Need A Side Hustle? Become A Group Fitness Instructor

Are you a fitness enthusiast? Have you become the instructor's class assistant? Do the other class members love your spirit and miss when you are not in class? Do you need a side hustle? You might want to consider becoming a fitness group instructor.

How to get started?

You want to start getting certified by a reputable certifying fitness company. I wrote a post on the most affordable group instructor certifications. If you have a science background or you have been consuming fitness information for a while, it won't take you long to read the study book to pass the exam. 

If you have no physiology or anatomy knowledge, it might take you a little longer to get familiar with fitness information. It can take you from a month to a year, depending upon how much time you devote to your studies, to prepare for the exam.

You will also need to be CPR and AED certified in order to take the test. You can start with that test first because it doesn't require a lot of studies.

After you are certified, I would advise you to put together a fitness class, something you are interested in teaching and plan practice classes with friends and family members.

Group fitness instructor salary

When you feel like you can teach and ready for the public, you can apply to a fitness club chain or a local community recreation center. The pay can range from $15-$60 an hour, according to where you live in the United States. 

Your salary will also depend upon the fitness club too. High-end clubs will pay more, but you will have to have a lot of experience or a lot of charisma and confidence. 

Most instructors have a full-time job and they usually teach before or after work. If you are self-employed and have a flexible work schedule, consider teaching at non-peak hours. Some clubs have classes at 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm and/or 4 pm and many times fitness clubs have a hard time finding instructors to teach at non- peak hours.

Setting up your own fitness business

This is where you can make some good money, but you need to have a venue and a following. If you have this, consider instructing your own classes. For example, I use a community center to hold classes. It costs me $15-$25 (size of the room) an hour to rent the room. I charge $55 for eight monthly classes.

Rent: $25 x 8 sessions = $200

Income: $55 x 15 participants = $825

Net income before taxes = $625 or $78 an hour

As you can see, you can make more money being on your own, but you have to constantly market because people will drop out. You may have an upfront cost, especially if you supply any equipment like bands and weights. An option for this would be to have the members buy the equipment from you so you can keep your costs low. 

As you can see, being a group fitness instructor can be a lucrative and healthy side hustle. Get started today and have fun along the way.