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What is the most important aspect of any career? Job satisfaction? You bet.
Financial security? Of course. Interesting subject matter and meeting people?
It would be nice. Well if these sound like type of things you look for in
a job, then you may want to start thinking about developing your interest
in fitness into a potentially lucrative new career - a personal trainer.
Personal trainers are masters of their own destiny. They are exercise professionals
who work the hours they want, charge what they feel they are worth and develop
their businesses at a pace that they feel's right. They can be employed
by a gym and work clients in a health club or they can be self-employed
and visit clients at their homes or in the local park.
Either way personal trainers typically work between 15 - 35 hours a week
and typically charge between £25 - £60 per hour, depending on
their level of expertise, their location and their target market.
There are a number of routes into personal training and the health and fitness
industry in general. One route is to gain a college diploma or university
degree in sports science, coaching or physiology. However, if you'd prefer
a quicker route into the industry then you can enroll onto a specific personal
training course (typically 2 - 12 week courses). Many such courses exist
in the United Kingdom. To found out more I'd recommend that you visit ExerciseRegister.com - a UK site listing only the very best personal training courses available.
Recently the UK health and fitness market has been taken under the wing
of a government-backed organistaion called the Register of Exercise Professionals
(REPs). REPs aims to regulate the standard of personal trainers and fitness
instructors by signing them up onto a professional register based on their
qualifications and experience. For more information about REPs and the courses
they recommend.
Practicing personal trainers MUST carry insurance. The costs less than £100
a year, for which a trainer is covered for £2 million pounds public
liability.
Deciding to change your career is always a bold step. However, the UK personal
trainer market is a boom industry with lots of opportunity to develop the
skills needed to become a successful trainer.
Nevertheless, if you feel like a career as a personal trainer sounds too
much like of a leap of faith at the moment, then why not gain your training
qualification and a solid client base first (practicing at the weekends
and after work) before leaving your current employer. This way you'll be
able to judge your competency level, the market in your area and see whether
it is something you'd like to do full time.
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