Personal trainer jobs

With literal thousands of gyms currently operating in the UK, the chances are you won’t have to look very far if you’re looking for personal training jobs.

Furthermore, annual sales revenues from personal training alone have exceeded a massive £650m. So not only is there a wealth of employment opportunity in this industry, but there’s also plenty of money to be made for PTs looking to establish themselves.

Research undertaken by HFE found that across the UK, there are over 12,000 personal training jobs currently being advertised. The highest concentration of these opportunities is in England, but there are still plenty of jobs also to be found in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Breaking these stats down by region, we found, as you might expect, that London comes out on top with over 2,000 vacancies.

If you’re looking for a personal training job, whether this is in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, or any other major city or town then you’re in luck, as there is no shortage of opportunities available.

Types of employment

Before we explore the volume of personal trainer jobs by area, it’s important to shed some light on the two main types of employment opportunity open to you as a qualified PT. You can either work for yourself on a self-employed basis or find work in a gym or health club as an employee.

If you’re unsure about the difference and which opportunity would best suit you, we encourage you to read our comprehensive employed vs self-employed guide. This article explores in more detail the pros and cons of both options and will give you the knowledge and confidence to make the decision that’s right for you.

If the self-employed route is the most appealing to you, we also have guides exploring starting your own personal training business and everything you need to know about PT insurance.

Personal trainer jobs near me

As we alluded to earlier in this guide to personal trainer jobs, there are a wealth of vacancies available to personal trainers throughout the UK. We’ve summarised below the personal training opportunities we found in our research by region:

Salary

Pay and salary is always an important feature of any job because it determines your standard of living. Personal training is like other jobs and industries in the fact that geography, demand for the service, demographics and competition will play a crucial role in determining the rate of pay and salary that is available.

Our extensive research found that in the UK, active leisure employers are advertising their roles with an average salary of around £25,500. However, it’s important to note that some of these positions were advertised as self-employed roles where you’d be required to rent the facilities to train their members.

Another route into the industry is to secure employment with a personal training agency, and it’s here where the salary can ramp up quite significantly.

Our research has found that PT agencies are advertising vacancies at 159% higher than the gyms themselves. These companies, which include the likes of Your Personal Training and Pro-Fit Personal Training tend to offer a range of value adds, including mentorship, business support services and additional CPD opportunities.

We’ve also broken these salaries down by the major cities and it’s clear to see the wealth of opportunities that are available throughout the country:

Read our comprehensive guide to find out more about how much you can earn as a personal trainer working in the UK health and fitness sector.

It is important to recognise that different personal training courses will provide different levels of knowledge, skills and expertise, which will feed directly into how much you can charge as a PT. For example, if you complete a low back pain course alongside your studies (as is available in our Master PT Package), then you’ll be able to target your marketing and recruitment at clients with  these conditions, allowing you to charge more for your services and expertise. This is definitely something to consider when starting out in the industry, as there are several specialist personal training roles out there.

Alternative places of employment

The majority of personal trainer jobs being advertised are what you might call ‘traditional’ – working on the gym floor with a mix of other responsibilities on top of training your clients, like membership sales, cleaning equipment, and covering group exercise classes. There are however a couple of other opportunities well worth considering for qualified personal trainers.

Firstly, there is an increasing demand for online personal trainers. Having an online presence can bring great value to your current clients, and it’s also a great way to increase your overall client base.

For example, if you’re working as a personal trainer in your local gym in London, you will only be able to physically train clients in that area. However, by adding an online offering, you greatly expand your reach and will no longer be bound by geography. This could include custom workout plans, nutritional advice, or even video calls.

Some of the UK’s most well-known personal trainers have found great success by first establishing themselves on the gym floor, before branching out to the next level with online personal training services.

For the more adventurous trainers, especially those who don’t want to be tied to a particular location but still want to work with clients face-to-face, there’s always the option of securing employment on a cruise ship or in a holiday retreat. Attitudes have changed in recent years to staying fit while on holiday, and this can seriously work in your favour.

Typically, you might associate an exotic getaway with kicking back, relaxing and overindulging with fine food. However, there is a fast-growing market for specific ‘fitness getaways’ that could provide an exciting opportunity for any personal trainers looking to broaden their horizons.