How Much Do Personal Trainers Make?

01 October 2022

Having a passion for fitness is one thing but turning it into a career brings about some questions, the important one being, ‘how much money can you make as a professional personal trainer?’

Of course, anyone who wants to get started in the fitness industry wants to earn the big bucks. However, a range of different factors can impact how much you earn, such as certifications, experience and the gym you choose.

To give you an idea, according to Indeed, the average salary for a personal trainer in the UK is £28,510 per year.

But let’s look at the differing factors in detail:

Certifications:

Your certifications as a personal trainer will determine your possible earnings. Naturally, the more certified you are, the more knowledge and expertise you can share with clients.

Whether it broadens your client list or allows you to offer more to your current clients, these will help you scale your salary.

The quality of your personal training certifications matters as well. Depending on who regulates it, this will affect your credibility as a PT and, ultimately, your earnings. When choosing your certifications look out for one that is affiliated with OFQUAL, VCTC, REPS, NCFE.

Experience:

As you gain more experience as a personal trainer, you will either be offered more by your employer, or you can charge more if you’re a freelance personal trainer.

Understandably, people will pay more for someone who has been in the game for a long time.

For example, according to Jobted, a personal trainer with 10-20 years of experience can earn on average £56,600 compared to someone with 4-9 years experience who would earn £34,300 on average.

Gym:

The gym you decide to support your personal training career will determine your salary. All gyms have different payment structures.

It’s important that you research these when deciding what gym you’d like to work for.

Normally, there are three types of payment structures, which would either be a 100% commission as you would be considered to be ‘freelancing’, a training rate and a bonus for the sessions completed.

Plus, you will need to consider if the gym you choose will charge to rent their equipment.

For example, a personal trainer at Virgin Active is paid a set hourly rate, making this salary quite competitive. Additionally, PT’s don’t have to rent equipment.

All things considered, try not to focus on the numbers. Everyone’s journey to becoming a personal trainer is different. As you can see, there are many other factors that can determine your salary as a PT. However, being mindful of these factors can help you shape your PT career to become precisely what you have dreamed of.

If you ever need advice on where to start your career as a personal trainer, get in touch with our friendly team who have been there and done that.