About becoming a personal trainer - Page 3 - Ausbb

Kyle Aaron · 24-06-2009, 12:53 PM

I agree that you don't need to go to school to learn, and that a dedicated person can even do better in learning outside school than in it.

But if you want employment in that area, you need to either be a very good self-marketer and not worried about lawsuits, or else get a piece of paper from a school. The whole reason for my profession change is being tired of marketing myself, so I need the piece of paper.

It's plain that a lot of the stuff will be known to me already. But the thing about lack of knowledge is that you often don't know you lack it - so I'm sure there'll be things I learn on these courses.

I think also of my experience with cheffing. Anyone can cook - if you can read, you can cook - but cooking a few meals is a different thing to being a chef, who might have to get 12 meals out in eight minutes, or come up with a new dish on the spot because something's run out, or organise the kitchen and ordering so you don't run out of anything, and so on.

It's one thing to know all the facts about something, and another to bring those facts together into a profession.

The shorter courses I'm not taking for two reasons.

Firstly, they're more expensive. I'm getting married at the end of the year, and we've a trip to Peru planned as our honeymoon next Easter. So an extra thousand or two here or there makes a big difference to us.

Secondly, finding employment is harder with the shorter courses. Now, my own personal knowledge and experience may or may not make up for the brevity of the course - but a potential employer may not realise or even agree with that in an interview. Rather than 2 months course + 4 months job hunting, I'd rather have 5 months course + 1 month's job hunting.

It's a change of career, and if all goes well will be my career for twenty years or more. Given that, a few extra months isn't a big deal.

Kyle Aaron · 25-06-2009, 05:25 PM

So today I cycled over to Moorabbin campus to sign up. It's a bleak place, poorly-designed for student life. The car parking is within the campus rather than all in a ring around the buildings, so there are few public spaces for the students to hang out and socialise. That's probably why all the student activities are organised by the university, rather than having lots of clubs and societies.

As I was enrolling, I said, "I hope I won't be the oldest one in class!" and the woman just shook her head and said, "nooooo...." in a drawn-out, "oh hell no!" sort of way. I hope for a good mix of people.

I went and took a look at the gym, it's about four times the size of my community gym. I understand that after the first couple of weeks we'll spend a couple of sessions each week there; being a student, even a student of fitness, doesn't grant automatic membership, strangely.

So now I guess Monday and Tuesday with classes on all day will become my rest days from my actual gym. That's okay, they're the busiest days there anyway.

The gym and the lecture rooms are in the same building as people doing cookery certificates, it's almost like a phased transition for me.

**The Hulk** · 25-06-2009, 06:49 PM

Will you be working full time while you are studying?

If not, short course makes sense to me.
Get qualified and get working/experienced asap.

Kyle Aaron · 25-06-2009, 11:46 PM

My self-employment was part-time already, about 20-30 hours a week. I'll be able to keep that up while studying.

As I said, I'm getting married at the end of the year, so anything we can do to reduce cash outgoings we go for.

kindred · 02-07-2009, 04:36 PM

I work about 50-60hours a week. I want your job haha. I bet you get paid more than me too.

Kyle Aaron · 02-07-2009, 04:52 PM

I doubt it.

I get decent rates per head, but I have to buy the food, rent the kitchen space, pay for advertising, do samples, then there's GST and a shitload of paperwork, etc.

Pain in the bum. I just wanted to cook.

beertank23 · 09-07-2009, 03:14 AM

Hey kyle,

I'm starting to hate my job hardcore, 4th year apprentice and i'm studying engineering through tafe, I don't really like my job, nor the engineering cert, well actually i lie, the engineering cert would be awesome If I could do it at tafe during the day, ATM i do it via correspondance and it pains me.

I think after I finish my apprenticeship in January, I might look at something diffferent. I definetly couldn't be a PT, I'd like to own a gym and do it my way, but thats never happening.

I was looking on the TAFE website for a course, in the fitness or health industry that I might like, but tbh PT seems like the only option without going to uni. Did you find anything similiar to PT, what i mean by that is similiar in terms of the fitness industry.

Basically just having a whinge here dont mind me.

EDIT: PTC @ Frankston - This looks like an epic job, i reckon, running your own gym, how you want to so it!!!!

Kyle Aaron · 09-07-2009, 01:19 PM

There's a Diploma of Fitness.

There are also other certs and diplomas like Event Management, running a small business, nutrition and so on. Rather than looking through the list of courses which will take you forever and leave you confused, what's easier is to decide exactly what you'd like to do day-to-day, and then find a job which does that, or a course leading to a job which does that.

hyjak · 09-07-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle Aaron

For example, there's this bloke Markos who runs PTC FRANKSTON he has no certificates at all, just experience. Apparently his methods get some results, though I imagine if there were any injuries he mightn't tell us about them.

i train at PTC once a week, Markos knows his shit and the people he trains all get top results, myself included. it is definitley not for the faint-hearted though. 200kg+ deadlifts happen on daily basis, heck even one of the girls deadlifts 135kg, all lifts are raw. no belts, no straps, no gloves just chalk. He also has over 30 years experiance in the industry, his wife holds national powerlifting records and his brother also competed as a powerlifter. He considers this a minimal amount of experience before training others

oh yeah theres f**k all injuries too

Kyle Aaron · 09-07-2009, 05:22 PM

It'd be interesting for you to start a thread discussing your PTC experiences. It's good to hear of different ways different people train, and Markos' methods are very much "old school".

24-06-2009, 12:53 PM	#21 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	I agree that you don't need to go to school to learn, and that a dedicated person can even do better in learning outside school than in it. But if you want employment in that area, you need to either be a very good self-marketer and not worried about lawsuits, or else get a piece of paper from a school. The whole reason for my profession change is being tired of marketing myself, so I need the piece of paper. It's plain that a lot of the stuff will be known to me already. But the thing about lack of knowledge is that you often don't know you lack it - so I'm sure there'll be things I learn on these courses. I think also of my experience with cheffing. Anyone can cook - if you can read, you can cook - but cooking a few meals is a different thing to being a chef, who might have to get 12 meals out in eight minutes, or come up with a new dish on the spot because something's run out, or organise the kitchen and ordering so you don't run out of anything, and so on. It's one thing to know all the facts about something, and another to bring those facts together into a profession. The shorter courses I'm not taking for two reasons. Firstly, they're more expensive. I'm getting married at the end of the year, and we've a trip to Peru planned as our honeymoon next Easter. So an extra thousand or two here or there makes a big difference to us. Secondly, finding employment is harder with the shorter courses. Now, my own personal knowledge and experience may or may not make up for the brevity of the course - but a potential employer may not realise or even agree with that in an interview. Rather than 2 months course + 4 months job hunting, I'd rather have 5 months course + 1 month's job hunting. It's a change of career, and if all goes well will be my career for twenty years or more. Given that, a few extra months isn't a big deal. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

25-06-2009, 05:25 PM	#22 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	So today I cycled over to Moorabbin campus to sign up. It's a bleak place, poorly-designed for student life. The car parking is within the campus rather than all in a ring around the buildings, so there are few public spaces for the students to hang out and socialise. That's probably why all the student activities are organised by the university, rather than having lots of clubs and societies. As I was enrolling, I said, "I hope I won't be the oldest one in class!" and the woman just shook her head and said, "nooooo...." in a drawn-out, "oh hell no!" sort of way. I hope for a good mix of people. I went and took a look at the gym, it's about four times the size of my community gym. I understand that after the first couple of weeks we'll spend a couple of sessions each week there; being a student, even a student of fitness, doesn't grant automatic membership, strangely. So now I guess Monday and Tuesday with classes on all day will become my rest days from my actual gym. That's okay, they're the busiest days there anyway. The gym and the lecture rooms are in the same building as people doing cookery certificates, it's almost like a phased transition for me. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

25-06-2009, 11:46 PM	#24 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	My self-employment was part-time already, about 20-30 hours a week. I'll be able to keep that up while studying. As I said, I'm getting married at the end of the year, so anything we can do to reduce cash outgoings we go for. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

02-07-2009, 04:36 PM	#25 (permalink)
kindred Active Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Australia Gender: Posts: 3,102	I work about 50-60hours a week. I want your job haha. I bet you get paid more than me too. __________________ http://ausbb.com/member-training-dia...html#post80479

02-07-2009, 04:52 PM	#26 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	I doubt it. I get decent rates per head, but I have to buy the food, rent the kitchen space, pay for advertising, do samples, then there's GST and a shitload of paperwork, etc. Pain in the bum. I just wanted to cook. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

25-06-2009, 06:49 PM	#23 (permalink)
The Hulk Active Member Site Advertiser Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Gender: Posts: 2,092	Will you be working full time while you are studying? If not, short course makes sense to me. Get qualified and get working/experienced asap.

09-07-2009, 03:14 AM	#27 (permalink)
beertank23 Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Gender: Posts: 116	Hey kyle, I'm starting to hate my job hardcore, 4th year apprentice and i'm studying engineering through tafe, I don't really like my job, nor the engineering cert, well actually i lie, the engineering cert would be awesome If I could do it at tafe during the day, ATM i do it via correspondance and it pains me. I think after I finish my apprenticeship in January, I might look at something diffferent. I definetly couldn't be a PT, I'd like to own a gym and do it my way, but thats never happening. I was looking on the TAFE website for a course, in the fitness or health industry that I might like, but tbh PT seems like the only option without going to uni. Did you find anything similiar to PT, what i mean by that is similiar in terms of the fitness industry. Basically just having a whinge here dont mind me. EDIT: PTC @ Frankston - This looks like an epic job, i reckon, running your own gym, how you want to so it!!!! __________________ Bench 100kg x 6. Squat 150kg x 4. Deadlift 170kg x 2. Hang Clean 60kg x 10. Military 75ks x 1. Just finished 5/3/1 for football, then busted AC joint in last rugby game of the season. Rehad begins. Last edited by beertank23; 09-07-2009 at 03:26 AM.

09-07-2009, 01:19 PM	#28 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	There's a Diploma of Fitness. There are also other certs and diplomas like Event Management, running a small business, nutrition and so on. Rather than looking through the list of courses which will take you forever and leave you confused, what's easier is to decide exactly what you'd like to do day-to-day, and then find a job which does that, or a course leading to a job which does that. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

09-07-2009, 05:22 PM	#30 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	It'd be interesting for you to start a thread discussing your PTC experiences. It's good to hear of different ways different people train, and Markos' methods are very much "old school". __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]