How to become a personal trainer?

I have found out how fun and interesting nutrition and fitness can be through this website.  I feel I have learned a lot and now Im thinking about becoming a personal trainer.  I know I have helped myself and a few of my friends already and I figure I could make some money, even if its only a partime thing.  So my question is how I would get certified and how I would get customers?  Is anyone else a PT?  How does it work?

Moved this over to Fitness so that some of the other people who are currently PTs or are in the process of becoming one will see this.  :)

There are as many different ways to become a PT as there are PTs, so I personally think the method depends on the person and their background/circumstances.  But, I'll tell you how I did it, and if you have specific questions based on that I'm happy to answer them!

For starters, I have an enormous passion for fitness, health, nutrition, and coaching.  For me coaching doesn't necessarily mean only the team sport kind of coaching.  I'm thinking more from a corporate standpoint too, since my day job is in the corporate world.  I love teaching and training new employees, helping them learn and grow and gain confidence.  To me, that aptitude really translates into the PT arena.

That being said, when I decided this is what I wanted to do I joined a local gym with the intention of taking sessions with a trainer and also doing some group exercise classes, since at the time I wasn't sure which I would prefer.  (I have a very nice home gym, and had moved to a new state a few months prior without renewing any formal gym membership.)  The night that I had my comp session with a trainer, I ended up talking with the Fitness Director at that gym for probably almost an hour about fitness and my journey and how I was interested in being a PT.  I had no idea he was the Fitness Director at the time, just thought he was a regular trainer.  Based on that convo, he told me if I got my cert he would hire me immediately because I had the type of personality and background he was looking for.

I only say that to illustrate that I really have no idea how one would go about finding a job by more traditional means, as I pretty much fell into mine.  :)

I did as much internet research as I could on certs, as well as asking the trainers at my gym.  I settled on ACE being a good start for someone without a formal college education related to fitness (my degree being in Economics and German), ordered my materials, and commenced studying.  Of course I already had a lot of info from all the things I had self-taught over the years, but there really isn't any substitute for the kind of comprehensive training that a cert will afford, in my mind.  (Sidenote about certs - once you have one, it's not at all uncommon to work towards more.  I now also have a cert with NASM, and have looked at getting a specialized cert with ISSA, just pending the extra funds at the moment.  Also, you have to do continuing education study regularly to maintain every cert you have.) 

Once I had my cert (and cpr) I got started officially at the gym.  I had already been working with a trainer myself for several weeks, and we spent those sessions both on me physically, and on me learning the ins and outs of being a trainer.  Even though it's a little odd (since I was essentially paying for part of my on-the-job training) that was invaluable to me, because I had a lot better knowledge of where to start and what my methods would be than most of the other people I have seen come on board since.  I also went through some formal (paid) training with the gym before I actually started working with clients.

Given that I am an employee of my gym, I don't have to have insurance of my own.  I also am precluded from training clients who are not members of my gym, or training outside of my gym.  Makes it a little more cut and dry as to how I go about getting clients.  I can either get them by having a new member sign a contract after their initial comp session, by getting a referral from a current client, by offering freebie sessions as a way to entice new clients, by assisting a member on the gym floor who has questions and then offering a freebie session, etc.  Of course, the sign of a good trainer is not just how many clients they have, but how well they retain them.  So I consider every session I have an opportunity to 'get' a client, because keeping a client is better than getting a new one.

Umm... That's probably more info that I needed to give.  :)  But, by all means, do let me know if you have questions and I will be happy to keep prattling on!

Thanks for the information!  It has given me some insight and a good idea about how to start. 

Heres my big question.  Do you like training and is the money worth it?

I absolutely love training!!  It's a fantastic outlet for me and really rewarding to work with the clients that I have.  :)

And yes, to me the money is well worth it.  My hourly pay training is comparable to my hourly pay at the corporate office, and since for me it is a second job the insecurity factor isn't an issue.  That I think is the biggest problem with being a PT - the lack of good job security.  If you have 10 clients, but 2 of them stop seeing you at the same time, you are now getting 80% of your previous pay.  Or, if you have one go on vacation for 2 weeks, you don't get paid when they are on vacation.  I know that part of it stresses the PTs in my gym who don't do this as a second job.  But it also means that you just need to be that more dedicated to doing a good job!

Thanks again!

Bumping this question up again as I am going to be needing a part time job soon and think I'd like to become a personal trainer too -- that is if its something that doesn't cost a lot to get the cert(s) and can make a bit of money. 

I live in a small town and not sure of the "supply and demand" of a PT -- I mean there are only 2 gyms currently in town, but a new one is almost complete in its construction its gonna be very large and probably expensive LOL...  Anyway how does one find out what might be the need in your area for pts and if there is any $$ to be made.  Is it better to get hired on by a gym or try to drum up your own business? 

anyone have any input?? 

always start with a gym, that way you always have new clients and members coming in. Once you get a good client base, then you can think about branching out on your own and keeping the gym as a backup.

Pandajenn, you mentioned ordering materials? I have also poked around at the idea of being a PT, but all I know of is the various colleges that have 2 year programs...the main thing about those that put me off is it seems they all require you to take 2-3 courses of teaching a fitness class, not interested in that at all (I don't particularly enjoy them, let alone want to teach one). Other than that, the courses seem really interesting. Although another downside is they are popular programs and more apply than there is space for...oh and tuition fees :)

I wonder if there is something online/correspondence in Canada? Would it be considered as good as going to an actual school?

this thread really helped me becuase i want to become a pt when i finish high school just a quick question would it be the same in canada for getting certs?