Personal Trainers in Canada

For the personal trainers in Canada:

where did you certify?
how long did it take?
do you train private clients, or work in a gym?
did you need some additional certifications to be able to become a personal trainer?

The reason I’m asking is I just started university and wanted to earn some extra money. Being a kinesiology student, I figured personal training is the way to go.

I wanted to certify with CanFitPro, but you need a CPR certification. If you want to train private clients, you need to pay for insurance. I wanted to know if the companies that you certified with had similar requirements.

Also, could I avoid the insurance thing if I have my clients sign a waiver form?

bump

anyone? anyone at all?

Get Can-Fit and your CPR and get a job at Goodlife. They are usually hiring all the time. This way you got the exposure and insurance covered. What city are you in??

[quote]DUKE ZX-9R wrote:
Get Can-Fit and your CPR and get a job at Goodlife. They are usually hiring all the time. This way you got the exposure and insurance covered. What city are you in??[/quote]

I’m in the GTA. Do you have the Can-Fit certification?
I heard that in commercial gyms, the personal trainers earn $16.50 per hour, whereas with private clients, it’s significantly higher. I was just wondering if I could get a legalized waiver form, and not worry about insurance, or if the waiver form would cost me too much, making the commercial gym a better choice.

That’s about the averege pay, and if you ask me that’s pretty good for a part time job, or you could be working at wallmart stacking shelves for 8/hour.
But don’t you think that if it would be that easy to be a free lance trainer everyone would be doing it? I thought about it but you need a client base first and sometimes equipment if you want to do at home training. Easier said than done.
Working for a chain makes things easier and a lot less head ache especially when going to school.
I work for a chain and I love it.
Let’s put it this way what you put into it that’s what you will get out of it.

Can Fit is the least you should have. And than you build on that.

[quote]DUKE ZX-9R wrote:
That’s about the averege pay, and if you ask me that’s pretty good for a part time job, or you could be working at wallmart stacking shelves for 8/hour.
But don’t you think that if it would be that easy to be a free lance trainer everyone would be doing it? I thought about it but you need a client base first and sometimes equipment if you want to do at home training. Easier said than done.
Working for a chain makes things easier and a lot less head ache especially when going to school.
I work for a chain and I love it.
Let’s put it this way what you put into it that’s what you will get out of it.

Can Fit is the least you should have. And than you build on that.
[/quote]

OK, thanks for the advice. Where did you get your CPR certification?

I teach CanFitPro: a good start for the industry. Recognized across the country. Some places don’t, because of other affiliations. Look for certificates like the PFS from Mount Royal College or NAIT (I’m sure there are others) Which can be done via distance ed or full time studies for 10 months. Always look for more and better info!

You’ll need about 1 million $ liability to CYA. Most clubs cover you, but still a good idea to have your own. Not very expensive in the long run.

Clubs are a good place to build your reputation. They have all the equipment and marketing. You just have to sell yourself. Free-lance, you can set your own hours/prices, but you’ve got to spend more on marketing and equipment set up. Setting up a space in your house changes insurance needs too. Also, zoning laws can be a challenge.

Be carefull of contracts with clubs. Go over it with a lawyer. Non-competition clauses can be a killer if you want to freelance too.

[quote]kligor wrote:

I’m in the GTA. Do you have the Can-Fit certification?
I heard that in commercial gyms, the personal trainers earn $16.50 per hour, whereas with private clients, it’s significantly higher. I was just wondering if I could get a legalized waiver form, and not worry about insurance, or if the waiver form would cost me too much, making the commercial gym a better choice.

[/quote]

Wages range anywhere from $10-60 per session. I start paying my staff at $20 per session. Clubs have to recover their overhead too. With private clients, you will set your prices to be competitive in the market, you’ll make about the same after the bills are paid. (insurance, heat, gas, light, car, equipment, marketing, paper, banking etc)

A waiver doesn’t mean jack in a neglegence suit bud! All it does is let the client know about risk. Any lawyer will tell you this. If a client gets hurt and your found neglegent, regardless of a waiver, no insurance and you’re on the hook for it all! Trust me, don’t go without it. It’s not worth the risks.

All right, it seems like commercial gyms are the way to go, at least to get started and establish a reputation. So now, the plan is get a CPR certification, then, get my PTS, and finally, get a job.

ask CT