( I also posted this on Actor's Access)

I am curious- how many of you have survival jobs in fitness?

I am thinking of becoming a personal trainer and I was wondering what is the best way to go about it. What are the best certifications, how long should I set aside to study, what's the best way to get started in this career path? Does this job take away a lot of the time and dedication that could be devoted to acting? Is the pay enough? Is scheduling flexible when you have auditions or would you just lose a lot of clients by cancelling appointments? Do you typically work early in the morning or at night?

Is getting certified to teach yoga and pilates easier in terms of making money and finding jobs?

I would love to find a survival job that I actually enjoy! I am just afraid that that job would become a career and take too much time from auditions, rehearsals, etc. Any insights would be very helpful!

Thanks!

well i think you could make your own hours for the most part, I think it's a great idea

Hey Kmiller,

I too am looking into personal training. I am currently studying to be one through the nsca (National Strength and Conditioning Association) All you do is study to become a certified personal trainer. Also make sure you are cpr certified. There are others of course the top ones are the first one I mentioned then there's ascm, ace, issa,. Just go on bally's or 24 hour fitness to see which certifications they accept.

Generally what will happen if you get hired is you will get minimum wage plus a percentage of what the clients pay per hour. You also get a bonus for how many packages you sell. You will typically have client after client I am not sure if you can set your own hours.

Now you can of course do all this on your own but realize this... You will have to carry your own liability insurance (at least that is what i'm reading now) and you will have to build your client base and KEEP them. The advantage to this is the more certifications you get (and you will have to get more to keep you current certification) the more money you can charge. If you have your own business you get 100 percent of the money. I hope this helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Good luck to you!