Personal trainer insurance is usually a no-brainer for serious professionals looking to make a career in fitness. Especially in today’s health climate, personal trainer liability insurance is the must-have tool to keep you protected for the long run. But how do you go about getting personal trainer insurance when you’re not yet certified as a personal trainer?
Today, we’ll look at when you need to get insurance and the best personal trainer insurance plans to match your career aspirations no matter how long you’ve been in the business of fitness.
Personal Trainer Certification Basics
To become a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), you’ll need to pass an accredited course and examination. There are many learning institutions out there that offer courses and examinations to get recognized as a CPT. But not all programs are created equally. Most gyms usually want to see completion of one of the “big four” programs – NASM, ACE, NCCA or NBFE. These are all accredited programs that are well regarded in fitness so keep this in mind as you look at your different options for education.
Other questions to ask of the different CPT programs you’re comparing include:
What is the total cost to obtain personal trainer certification through the program?
Make sure to get the full run-down of costs before committing to one program over another. Additional fees for things like text books or other training materials needed to complete the course can add up quickly.
How many trainers pass the CPT exam successfully?
Ask the program administrators the percentage of those students who have gone through their program that have gone on to successfully pass the CPT examination. For example, a school that is only seeing a 3 out of 10 pass rate for the CPT exam would not be worth the investment but a school that has 9 out of every 10 students passing would demonstrate a solid program.
Are there continuing education requirements?
Programs vary greatly in what is required to maintain certification. One school may be cheaper up front but then may have costlier or more in depth CEU requirements that make another program more attractive. Be sure to check out the details for how you maintain your CPT accreditation going forward.
What’s the expected level of income or national average for personal trainers who
Make sure to ask direct questions regarding what others in the field are making after going through the program. If the program can’t show you a real benefit to investing with them, find another CPT education provided.
Most programs will require a basic level of competence i.e. time spent on the job, as well as other prerequisites in order to begin. This means that even to start on your certification, you’ll need some experience or training under your belt. It’s during this training that many professionals never think to secure professional liability insurance and yet a time when accidents can be more likely since there’s less experience at play. We’ll get more into the timing of personal trainer insurance in your career a little later on.
What Personal Trainer Certification Does For Your Career
As a CPT, you are recognized as a leader in one-on-one and group fitness instruction. Clients flock to personal trainers that are able to successfully motivate them to meet their physical goals. CPTs usually are gifted in many different styles of fitness instruction but may also hold a specialization in a particular discipline. Being recognized as an authority within fitness definitely has its perks. When you start offering services to clients and your personality and fitness styles are really clicking with them, the results can be fantastic. Not only are fitness goals met, but clients become evangelists for your services, spreading their good experience like wildfire. In a digital age, your online reputation is everything and building a successful brand takes a web presence.
With IFG, our personal trainer liability insurance provides both protection on the digital side with our included identity theft protection plan and also a portal to reaching more clients with a free professional website. IFG personal trainer insurance was made for what it takes to be a personal trainer today. From a national chain gym to your own online personal training studio; wherever and however you offer personal training to clients, your insurance through IFG follows you through every workout.
When to Get Personal Trainer Insurance
Even during training, you can be subject to liabilities while you complete the program. Personal trainers have to get up close and personal with clients moving through an active fitness routine, which simply means there’s more risk of an accident or injury occurring. Most trainers do a fantastic job of watching out for clients and avoiding mishaps, but sometimes an accident is completely out of your control.
This is where personal trainer liability insurance really pays off. When you have an event that would otherwise cost you a lot of money out of pocket, instead your insurance plan kicks in to cover the loss. That’s why right when you begin your road to becoming a CPT, you should at the same time be checking out getting personal trainer liability insurance. So no, you don’t need to have your CPT in order to get personal trainer insurance but rather should consider adding insurance before completing your CPT.
It doesn’t matter how careful you are, or even how practiced you are, an unforeseen event can happen at any time. At just $65 for an entire year of coverage when you’re pursuing your CPT, you can have full personal trainer liability coverage through our students-only plan. At a time when your career in fitness is just beginning, going ahead and getting insurance is one of the wisest investments you can make for the longevity of your career.
Another smart play is to wait until you are nearly through with your CPT program before securing your student plan. As long as you’re still in school on the effective date, you can still get the full year of coverage for only $65. That means you can get almost your first full year on the job covered with great insurance at a ridiculously-low price.
What Does Personal Trainer Insurance Cover?
Personal trainer liability insurance covers a wide number of different exercise programs and other health and fitness activities. Popular programs like Zumba, P90X, Pilates, HIIT, and so many more are all covered under this comprehensive insurance plan. Included with the plan is coverage for claims related to general liability, personal liability, product liability, and many others.
Personal trainer insurance from IFG was designed to cover the modern fitness professional with stout liability coverage options and beefed up additional protections to adequately protect from the risks faced today.
A Closer Look at Personal Trainer Liability Insurance Cost
We’ve already covered that for just $65 for a full year of coverage, the best time to start your insurance is when you first sign up for your CPT program. But we’ve got you covered after you’re certified as well with a professional program that’s made especially for the unique risks faced by today’s fitness professionals. At just $189 per year you can have a full suite of different coverage options, additional protective measures, member benefits, and other add-ons for an entire year. You also have the option to finance your insurance at a low monthly rate if that works better for your situation. The cost of insurance should always be overshadowed by the value received from policy.
At IFG, our policy isn’t just insurance. It’s a complete tool kit for the modern fitness professional to utilize in furthering their career in fitness. We include things like a complete library of fitness-related content, curated by the hottest professionals in fitness today – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Members also get a ton of other perks including the aforementioned free professional website, discounts and deals on fitness gear and events, and several layers of additional protections. The added coverage means the professional enjoys less risk of a financial burden should an accident turn into a covered claim. We cover our members with up to $3 million as an annual aggregate for general and professional liability claims. This may seem excessive but legal defense fees are costly and a single accident injury claim can run into the millions.
Without a safeguard like personal trainer liability insurance, you’re taking a gamble with your future which brings us back to the value of a securing coverage. At just $189 for a full year, personal trainer insurance is both peace of mind and actionable asset.
Getting Personal Trainer Insurance Online
Signing up for personal trainer insurance through Insure Fitness Group is easy and we don’t make you fill out a long questionnaire just to get a rate. Just answer a few questions, check out, and complete the application and you’ll enjoy full coverage with immediate access to all your plan documents.
