[randall]

No, as much as they said was they were cutting the budget. It might just be an excuse to remove the hastle of internships.

I don't see how it cost them much all they did was sign a paper and I would participate in group classes or watch a trainer that is allready working.

Luckily WITS is allowing me to transfer my time.

[randall]

If you work at a gym, WITS will accept work hours as internship hours

[JimB]

I took the WITS course at my local community college last fall and passed the written and practical exams. They tout the fact that the certification process includes a 20-hour internship, but they don't tell you that finding a gym that will give you an internship is just about impossible. They say they "help" you arrange the internship, but that "help" consists of giving you a list of health clubs in your state, which is no more useful than the Yellow Pages. When you contact those clubs (those that are still open) they tell you flat out that they don't offer internships because clients who are paying good money for an experienced trainer don't want to be trained by a newbie. I got the training director of my own gym to reluctantly agree to let me do an internship there, and I got through the 10 hours of observation and a few hours of the alternating observation/training phase, but then hit a brick wall because clients complained that they were paying for a certified trainer and not an intern. My mentor insisted that it had nothing to do with me personally, but that didn't help. I had an interview at one gym that did have a training program, but they told me I would have to get ACSM certification within two months of being hired. I was told simply that WITS is not accredited. So now with only a few hours left to go on my internship, I'm blowing off WITS and going for ACSM.

[JimB]

Randall, sounds like your gym welched on your internship for the same reason mine did: That clients who are paying for a professional trainer don't want to be trained by an intern. That's the reason hardly any gyms offer internships.

StandApart, your gym sounds like a rare exception. I wonder how long that policy lasts.

[JimB]

I'll say this much for WITS: I thought my instructor was very good, and I did learn a lot that will give me a leg up on the ACSM exam. I'm reading the ACSM study material now, and a lot of the information is familiar from the WITS course. But WITS certification only seems to be useful if you're already working at a gym and need the certification strictly as a formality. If you're new to personal training it won't do you much good.

[BrianB]

[standAPART]

Commercial facilities have an "umbrella insurance" plan and if the appropriate paperwork is filled by management for your internship, you are covered.

My facility is an exception because I run the facility.

The excuses you are hearing are all true and viable. People pay $500+ for a personal trainer and the fact that an intern comes in fro a session really scars them. The trainer should offer a free (30 min) session to the client, or if the trainer and manager are professional enough, they will convey this to the client. All professions have "first day" or "interns". I think most of you are having difficulty because you are either lacking a professional approach to the interview process (for interning), or there is a hesitant demeanor among management because WITS is a bit unknown. My interns work along side me and even when they take the "lead" during a session, I am right there. Other times, interns are simply going through paperwork, exercise programming, or learning new stuff from me.

[JimB]

For the record, I'm no newcomer to the job interview process ... I've been gainfully employed in my regular career for 35 years now, so I think I know how to conduct myself professionally in an interview. I was told that the internships simply didn't exist when I made my first contacts with gym training directors, before I even got to the interview stage. And I think WITS is misleading its students by implying that internships are there for the taking.

[JimB]

I want to offer an apology for categorically bashing WITS to StandApart and any other WITS instructors who deliver what they advertise. StandApart is to be commended for providing his own gym for internships and for making the commitment to mentor his students. Sadly, that isn't always the case.

I'd sure love to see other gym owners rising up to challenge me here on the subject of internships.

[kelli m]

jim,

As an owner of a personal training business, I look forward to offering for credit bachelor degree internships. I have in the past offered the same sort of thing to those trying to attain certification.
The university that we pull from has a no pay policy,but the plan is to pay them a little. Not all facilities are so difficult to work with

[Christina]

[JimB]

It often happens that I have to make an ass of myself before things go my way. I went back over the WITS internship list and called some of the places that never returned my calls the first time around. As it happened, I got an interview today at a Y that has given the WITS course in the past and was happy to grant internships! So I start Saturday!
Please forgive my previous tantrum. I think of it as making Murphy's Law work for me.

[pookie]

Jim,

Glad to hear you were able to get an internship! I took the WITS class and passed the written exam, but failed a section of the practical and so I have to retake that sometime this summer. I can't do an internship until I pass that section so I'm just waiting around for right now. After I pass, I expect I'll do what you did and contact the local Y, which probably won't be until the fall. I have a career unrelated to fitness and I don't think being a personal trainer is something I'll ever do full-time, but I learned a lot from the class and felt the experience has been worthwhile. Please keep in touch and let us know how your internship is going.

[JimB]

Thanks Pookie. My suggestion would be to take a friend to the gym and practice teaching the exercises to him/her, assuming that's the part of the exam you failed. If it involved the evaluation section, you might ask a trainer to let you observe when they take in a new member.
I also expect to be doing training strictly as a sideline for the time being. With a mortgage and a kid in college, I'm not ready to quit my regular job! However, if the training seems to be working out for me, a few years down the road I might consider taking a buyout and training full time.
Good luck the next time around.

[pookie]

Hi Jim,

I'm embarrassed to say I failed the warm-up section! I think I was nervous and forgot to mention the part about the heart rate increasing and how important that is. That was the easiest part of the entire test so I still can't believe I have to retake it.

It's funny you mentioned taking a friend to the gym. I've already started doing that, lol! I just show her very basic exercises because she has never exercised and is 50 so I'm taking it very slow with her. But she's already feeling better (more energy/stamina) so it's very gratifying to see that. I've also been working with a trainer myself who has been doing it for years. I've learned so much just from working with him that I can't believe it. He actually did what you're thinking of doing. He was an executive with a pharma company and quit that to do personal training. He said he took quite a pay cut at the start but is now doing well. So you never know, but I think it's smart to do it on the side at first.

[JimB]

Pookie,
Interesting...I lost points on the warmup myself because I couldn't figure out how to stop the treadmill that was used in the test! It was totally different from the one I use at my gym.
BTW, where in Jersey are you? I'm in Bergen County.

[pookie]

I'm in Union County. The test I took was held at the gym at the community college and the instructor took us there a few times before the test so we'd be familiar with the equipment, which was very helpful.

Question on the warmup: In the course I took, we were told to warm someone up on the treadmill at 2.5 mph for 8-10 minutes. But I'm not clear on if we're supposed to start them at that speed, or work up to it and then decrease the speed at the end. Do you know? I think I lost points for not being clear on that.

[standAPART]

2.5 speed on the treadmill is considered "normal walking pace" for an individual. What we teach in WITS is to get the client safely on the treadmill and instruct where the appropriate buttons are to start the treadmill. The clients should STILL be holding on to the treadmill railings as the speed is increased to 2.5. (This is within the fist 30 seconds the belt starts). When the client has reached 2.5 speed and feels comfortable to walk without holding on, than you should instruct them to do so. Also, make note of where the emergency stop is on the treadmill.

[pookie]

Thanks! You answered all my questions.

[standAPART]

You're welcome.