is it illegal to work at a gym and as a self employed personal trainer at the same time??
just about to push to go into a career as a personal trainer and was just woundering if I can do half in a gym half as a personal trainer so I will be able to build my client basis up without jumping in the deep end, cause I still need a steady income and cant afford to be earning basically nothing in my first month. I have been told its illegal to do so by someone but sounded like bull**** as I know some people who have done it. just need some clarifaction or some documentation to show if it is or is not. any help is appreciated.
Hi Adam,
Good question. It should say in the gym “employee’s handbook” you are/will be working at about all the restrictions. As you may know it’s called “conflict of interest” from the gym point of view. It restricts the trainers from many related jobs, not just training, which I think doesn’t make complete sense and is unfair because their paychecks are often insufficient (I don’t know any trainer who wants to be a part-time trainer and a part-time Mcdonald cashier for example). There’re many trainers who are employed by gyms and have their own clients on the side outside of the gym discreetly which would often jeopardise their employments otherwise. I think one should weigh the pros and cons and then decide. For the detailed legal point of view, I would have a consult w/ a experienced attorney.
Good luck