Whats the job market like for personal trainers (any island)

I would think that it would be something he would have to develop on his own, if he didn't get a job at the Marriott, the Ritz or Sugar Bay (the only hotels on St Thomas that have significant fitness operations). There is a Cross Fit deal at Antilles.There are a few people who have developed a clientele.

Bernstein hill on st. Croix has trainers working with clients, but I think most of them are private contractors.

Bernstein hill on st. Croix has trainers working with clients, but I think most of them are private contractors.

Beeston Hill?!?

Bernstein hill on st. Croix has trainers working with clients, but I think most of them are private contractors.

Beeston Hill?!?

Must be the spellchucker chiming in.

Darn! Yes, spell check strikes again. B e e s t o n hill.

Ugh I know I need one. I need to also stay away from Hull bay burgers, and those damn Udder Delight shakes! 😉

Ugh I know I need one. I need to also stay away from Hull bay burgers, and those damn Udder Delight shakes! 😉

Ha! Me too! I'm always nagging when he's going to start coaching me! Paying customers are overrated!

Riverwed070707,

I am a personal trainer (group fitness, Pilates, yoga instructor and massage therapist) on STT; have been for 7 years. I wouldn't exactly say the market is flooded, however, there are not a great deal of opportunities here. The resorts (the Ritz, Marriott, Sugar Bay) do have fitness centers, there is a small facility at Market Square (Extreme Fitness), MCM Center at Antilles School, Crossfit at Antilles School and the UVI Wellness Center. You could check with all of them to see what openings they have. The gym at MCM Center and UVI Wellness Center will require a good national certification (as the resorts will, too) and you must carry liability insurance. There are others who conduct bootcamps on beaches and such that may not be certified but have an existing following.

I can't speak for STX other than Beeston Hill, and I can't say that I have seen more than 2 or 3 personal trainers there (other than the PT's taking their rehab clients through workouts).

Where are you coming from?

Does anyone know if Beeston Hill has CrossFit ??

There are two CrossFit locations on STX, but I don't think they are affiliated with Beeston Hill, they are independent.

http://www.crossfit7flags.com

http://www.340crossfit.vi

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pilatesgal318,

Thanks for the insight! We're coming from Iowa. DH works closely with several PTs at the gym and they have given him the rundown on which programs are best (of course everyone has a different opinion, but we know better than to choose the cheapest) and I think he has an idea of which he wants to do. Our long-term dream situation would be to run a fitness facillity with DH doing training and me teaching yoga but that's a LONG way off. FIrst we need to figure out where we want to settle and so far all we know is it isn't in Iowa! haha

I'm also a certified yoga teacher. STX is DYING to have a good, stable, peaceful yoga studio. But there are some major hurdles to get through for a place to open - the biggest one being cost of maintaining a space. Second to that is schedule. So many yoga teachers only teach classes in the early AM - I really think having a studio that offered a couple classes throughout the day would be popular.

In the meantime I would recommend checking into teaching at Brown Chiropractic Center if you want to pick up teaching some classes - they are always open to having new teachers offer a class, and they have a nice small space at Five Corners.

I'm also a certified yoga teacher. STX is DYING to have a good, stable, peaceful yoga studio. But there are some major hurdles to get through for a place to open - the biggest one being cost of maintaining a space. Second to that is schedule. So many yoga teachers only teach classes in the early AM - I really think having a studio that offered a couple classes throughout the day would be popular.

In the meantime I would recommend checking into teaching at Brown Chiropractic Center if you want to pick up teaching some classes - they are always open to having new teachers offer a class, and they have a nice small space at Five Corners.

This is great to know! I'm not certified yet, but I've been practicing 6 years and certification is in the near future for me. Need to find the right teacher and I just haven't found him/her yet. I have noticed that it seems a lot of the yoga teachers teach in the high season and go to the states or take time off in low season. Had me wondering how residents get their daily yogic bliss when all the teachers leave?! lol My background is in event planning which leads me to lofty dreams of hosting yoga retreats and workshops with guest teachers. I'd enjoy that a lot. Are you involved in the yoga craze on Instagram at all? I've met a lot of really inspiring and aspiring yoga teachers there.

I'm also a certified yoga teacher. STX is DYING to have a good, stable, peaceful yoga studio. But there are some major hurdles to get through for a place to open - the biggest one being cost of maintaining a space. Second to that is schedule. So many yoga teachers only teach classes in the early AM - I really think having a studio that offered a couple classes throughout the day would be popular.

In the meantime I would recommend checking into teaching at Brown Chiropractic Center if you want to pick up teaching some classes - they are always open to having new teachers offer a class, and they have a nice small space at Five Corners.

This is great to know! I'm not certified yet, but I've been practicing 6 years and certification is in the near future for me. Need to find the right teacher and I just haven't found him/her yet. I have noticed that it seems a lot of the yoga teachers teach in the high season and go to the states or take time off in low season. Had me wondering how residents get their daily yogic bliss when all the teachers leave?! lol My background is in event planning which leads me to lofty dreams of hosting yoga retreats and workshops with guest teachers. I'd enjoy that a lot. Are you involved in the yoga craze on Instagram at all? I've met a lot of really inspiring and aspiring yoga teachers there.

STX is a perfect place for yoga retreats - the challenge is getting stateside folks to spend the $$$ to take the trip for a retreat. However if you're serious you should check in with Northside Valley Eco-Villas about partnering with them - they are very interested in starting a retreat program. You need to have solid connections with stateside teachers and studios to promote. Also another challenge I found was food - generally people on retreats want to eat clean, vegetarian/vegan, etc. - getting connected with a local personal chef and figuring out serving meals is another hurdle. I can talk more about it when you're ready, just let me know - I've been down this path myself.

STX doesn't have near the seasonal rotation that STT does - there are quite a few teachers on STX who are there year 'round. You'll have a good community to join and some awesome people to meet. Again when you're ready I can give you a few names. You will have to work hard and accept making very little money, but the rewards can be tremendous.

ETA: I think I'm a bit older than you and I don't "get" Instagram at all, ha ha! But I bet it's a great tool to connect and spread the word. 🙂

Are the jobs generally resort based or is there good work in fitness centers and individually? Oversaturated?

My husband currently manages a fitness facility and has been wanting to get his PT certification for a while. We wanted to do some research and see if it would be worthwhile for him to accelerate it to get it done before our move so he can add that to his resume before he begins looking for work. Didn't see much for postings on any of the job boards I've been watching.

You haven't mentioned doing a PMV so have you discounted that option or are you planning on one? I totally agree with
pilatesgal318 about what you might expect on STT, and an overture to the places she mentioned would be a good start. However, don't expect a response. It would be great to get one but employers here generally don't respond to off-island queries as a good percentage of people who think they might want to move here never do. A PMV obviously puts you on island and in a much better situation to gauge the possibilities and interact face to face.