Are you passionate about sport and hoping for a bit of a change in your career? It could be that becoming a personal trainer is one of the best moves you’ll ever make. That being said, as you will be aware, working as a personal trainer is usually a freelance position, which a lot of people are usually hesitant to take on. Granted, there are a lot of potential negatives to working for yourself but there are positives too. Let’s dive into more detail about what the pros and cons of self-employment actually are.
Con: Unpredictability with Your Earnings
This is a con when it comes to going freelance with any kind of work, and it is something that you will need to come to terms with before you take the leap. For example, on Bonusfinder, there was an interview with a full-time gambler who spoke about the fact that as a freelancer, their salary will most likely vary from month to month. The same applies to becoming a personal trainer. The advice given is that it’s helpful to build up savings whenever possible each month, in order to create a safety net for the less profitable months. The full interview here contains more advice that applies to all freelance professions, not just gambling.
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Pro: You can Work with a Diverse Range of Clients
When you are working as a personal trainer, you are going to be greeting clients from all different walks of life. The variety you are met with will keep your job interesting and mean that no two days are the same. When you’re working in a full-time profession, you often end up getting pigeon-holed into just one line of work, in one industry, with the same people. As such, it can be hard to diversify your skills. This isn’t the case when it comes to personal training as you will need to use your skills to cater to your clients, any limitations they have, and what their goals are.
Con: There Isn’t Any Paid Time Off
Everyone needs to take time off and have a break, but when you work for yourself, you need to build your annual income for vacation time. You are going to need to calculate if and when you are going to take time off. Once you have decided, you should set aside enough money every month, so that you can fund your annual leave.
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Pro: You Have a Lot of Flexibility
As a personal trainer, you won’t just be physically flexible, but you’ll be able to pick your own working hours as well. You can work nights if you have a client that can only make that time, or you could instead choose to give yourself a day off midweek so that you can get more work on weekends. Your schedule really is up to you when you step into the shoes of a personal trainer.
Should You Become a Personal Trainer?
This is a question that’s going to have a different answer depending on who you’re speaking to; however, if you want to work in fitness, then becoming a personal trainer could well be the way to go. Granted, there are some negatives such as the unpredictability in income and the fact you can’t get paid time off, but there are also a lot of positives including the diversity in clients and the fact you will be doing something you love.
