How Pure Gym and the fitness industry exploits Personal Trainers
1️⃣ The core loophole: “Self-employed” PT model Most big gyms classify personal trainers as self-employed contractors, not employees. That single classification removes the gym’s obligation to provide: • Sick pay • Holiday pay • Pension contributions • Job security • Minimum guaranteed income Yet in practice, many PTs: • Work fixed shifts • Are told when and where to be • Must wear gym branding • Must perform unpaid duties (classes, inductions, floor hours) That’s control without responsibility — the key legal grey zone. ⸻ 2️⃣ “Rent instead of wages” Rather than paying PTs, gyms: • Charge rent (or “license fees”) for access to members • Or require unpaid hours in exchange for floor access So the gym: • Gets labour without payroll costs • Transfers business risk entirely to the trainer • Still profits from PT-led classes, retention, and marketing If a trainer gets injured, burns out, or can’t sell sessions — that’s their problem, not the gym’s. ⸻ 3️⃣ Free labour disguised as “opportunity” Common unpaid expectations include: • Teaching classes • Covering peak hours • Doing inductions • Sales support • Member engagement These are framed as: “Building your brand” “Exposure” “Experience” Legally, this skirts the line between: • Genuine self-employment • False self-employment ⸻ 4️⃣ Why it survives legally a) Enforcement is weak • HMRC and HSE are complaint-driven • Most PTs: • Are young • Need the work • Fear blacklisting • Don’t know their rights No complaint = no investigation. ⸻ b) Turnover protects the model • Burnout is built in • Trainers cycle through every 6–18 months • By the time someone realises it’s unsustainable, they’re gone High churn = low legal risk. ⸻ c) Ambiguity works in the gym’s favour Employment law looks at reality of the relationship, not the label — but proving that requires: • Documentation • Legal action • Time and money Most PTs don’t have that leverage. ⸻ 5️⃣ Health & Safety is the weak point This is where gyms are most exposed, especially when: • Trainers are required to teach multiple high-intensity classes • Back-to-back sessions cause injury or fatigue • Recovery time is ignored • Injuries are normalised If a gym: • Dictates class schedules • Requires delivery style or intensity • Pressures trainers to work while injured Then under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the “self-employed” label doesn’t fully protect them. Control = responsibility. ⸻ 6️⃣ Why nothing changes Because the model benefits: • Gym shareholders • Franchise operators • Low-cost membership pricing • Investors And the cost is spread across: • Trainer burnout • Long-term injuries • Short careers • Silent exits It’s economically efficient — not ethically clean. ⸻ 7️⃣ The uncomfortable truth Personal training inside big-box gyms is often: A sales job disguised as fitness work, with all the risk placed on the worker. 8️⃣ Clicky management structure - Often personal trainers who will be complicit in the exploitation of other trainers with their silence being paid in the form of a salary and bonus to keep the conveyer belt churning, often keeping poor trainers on site to preserve their own career.