What Is The Difference Between A Gym Trainer And A Personal Trainer?

01 September 2023

Although both a gym trainer and a personal trainer sound the same, there are some key differences in their roles.

To uncover them, let’s start with definitions.

A gym trainer is someone who’s contracted to a gym to provide assistance to members regarding their fitness and equipment needs.

A personal trainer is a qualified fitness professional who is employed by specific people who are keen to achieve their personal fitness goals.

What are their duties?

From technical and physical assistance to instructing group fitness classes, gym trainers basically cover to gym floor to ensure members have the best possible experience.

When it comes to personal trainers, they share nutritional advice with fitness programmes and have a wealth of experience and knowledge in fitness. They offer advice that is specific to individual fitness goals.

What qualifications do they have?

Gym trainers need to have a Level 2 in Fitness Instruction.

Personal trainers need to have a Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training. They can also gain other qualifications like a Level 4 Certificate For Advanced Personal Trainers.

What are the salary differences?

According to Indeed, the average hourly wage for a personal trainer in the UK is £22.31 whereas a gym trainer’s average hourly rate is £15.59 per hour.

Bearing in mind, these rates are dependent across all locations in the UK. You will find that gym trainers and personal trainers will get paid more in popular cities compared to smaller towns.

Notably, personal trainers are most likely to make more money per hour as they are self-employed, whereas gym trainers are contacted to a gym, earning a fixed salary.

What role is better?

This is entirely dependent on who you are as a person.

If you prefer one-on-one interactions, giving solid fitness advice and love to help others achieve their fitness goals, then personal training could be your calling.

However, if you have a passion for fitness but can handle groups of people as well as having a love for organising the gym floor and love to help people understand how to use gym equipment then becoming a gym trainer is your next career step.

Are you keen to become a gym trainer or a personal trainer?

Check out our wide range of courses to get you started with your fitness career.

We’re the UK’s number one trusted personal training academy, offering both online and in-person training to become a qualified gym trainer or personal trainer.

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