Being an independent contractor at a health club is sometimes an option. This means that instead of being an employee of the club, you rent space from the club and conduct your own business within their facility. This is a good option if you're already established and have a good client base, or if you're really interested in being your own boss but can't afford to open a location on your own.

How It Works

Generally, when a trainer rents space at a club, he'll pay the club a set fee (rent) for the month. Depending on the size and location of the club, this may range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. A less common alternative is paying the club a percentage or flat rate for each client you train at the club. Club management and the trainer must figure out what is a reasonable arrangement for both parties.

The benefit of renting space is that you make your own schedule and come and go as you please. You don't have to sell or work for the club in any way. While you'll likely have to follow certain policies, you have a great deal more flexibility. You can train your clients the way you want to train, not the way designated by the club.

The Risks of Renting Space

Because you're within a health club, you still have competition from other trainers. In fact, you actually have more competition, because management will try to steer potential personal training clients to the trainers that they employ. You don't have the benefit of meeting people during new member consultations because you won't be doing those types of appointments for the club. You also now have overhead costs because you're paying rent. This means that in order to make money, you have to make enough appointments to pay your overhead before you can make a profit. If you don't have enough clients, you'll actually lose money. Also, if you were an employee of the club, you'd be paid for the time you're there. However, as an independent trainer, you're not being paid for time between appointments.