How to earn a 50k per annum personal trainer salary
If a personal trainer job is where you’re heading, you’ll be thinking closely about the personal trainer salary you can expect to earn. Discover how to set your hourly rates to maximise your earnings and hit the £50k benchmark.
The majority of personal trainers enter the industry because of their passion for fitness, health and well-being. They are advocates about the benefits of exercise and want to help others. Top of the list is an ambition to inspire, motivate and coach clients, achieving results that often seem impossible.
With this in mind many PT’s find it hard to think about salary. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of going from one client to the next, delivering great results, but lacking a proper grasp on the financials. Soon despondency sets in as it becomes a struggle to earn a decent living that recognises all their hard work. But the reality is this isn’t a hobby or a free service, it’s your livelihood. To be blunt, you should expect a decent wage for your professional expertise and the transformational results you help deliver.
Industry Outlook
According to IBISWorld the personal training industry is expected to see more growth in the next five years. Savvy PT’s are coming out of the pandemic having embraced the online and digital fitness boom meaning they can work with clients on a global scale.
What’s more the gym sector continues to expand with new services, fitness concepts and state of the art equipment. This results in higher overall demand from clients wanting to shape up and become fitter.
Today, national gyms, budget gyms, boutique services, niche fitness centres and private PT studios are all common place. Undeniably this is excellent news for personal trainers keen to enter the industry and advance their careers.
How much do personal trainers make?
According to pay scale the average personal training salary per hour is £24.86 rising to £47.97 at the higher end. Reported salaries were highest in The Gym with an average hourly rate of £28.
Of course rates vary by location, with London and large UK cities like Manchester and Birmingham attracting a premium wage. On the flip side Belfast and Glasgow are at the lower salary end of the scale.
Another important point is that your level of experience also affects your earnings. You’ll need a level 3 PT certification to work as a personal trainer but can then progress and charge higher rates. For example, a level 4 PT can expect to earn a higher personal trainer salary in recognition of their advanced skills and expertise. Another great example is offering nutrition coaching. Here, pay scale suggest this can add 21% to your prices.
Did you know that working arrangements can also significantly affect the amount of money you earn? In most cases freelance personal trainers can make more money than gym based personal trainers. This is because they set their own prices and earn all of the money they charge clients, after costs, expenses and taxes. But this isn’t for everyone. The downside being you’re on your own and may find it harder to attract clients away from the gym.
What it takes to earn a £50k personal training salary
In order to hit your £50k salary goal you need to think about the hourly rate to charge your PT clients. Plus, how this stacks up overall financially.
As an illustration, here’s how different personal trainer wages stack up based on a 35 hour working week, spread across 48 weeks per year.