Becoming a fitness trainer on the side: how to combine training and job
Do you dream of sharing your passion for fitness with others, but don't (yet) want to give up the security of your permanent job?
The good news is: you don't have to decide. Entering the fitness industry can be realised excellently as a sideline business.
Becoming a fitness trainer on the side is the perfect way to build up a second pillar risk-free. In this guide, I show you how to bring your training and your full-time job together stress-free.
Why entering on the side is ideal
The leap into complete self-employment or a radical change of industry can seem intimidating. The part-time path offers you decisive advantages:
- Financial security: your main job continues to cover your fixed costs. You are not dependent on immediately having fully booked classes or personal training clients.
- Real-world test: you can find out at your leisure whether teaching and looking after clients really brings you as much enjoyment as your own training.
- Organic growth: you have the time to slowly build up a network and a solid client base before perhaps one day switching to full-time.
The right training: flexibility is trump
When you complete a fitness trainer training alongside your job, time is your most valuable resource. Your first milestone is usually the Fitness- und Bewegungstrainer Basic training, as it represents the absolute foundation for teaching on the training floor.
When choosing your training provider, pay attention to the following criteria:
- Swiss training: many renowned Swiss academies now offer blended learning concepts. You work through the theory flexibly online on your laptop or tablet, while the practice takes place on a few blocked weekends.
- Free time management: choose a provider where you can determine the pace yourself. If your main job gets more stressful at times, you should have the option to pause or extend the training free of charge.
- Recognition: make sure that the certificates are recognised industry-wide (e.g. through the ISO or accreditation for the module examinations of the eidg. Fachausweis).
Expert tip: speak openly with your current employer. In many employment contracts, a secondary activity is subject to notification. As long as you do not work for a direct competitor and your main job does not suffer, this is usually approved without problems.
5 strategies: time management for aspiring trainers
How do you find the time for anatomy, training theory and nutritional physiology when you work 40 hours a week? Here are the best strategies:
- Block fixed learning slots: treat your learning times like important business meetings. Whether it's Sunday morning from 08:00 to 10:00 or two evenings during the week – enter them firmly in your calendar.
- Use micro-learning: make use of dead time. Listen to podcasts or lectures while commuting, read a script during your lunch break or learn vocabulary (such as Latin muscle names) during cardio training.
- Create synergies: connect the theory directly with your own practice. When you learn chest muscle anatomy, apply the knowledge quite consciously during your next bench press training.
- The 80/20 principle (Pareto): concentrate on the concepts that are really relevant for the exam and your later practice. Perfectionism is the enemy of success on the side.
- Plan recovery phases: job, learning and your own training can quickly lead to burnout. Consciously plan "off-days" on which you neither work, nor learn, nor train.
The first steps after graduation
As soon as you hold the diploma in your hands, it's time for implementation. Don't sell yourself short, but be aware that you first have to gain experience.
- Taking on off-peak hours: Fitness studios often desperately look for trainers for the morning shifts, evening shifts or the weekend. That fits perfectly with your working hours.
- Stand-in activities: offer yourself as a holiday and sickness cover for classes. That way you quickly gain practice and build relationships with the members.
- Build up personal branding: use social media (Instagram, LinkedIn) to document your journey. Share your knowledge and show potential clients that you are now officially qualified.
The path to becoming a fitness trainer on the side demands discipline and perseverance. But the feeling of standing officially as a trainer on the floor for the first time and helping others with their goals is worth every minute invested!
