Being a Personal Trainer certainly has its perks – with its lucrative salary, flexible schedule and seemingly glamorous lifestyle, health enthusiasts all over the world certainly have their eye on this career as the perfect job to fit their own lifestyles. But before you apply for your dream job at the local gym, you must first fulfil one major requirement that most health clubs and gyms ask of from a potential Personal Trainer: a certification. Gaining a certification is the first real big step in becoming your dream job a reality. To be a certified Personal Trainer, you must:

Choose a certification organization. There are numerous personal training certification organizations that offer certifications to become a bona fide Personal Trainer. The most important thing to look at while choosing a certification body is their accreditation. Usually, an independent third-party requires that the certifying organizations present their certification procedures and protocols to be accredited.

Find out if the certificate is universally recognized. Of course, you would like to know the areas where you can find work. Nobody wants to go all the trouble of certification process only to find out that no health club or gym actually recognizes your certificate.

Find out the pre-requisites of certification. Are you of legal age? Do you need a high school diploma? Should you have a CPR certification? Are you required to attend seminars or workshops and if you are, are those being offered within your city? How much would the certification cost? These questions need to be dealt with before even thinking of applying for a certification.

Research the renewal process. Your certification won’t last forever. Is the certification renewal annually or is it monthly done? Do you need to attend another seminar/workshop or take another exam for your certificate to be renewed? It wouldn’t hurt if you learn as early as now what would it take to renew your certificate.

Once you become a certified Personal Trainer, there is a wide range of job options that will be made available to you. From working on a cruise ships, spas and resorts to working in corporate fitness to be self-employed or opening your own business, job opportunities will certainly start knocking on your door. Between the serious health problems caused by obesity and numerous scientific studies that directly link physical inactivity to certain illnesses, those opportunities are bound to expand more in the future.

So what are you waiting for? Flex those muscles and start working!