lifetime fitness

bfit48 · 09-08-2009, 07:41 PM

I need help with a decision from anybody or a lifetime fitness personal trainer. I am going through the new hire process and paper work at lifetime fitness, but I am a trying to figure out the pay structure for a new hire or when and how much will I get paid for the orientation training. I am thinking about backing out because the drive is about an hour from my house, any suggestions.

PlankIt · 09-08-2009, 07:53 PM

Have you asked them?

bfit48 · 09-08-2009, 08:58 PM

I talked to a couple of trainers on my last interview but didn't really get a great understanding of the pay structure.

DKing · 09-08-2009, 09:26 PM

If its still the same as it was 2 years ago...

You are a commissioned employee, so you don't really get paid to do anything other than train. I think the weeklong new hire you do get something like $8 per hour. The rest of the time you get paid what is called a Draw of around $7-8 per hour for 40 hours. Draw is like a loan the club gives you until you make enough not to be in Draw anymore. Once your income exceeds the 7-8 dollar draw you no longer collect it and you pay back what they have borrowed you.

Danny

bfit48 · 09-08-2009, 10:57 PM

ok, so your first couple of checks would be from the draw, until your commision from sales and your training pay amount exceed what you draw out and then do you pay the entire amount out of one check?

DKing · 09-09-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfit48

ok, so your first couple of checks would be from the draw, until your commision from sales and your training pay amount exceed what you draw out and then do you pay the entire amount out of one check?

Nope you pay it out as you make more money. So lets say that 40 hours of work at $8 an hour is $320 weekly. You get that much each week through draw. As you make money from training and sales you get less and less draw. As you make over $320 from training and sales you use the extra to re-pay the draw until the balance is zero.

If you are at a bigger club that is fairly established and have good managers, you should be out of draw really quickly. Often people will walk into the club with 2 or 3 clients waiting for them being passed on from more experienced trainers.

Danny

bfit48 · 09-09-2009, 12:08 PM

ok, so if I don't make $320 from sales and training and I use the $320 draw in any week, I will have to make $640 from sales and training in either 1 or more weeks combined to completely pay off the draw. so if I don't make more money than my draw or I just make $100 more than my draw, which pay will I receive either the draw of $320 or the $100 I made more than the draw? Do I have to take the entire draw? will I get paid for training within the normal pay period or will I have to wait weeks for it. I appreciate your help so much and I'm sorry for so many question, but I trying make sure it's worth my time since I'm driving a hour each day to the gym, but I feel it could a great opportunity for me.

DKing · 09-09-2009, 12:41 PM

Lets say your first week you train no one and sell nothing so the club gives you $320 draw. During the next week you sell lots of stuff and train a bunch of people and make $500 from the commissions and training pay. The club would take $180 as pay back and give you $320. The next week you do even better and make $600 from sales and training the club would take the remaining $140 that you owe them and you would get $460.

Does that make sense?

Draw is a common pay system in commissioned sales because legally they have to pay full time employees at least a livable wage.

No you don't have to take the full draw, if you make $200 on your own you only take $120 draw, the idea is just to get you up to a minimum livable amount. They can't make you work for free.

The pay periods are 2 x per month.

Lifetime can be a great place to start as a trainer. They give you a lot of training on the business side of things and you will have tons of opportunities to train and make a decent living.

Danny

bfit48 · 09-09-2009, 01:17 PM

Yes that makes sense. If you stop working for them and leave before you pay back your draw do you keep the money? I think I will turn the job down because it seems you need to be financially stable to start working there and the drive will cost me about $100 a week!! I appreciate your help and advice.

Emoore · 10-10-2009, 09:06 AM

Yeah, thanks for this. I'm taking my NSCA-CPT exam at the end of this month and planning to apply at my local Lifetime.

How much pressure is there to sell your clients nutritional supplements and gadgets they don't really need?

DKing · 10-10-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emoore

Yeah, thanks for this. I'm taking my NSCA-CPT exam at the end of this month and planning to apply at my local Lifetime.

How much pressure is there to sell your clients nutritional supplements and gadgets they don't really need?

There is a pretty good amount of pressure for those things. Its a small part of why I left.

I wouldn't let that stop you from applying though, you can still learn a lot about how to train and how to run your training like a business working there. Its not the best place in the world bust as far as big chain gyms its not too bad.

It is really nice if you clients have a heart rate monitor, it makes designing cardio workouts so much easier. Its harder for the client to slack off. On the supplement end, most people are going to buy them somewhere, you might as well make sure its stuff they at least need and at least you get some money for it. Again this is 2 years ago, but there stuff was pretty decent, I used the multi and protein.

Danny