HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a personal trainer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

In no UK nation is there a register for personal trainers. Here are the checks that matter, what to ask, and what the price should include.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a personal trainer in five steps

  1. Ask for the qualificationLevel, awarding body and date — then check it with that body.
  2. Check insurance and first aidPublic liability insurance and a current first-aid certificate.
  3. Share your health and goalsInjuries, conditions, pregnancy, medicines — and what you want to achieve.
  4. Agree the plan and the priceSession length, where you train, what gym entry or programming costs.
  5. Read the cancellation termsLate cancellations are usually charged in full; know the rule first.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or statutory register applies to personal trainers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. A qualification is something to ask about and verify with the body that awarded it.

Ask the personal trainer for the qualification, the awarding body and the date, then check with that body yourself.

Protected health titles

A personal trainer may not call themselves a physiotherapist, physical therapist, dietitian or sport and exercise psychologist unless they are on the HCPC Register — using one of those titles, or implying it, without registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001.

If the personal trainer offers injury treatment or diet plans under one of those titles, search them on the HCPC Register. hcpc-uk.org →

Criminal record check for sessions with under-18s

Training children is regulated activity when a personal trainer does it on more than three days out of any thirty, or overnight; from 1 September 2026 being supervised no longer takes it outside. England and Wales: the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check. No check is needed to train adults.

For a child's sessions, ask to see the certificate or PVG proof and read the issue date. gov.uk →

First aid

The 1981 first-aid regulations cover a self-employed personal trainer's own needs; no law makes them provide first aid for clients, but HSE strongly recommends planning for the public. Public liability insurance is the cover that pays if you are injured in a personal trainer's session; HSE says a business with employees will probably need employers' liability insurance too.

Ask whether the personal trainer holds a current first-aid certificate and what they do if someone collapses — including where the nearest defibrillator is. Ask the personal trainer for the insurer's name and the policy dates. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Personal training is standard-rated at 20%; a commercial trainer cannot use the sports exemption, which is limited to non-profit eligible bodies. A trainer whose VAT taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge VAT and show it separately; one under it adds none.

Ask whether VAT is in the block price and, if so, for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“What personal training qualification do you hold, and who awarded it?”

A good answer: A named qualification and level, with an awarding body you can contact.

“Is your personal training insured, and with whom?”

A good answer: Public liability insurance, with the insurer's name and dates.

“As a personal trainer, do you hold a current first-aid certificate?”

A good answer: Yes, with the date — and a plan for an emergency in the gym or park.

“How will you assess me before we start?”

A good answer: A health questionnaire and a movement or fitness check before the personal trainer sets the programme.

“What does a personal training session include, and is gym entry extra?”

A good answer: Session length, warm-up and cool-down, and who pays for gym access.

“Will I get a programme for days I train alone?”

A good answer: A written plan, or a clear price for one.

“What if I get injured?”

A good answer: Stop, refer to a physiotherapist or GP — a personal trainer should not treat injuries.

“What is your cancellation rule?”

A good answer: The notice period and what a late cancellation costs.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the personal trainer you booked or another trainer at the gym, employed or subcontracted
  • Session length and price, and any block discount
  • Gym entry or venue fees — included or extra
  • Programming or nutrition plans priced separately
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% as its own line — the sports exemption is for non-profit eligible bodies only
  • Cancellation terms written down — a class or session booked for a fixed date is a leisure service, which the 14-day cancellation right does not cover (regulation 28), so the personal trainer's own terms decide
  • What happens to unused sessions in a block

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a physio or dietitian without HCPC registration
  • No health questions before the first session
  • No insurance or first aid to show
  • Pushes supplements they sell
  • Large non-refundable block before a trial session
  • Ignores pain and tells you to push through it
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£48
HIGH
£90

What a personal trainer costs: £30–£90 per session

Personal trainers charge by the session, with discounts for blocks; gym entry and programmes may be extra. Personal Trainer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Personal trainers near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ConsultationGoals, health questionnaire and a fitness or movement check.
  2. ProgrammeA plan built around your goals and level.
  3. Coached sessionsWarm-up, main work with technique coaching, cool-down.
  4. Between sessionsExercises to do on your own.
  5. ReviewProgress measured and the plan adjusted.

Level 3
A common personal training qualification level — check it with the awarding body.
PAR-Q
A pre-exercise health questionnaire.
Programme
The written plan for your training.
Progressive overload
Gradually increasing the work so you keep improving.
Public liability insurance
Cover if a client is injured.
Block booking
Several sessions bought together, often cheaper.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the programmeThe plan and any measurements, so you can keep going or move to another trainer.
Check the progressCompare with your starting measures at a review.
Use the unused sessionsOr ask what happens to them under the terms.
Rate the visitSay what the personal trainer did well and what they missed. Unhappy? The make-it-right step comes before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the personal trainer firstSay what went wrong, on which date, and what you want done. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a personal trainer trading as a business must use reasonable care and skill; where the sessions fell short, section 54 lets you ask for it to be put right at no cost or for a fair cut in the price.
STEP 2Try the make-it-right stepUnder four stars for a booked personal trainer, Locufy asks whether to pass it to them first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator oversees a personal trainer, so a personal trainer who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims as the last stepWhere the personal trainer still refuses, the small claims routes run to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no solicitor needed.

Hiring a personal trainer: questions people ask

No. No licence or statutory register applies to personal trainers in any UK nation; ask for the qualification and check it with the awarding body.

Not to train adults. For a child's regular sessions ask for an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or an enhanced AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

No. Injury treatment is for a physiotherapist on the HCPC Register or your GP.

£30 to £90 a session, typically around £48. Blocks of sessions and shared sessions lower the price per session. The personal trainer price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists personal trainers near you with their prices.

At 20% if the trainer is VAT-registered; the sports exemption covers only non-profit eligible bodies.

Get it seen to, then tell the trainer in writing. A trainer in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and their public liability insurance is there for this.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: Mobile Personal TrainerHow to hire: Strength & Conditioning CoachHow to hire: Fitness InstructorHow to hire: Boxing TrainerHow to hire: Running CoachHow to hire: Bootcamp InstructorHow to hire: Group Fitness ClassesHow to hire: NutritionistAll 701 hiring guides →

Personal trainers near you

Personal trainers in LondonPersonal trainers in ManchesterPersonal trainers in BirminghamPersonal trainers in GlasgowPersonal trainers in BelfastAll personal trainers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — misuse of title
  3. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  4. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  5. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  6. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  7. HSE — first aid FAQs (first aid for the public)
  8. HSE — get insurance for your business
  9. gov.uk — Sport supplies that are VAT exempt (VAT Notice 701/45)
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  13. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  14. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  15. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register