I truly love being a fitness instructor—the rewards are many, from helping others lengthen their lifespan to keeping myself active and fit. There is, however, a reward that the majority of fitness instructors do not experience to the fullest…
And yes, it is green!
Today I will share why the fitness industry needs a makeover in its entire structure of instructor pay.
Education and Continued Education Count
Imagine walking into your favorite class—a Zumba class! The instructor says hello and greets you with a huge smile. She chats with a few students who are early like you are (gold star!) before walking up to the sound system to check attendance and make a few final adjustments to the playlist. She looks ready, you think to yourself.
She is ready—yet it took so much more than practicing song routines to be ready.
In addition to completing a comprehensive instructor training from a Zumba Education Specialist, she has also completed 12 E-learning courses from Zumba, which have educated her on everything from the psychology behind dance to details on dance genres from around the world…
Yet the instructor pay remains $18/hour.
Beyond Zumba’s extensive library of educational courses, she has also taken time to complete the painstaking AFAA course, which educated her even more on how to safely and efficiently conduct her classes.
Yet the instructor pay does not rise above $20.
In the world of fitness, education is highly undervalued. When a preschool teacher completes their CDA, a pay increase will follow. When people acquire a master’s degree following their bachelor’s, they can move to a higher-paying position.
When a group fitness instructor invests time and money in furthering their education, however, they can expect roughly the same hourly rate in most cases.
I still remember talking with my director at a past job about teaching Zumba Kids. “Would I be able to receive a raise assuming Zumba Kids goes well?” I asked. “No, she responded sadly. “Unfortunately the number of licenses you have will not raise your pay.” I nodded and said I understood. But when I thought about the situation later, I had trouble understanding why.
If the industry wants high-quality instructors, quality should receive fair compensation.
Being An Instructor Takes Time
After eight years as a Zumba instructor, I have so many priceless moments:
That moment when everyone in the room feels the music, and the energy is like electricity…
That moment when you dance with a student and make them forget all their worries…
That moment when you lock eyes with your instructor bestie on an event stage at the exact time because you are both thinking, “This is epic.”
These are the intangible moments that make being an instructor worth every minute. I am eternally grateful for them, yet monetary pay helps us continue to make these moments regularly.
Time is finite, and with the exception of those who are exceptionally rich, we all have to consider funding when we think about how we spend our time. Instructors are so passionate about what they do that they do not mind spending countless hours perfecting their craft, practicing and imagining routines again and again when no one is watching. Personally, I practice for about 5 hours per week (at least). This means I have spent enough hours over eight years to equal a quarter year of my life in dance studios, practicing. While we practice—and teach—with great joy, being paid well gives us the freedom to do what we love more because our needs are better met.
This allows us not only to dance more, but also to dance more freely without the worry of “supporting” our passion that is not helping to pay bills…
Because believe me, when you have a family and children to support, someone will question your “side gig” that is not bringing in significant cash.
In short, we should be paid well for the amount of time we put into teaching.
Human Nature Should Not Affect Pay
I’m going to keep it 100 with you: working out is not considered a necessity. Yet gyms are in high demand, with the industry racking up 87 billion globally in one year. This may seem like a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the restaurant industry, which is expected to hit a record 1.1 trillion in sales this year. Working out takes extra work, and when people are busy working to pay bills, they pause exercise. In America, there is a higher demand for restaurants -- as well as movies, clothing, and electronic devices as well. Any business that requires its clients to do some form of work, whether reading at book store or exercising at a gym, has a tougher time achieving lasting success. They are not selling a "necessity"...
Yet we need physical and mental workouts to stay strong. I understand the day-to-day grind of the working American for sure (I'm in the grind too), but prioritizing health is always important to keep going.
Please don’t be offended, but humans generally prefer the lazy, easy road to success and don’t really want to be uncomfortable. Sweating constantly to reach our goals is not appealing. We must push ourselves to put in the work. Many of us are willing to push, but many are not…
This leads to gyms slashing membership prices, practically begging people to join (yes, I have done this too!). Although it is worth more than $20, $40, or even $100 to have multiple quality instructors teach a person for an entire month, the membership prices remain slashed.
I think it’s great that people can work out for low prices, but at the same time it makes it difficult for instructors to make group fitness a legitimate business. When people visit a massage therapist or receive nutrition coaching, they are investing in services that better their health...
Should fitness not be covered under the same umbrella?
I think that, if companies want to keep membership costs low, they still need to find a way to pay instructors better. Maybe they can find additional streams of revenue (through more merchandise, nutrition products, etc.) to pay instructors fairly. If they still cannot afford to do so, then the memberships would need to increase...
Or they can also cut a little into the hundreds of thousands spent on commercials and pay instructors better--just a suggestion ;)
Full-Time Or Part-Time Profession
When I started my studio, I had a vision for instructors. I wanted my instructors to be the richest instructors in Tulsa because I understand firsthand that they are worth it. And while I offer pay structure, perks and rewards unique to Island Time, I still have yet to do as much as I planned because the industry is so discount-oriented…
Thus making it difficult for a studio owner—where memberships are our lifeline—to raise instructor pay significantly.
I don’t just want to give my instructors a $1 or $2 raise. I want them to make enough money to where they can begin to see group fitness as not only a side gig, but a side profession…
Maybe even a full-time profession, as I know many instructors who would gladly retire from their day jobs if their fitness jobs would pay more.
Conclusion
You can be the change. Support local instructors who teach at dance fitness studios. If you work out at a gym, advocate for higher instructor pay. Let’s reset the status quo together...
Because your favorite instructor deserves to be paid well without losing money doing what they love to do: bring joy to you through fitness.
Reference Articles:
Comments