Pretty standard. Fill out another application, sit down and talk for 15-20 minutes. They will ask you about your resume, how you came to Equinox, why you want to work here, how you think you will do in the position. All pretty standard stuff.
Some of the big red flags I saw: They expect you to work for free. They will pay starting trainers to be on the floor trying to "build your business." This is great in theory, but the problem is that they are only paying you to be on the floor for 16-21 hours a week, however, they will expect you to be there an hour before, an hour after to "hang out" and get your own workout in. You could be working almost as many hours off the clock as you are on. And lets not forget that while youre "hanging out" off hours, other trainers are trying to work the floor while being paid. This is of course under the guise of "building your business." They will repeat the words, "building your business," constantly. You arent building "your" business. You are building THEIR business. You will have to sign a non-compete to work there, so if you leave, all the work you put in "building your business" will vanish under the threat of being sued. You arent building a business, you are an Equinox salesman and service provider.
Pay was also not negotiable so even if you have some training experience or higher education in the fitness field, it doesnt matter. You are starting at the same place the 18 year old who just graduated high school and has no experience in the field. You also cant work outside the club in the fitness field. If you already have a couple gigs doing group work or something, they will expect you to quit those. Its perfectly fine if you want to supplement your income bartending though. Just dont use your fitness talents for anything other than Equinox. This was partciularly irritating because they might be asking you to take a big pay cut, even if you have the ability to fill out the mandatory 16-21 hours a week of floor time. If you were truely building a business, you go where the money is, where you get paid for your work, then generate new leads on the non-work times. But you arent building a business. You are just selling under their name, to their clients. Speaking of pay, the rate that you make vs the rate they are charging the client is pretty gross. Floor time I was told is $12 an hour and Tier 1 trainers make $26 when they are training a client. I asked about Tier 2 and 3 pay scales, but they didnt want to discuss that. I was just given a range of $26-$65 per hour. Clients are paying Equinox $130 an hour to train with you.
If you are young and looking to get into the PT game, this is a great place to be. Its a young atmosphere, you'll get access to a very exclusive and expensive gym to do your own training at and the pay is pretty good for someone who is going to be learning on the job. The training they give you is decent from what Ive seen and they do seem to care if you are moving up and wanting to be a better trainer. If youre a seasoned vet in the game, this place definitely is not for you. You would be better served making some connections at your local microgym or small facility where you can rent space. Its a shame too because Equinox is an expensive place to workout at, their clientele has the money to spend. While everyone who pays a trainer is expecting results, a seasoned trainer knows that sometimes the issue isnt just the workout itself. Older and seasoned trainers can make a different kind of connection with the kind of client that the young 20 somethings cant always do because they simply lack the life experience to do so.
