Miscellaneous Stuff & Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

The male gigolo phenomenon - is it true?

Every now and then one of the tabloids will publish an article claiming that most male personal trainers are nothing more than personal gigolos.  The females of the industry seem to escape being tarred with this brush.

 

Unfortunately, such articles are very damaging to the industry and can be extremely off putting to potential female clients looking for a legitimate personal trainer.  Meeting a personal trainer for the first time is often difficult enough without worrying about whether they are going to start "making the moves".  This is frustrating for the legitimate personal trainer becasue by and large these rumours are untrue.

 

Such rumours were originally started in the early 80's when the industry was in it's infancy with no regulation, little qualifications and no standards to work by.  Perhaps unsurprisingly due to the close working relationship a personal trainer has with a client, a few overstepped the mark in these early days.   Furthermore, back then a personal trainer was much more considered a status symbol for the wealthy, and sometimes a distraction for the rich man's wife, rather than someone who would actually get you fit and healthy.

 

Since then the industry has developed at an astonishing rate and proper training, improved professionalism, and better ethics has reduced this undesirable side of the industry to a minimum.

 

That said, it still does sometimes go on, particularly in the London area, and if you are working as a male personal trainer in that area, don't be surprised if you get  the occasional client (male and female) looking for a little "extra" training. 

 

Similarly, if you offer massage therapy services, expect to get the occasional proposition whether you are male of female and by both male and female clients.  You can reduce this sort of behaviour through careful marketing and by presenting yourself professionally at all times.

 

Nevertheless, what you decide to do in such circumstances is up to you, but for the good of the industry, your reputation and the reputation of personal trainers everywhere, I would urge you to remain professional and set your boundaries clearly...or at the very least, try to wear the client out in the workout!

 

 

Do I need insurance and if so what sort?

While there are a number of personal trainers and probably even sports massage therapists operating without insurance, I would strongly recommend that you obtain insurance for your business.  Even if you only work freelance on a part time basis, it is still a good investment, both financially and ethically.  In addition, you will find it difficult to register with any professional bodies without insurance.

 

As a minimum you should have public liability insurance covering you for up to £5 million, ideally £10 million.  Then if  the worst should happen and a client injures themselves in your care, and you turn out to be negligent, you don't have to worry about finances; just your reputation.  Most training providers have links to insurance companies who will provide insurance for the activities you have been trained to carry out at a competitive rate. 

 

If your business grows to be successful and you need to employ some help, even on a cash in hand basis, you are legally required to have Employers Liability Insurance.

 

A final consideration, which is usually the most expensive option, is some kind of incapacity insurance, which will cover you for loss of income in the event that you sustain injury or illness that prevents you from working.  Many people don't bother with this element because being fit and healthy personal trainers they perceive themselves as invincible.  However, this is a very physically demanding job where you are often required to test yourself physically as part of the job,  in addition to your own training.  Many personal trainers neglect their own training in favour of taking on additional clients and working longer hours, with the unfortunate result that they lose fitness and core strength.  This in turn increases the risk of injury.  From personal experience I strongly recommend paying the extra money to add incapacity insurance to your policy.  After all, could you cope with all your financial responsibilities if you couldn't work for a month, or three months, six, or in my case nine!

 

One final thought. If you use a vehicle, don't forget to increase your cover to include you for "Business Use" in addition to "Social, Domestic and Pleasure".

 

 

Should I specialise?

I'm always a little guarded about recommending to freelance trainers that they should specialise in a particular market, as the industry is competitive enough, without limiting your options. That said there is no harm in building up a specialism while continuing to service your day to day clients. At the time of writing there is currently a huge demand for personal trainers in the disability sector, both in terms of physical disabilities and learning disabilities, and were I to start over in this industry I would make sure I was qualified in this area so that I could take advantage of this untapped market. The following is an article about this issue:

 

People With Learning And Physical Disabilities Need Personal Trainers Too!

 

How do personal trainers and DotComUnity.org.uk go together? Many personal trainers will probably have never even heard of DotComUnity so it might be as well to start by giving a very brief introduction to the site and the rationale behind it before explaining why their particular skills are in such demand there.

 

DotComUnity c.i.c is a Community Interest Company set up in the wake of Government White Papers concerning the integration of people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities into mainstream society. By its very nature it is a non-profit making company dedicated to serving the community.

 

The company’s primary objective is to make it much easier for disabled people and people with learning difficulties, together with anyone involved in their circle of care, to gain access to the multitude of services and facilities that exist to enable them to live fuller and more active lives. It does this by means of its unique web site, www.DotComUnity.org.uk.

 

Prior to the launch of the new site, all the various services, facilities and forthcoming events that would be of interest to people with learning difficulties and other disabilities were there but they were all advertised and promoted individually in various places and all over the internet. DotComUnity.org.uk would, for the first time, bring together as many of them as possible on the one site. It is that plus the nationwide network of local listings as much as anything else that would make DotComUnity such a valuable resource for professionals working in the fields of learning and physical disabilities.

 

By enabling people to report back to DotComUnity on their experiences of using the services featured on the site the company would get the feedback it needs from actual users. In this way the quality of service provided by the service providers can be graded in order of merit and listed accordingly. Users would gain access to this facility by signing up as members of an On-line club. Membership would be free of charge. In fact every aspect of the site would be free to users, funded by sponsors and advertisers from the commercial world.

 

Believe it or not it has all actually happened! DotComUnity.org.uk exists in exactly the form anticipated. The national site, which covers the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is subdivided county by county with local support and sponsorship. Overall control is national but devolved to regional and local levels. The number of members and casual users is phenomenal and growing daily, as is the number of sponsors in most counties.

 

Thousands of services, facilities and events can be found on the site already. However there is one type of service that is woefully under represented on DotComUnity and that is Personal Trainers. Very few have so far spotted the yawning gap in the market for their services.

 

People with disabilities and learning difficulties have as much need for physical exercise as anyone else. In fact in many cases a greater need due to the sedentary lifestyle that is so often forced upon them. Not only that, the individual nature of many disabilities means that exercising in a large group such as an exercise class is often not appropriate for an individual.

 

Enter the personal trainer! Who else is better equipped to treat each client as an individual. If you are a personal trainer and have the training and qualifications to work with disabled people and people with learning difficulties DotComUnity needs to know about you so that all those potential clients can find you!

 

If you are a personal trainer but don’t have the specialised qualifications to deal with these clients why not train up and become qualified? There has never been a better time to do so than right now. If you’re not sure how to go about getting the specialised training DotComUnity can put you in touch with someone who can help and advise.

 

DotComUnity has already identified both the demand for this service and the significant shortage of suitably qualified trainers to supply the demand. It would make sound business sense for any personal trainer to give the matter serious consideration. DotComUnity is here to promote those who do.

 

 

 

 

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