A career as a fitness instructor can be highly rewarding. However, with all of the uncertainty brought about by the global Coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdowns across the UK and nationwide, you might be wondering – Is now a good time to start a fitness instructor business?
Fitness instructors primarily organise exercise programmes, usually within a specific niche, to improve people’s health and fitness. You will typically spend hours compiling playlists and practising choreography and new moves to teach in your classes. It can also be one of the most satisfying forms of employment. If you are passionate about helping others hit their health objectives and gain self-confidence then this is ultimately what will make being a fitness instructor a good career choice for you.
The Fitness Industry Has Been Steadily Growing
Recent years has seen consumer demand move away from processed food in favour of healthier, organic options. This switch in behaviour has had an effect of making more people interested in fitness. In response, the size of the fitness industry and the number of fitness instructors has been steadily growing.
According to Statistica, the business data statistics portal, there are roughly 189 thousand people in the United Kingdom with an occupation in the sports and fitness sector. The data also says that in 2020 there were 69 thousand fitness instructors in some form of employment in the United Kingdom.
How COVID-19 has Affected the Fitness Instructor Industry
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is fair to say that the fitness instructor industry has been transformed in many ways, with online fitness becoming a massive part of the future of the industry. Gyms have been forced to close for long periods at a time, and so many are now providing online substitutes for members, including live-streaming fitness classes and providing 1-to-1 personal fitness sessions remotely.
It seems that moving fitness classes from face-to-face contact to online can be highly beneficial for a fitness instructor, whether you provide Boxercise, Cross Fit, Pilates, Spin Classes, Weight Training, Yoga, Zumba or any other type of fitness training. By moving your classes online, you are broadening the area that you are able to cover, meaning you can reach significantly more people and grow your customer base.
Risks to Consider When Running a Fitness Instructor Business
Starting your own fitness instructor business is very fulfilling but the last thing you want is an accident to happen. When working face-to-face with the public, having some form of insurance protection in place is essential to ensure that your fitness instructor business survives.
- Public liability insurance provides financial protection for any compensation that you may be held legally liable for in respect of bodily injury caused to a member of the public, such as slipping on a yoga mat or set of weights whilst attending one of your classes. It also covers you for any damage caused to third-party property and provides financial assistance towards the legal costs associated with defending you and your business in such circumstances. Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement but it has become increasingly important for each and every business to have this type of protection in place.
- If you have people working for your fitness instructor business, you are legally required to take out employer’s liability insurance in order to protect your staff. This should cover all full-time, part-time, and temporary employees, self-employed, apprentices, and voluntary workers.
- If your fitness instructor business offers advice then you must have professional indemnity insurance. As you are providing advice to customers, if a mistake is made and you are found to be negligent, or if the advice that you give is not correct, the customer may seek financial compensation from you. Professional indemnity insurance provides cover for the legal costs in defending the claim as well as compensating the client for your mistake.
If you are thinking about moving your fitness classes online or offering an online option, there are some liability risks to consider.
- In 2021, cyber liability insurance is key to the financial protection of any business, particularly those run and managed online. Purchasing cyber liability insurance will usually cover you for the expense of lost revenue, investigation and reputation management. Not to mention the cost of any fixes.
- Both cyber liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance can cover you for any breach of the Data Protection Act.
- Other tips to minimise risks as a fitness instructor include providing disclaimers. You should always send a disclaimer at the beginning of each fitness class and every time you accept any form of payment from a customer.
Ashburnham Insurance provides public liability insurance for many different types of Fitness Instructors. For an online Public Liability Insurance for Fitness Instructors quote call us on Freephone 0800 1696137.