a qualification to teach one person at a time is more lauded (and more expensive to get) than one which allows you to teach 50 or 60 people at the same time.  | ||