Personal Care and Service · Holland code SRE

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Demonstrate techniques and form, observe participants, and explain to them corrective measures necessary to improve their skills. Develop and implement individualized approaches to exercise.

Also called: Aerobics Instructor, Fitness Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, Fitness Specialist, Fitness Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, Private Trainer.

O*NET 39-9031.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $47,160; Middle half earn $35,280 to $61,730. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate; 38% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +12% · Much faster than average; 370,100 jobs in 2024, projected 414,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Fitness trainers and instructors".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness.
Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed.
Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities and limitations.
Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines.
Teach and demonstrate use of gymnastic and training equipment, such as trampolines and weights.
Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.6 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Learning Strategies3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.3 / 5
Education and Training3.8 / 5
English Language3.7 / 5
Psychology3.6 / 5
Biology2.9 / 5
Administration and Management2.8 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic71
Investigative28
Artistic23
Social77
Enterprising42
Conventional33

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

shiatsu practitioner · DE Shiatsu-Praktiker/Shiatsu-Praktikerin · FR praticien en shiatsu/praticienne en shiatsu
sophrologist · DE Sophrologe/Sophrologin · FR sophrologue
sports instructor · DE Sporttrainer/Sporttrainerin · FR instructeur sportif/instructrice sportive
boxing instructor · DE Boxtrainer/Boxtrainerin · FR entraîneur de boxe/entraîneuse de boxe
fitness instructor · DE Fitnesstrainer/Fitnesstrainerin · FR conseiller sportif en salle de remise en forme/conseillère sportive en salle de remise en forme
leisure attendant · DE Sportassistent/Sportassistentin · FR animateur sportif polyvalent/animatrice sportive polyvalente

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Sports coaches, instructors and officials (3432)124,900 employed
Fitness and wellbeing instructors (3433)62,400 employed
Beauticians and related occupations (6222)90,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -2.11. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (39-9031).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test