While personal trainers are generally considered to be service providers rather than healthcare providers, they do some of the most important work on the front lines of the health, wellness and fitness sector. Personal trainers are likely to have a huge influence on their clients’ health and well-being.

The benefits of becoming a personal trainer seem obvious. You’d have the opportunity to work in an environment that encourages you to stay fit while helping other people to achieve their goals. Sounds fantastic, right?

It is – but, despite the great things about this job, you should be aware that there is much more to being a personal trainer than just keeping fit and getting in a great workout every day. There are a few things you need be aware of before you jump into a career as a personal trainer:

1.  Personal Training Isn’t a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

It is possible to earn a decent living as a personal trainer – but it definitely isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. On average, fitness instructors in Australia earn weekly pay of $1,126. That would work out to $58,552 per year if you were to work all year around. In comparison, the average worker in Australia earns $1,634 per week for a total of $84,968 per year. So, the average fitness instructor in Australia earns less than the average worker doing other types of jobs.

It is possible to earn more than the average – so don’t let this news discourage you if you are serious about working as a personal trainer. But, if earning an impressive paycheck is important to you, you should definitely be aware that many of the other possible careers in the health and wellness sector pay better than personal training does. Personal training is a career you’ll typically choose more for the passion than the paycheck.

2.  You’ll Need to Be a Good Salesperson

You might think that being a personal trainer is all about helping others to get a good workout – and that is, of course, true. But it isn’t actually the most important facet of the job.

Instead, the most critical part of the job is selling personal training sessions. This is because you can’t help a client get a good workout if you don’t have a client to help in the first place. If you hope to get clients, you will need to be a self-promoter, and you will need to develop sales skills. This is true whether you work for an established gym or start your own business as a personal trainer.

3.  You’ll Need to Master Your Motivation Skills

If you’re considering a job as a personal trainer, your own motivation levels are probably reasonably good. However, you can’t assume that your clients will be just as motivated as you are.

In fact, assume the opposite. They won’t be. Once you’ve landed a client, your job will be to help to motivate that person to meet their own goals for working out, getting fit and possibly losing weight.

Motivating someone else is completely different than motivating yourself, but it’s an essential skill for success at this job. You’ll have to learn a whole lot about human psychology if you hope to succeed in a career as a personal trainer.

Personal training is a rewarding career that would allow you to work a flexible schedule while helping people and meeting your own fitness goals. If you’re knowledgeable about fitness and the 3 things mentioned above aren’t deal breakers for you, you’d probably make an excellent personal trainer.