Paying a personal trainer to get you in shape isn’t just something done as a twentysomething – increasingly, a wide age range of Australians are using this kind of service.
Huge demographic trends – namely our ageing, increasingly overweight population – look set to fuel the fitness boom in the years to come, which is good news for fitness-focused soloists.
Figures released by the Department of Education earlier this year showed that in the past five years, the number of fitness instructors in Australia has grown 36.7%, compared to 13.1% for all other occupations.
There are now 22,888 fitness instructors operating in Australia, and that number is likely to increase by 252% to an additional 57,592 instructors by 2020.
Other than the cost of training and insurance, overheads are limited. A TAFE-issued Certificate IV costs around $1,600.
Most personal fitness trainers work out of a health club or their clients’ homes, so investment in the equipment is usually an early outgoing.
In terms of marketing yourself, most trainers agree word-of-mouth is the most effective – and cheapest – way of raising awareness. However, many personal fitness trainers also set up a website to extend their reach.
A full-time personal trainer can expect to earn around $50,000 in their first year of operation.
