Personal trainer

I have also studied additional courses. These include circuit training, the SONA Positive Health Personal Training Award, boxercise, nutrition and healthy eating.

All personal trainers now need to be a member of the Register of Exercise Professionals Governing Body.

Place of work: The Engine Room Gym, East India Dock, Docklands.

Earning potential: Starting salaries are from around £12,000 for gym instruction, with personal training qualifications on top you can earn up to £25,000 and beyond this figure depending on your location.

What hours do you work? I do shift work. An early shift is 7am until 3pm and a late shift is 12 noon until 8pm. Plus there are my personal training hours, which are varied to suit clients.

What is your typical day like? Working in a gym there is not really a typical day, every day is different.

My main duties include gym instruction, health and lifestyle screening, which invloves assessing someone's eating habits and checking their blood pressure before they begin exercising, so I can find a routine which suits them.

I have to design the actual fitness programme, we tailor-make programmes for each member and I restructure programmes for member who want to change their exercise routine.

There is the general day-to-day running of the gym, cleaning, building checks and writing monthly reports as well as promoting the gym. I also teach boxercise and circuit training.

Why did you decide to become a Personal Trainer? I wanted a hands-on job which gives me the opporunity to meet new people and also offers me a new challenge every day. I also wanted to learn on a daily basis. Plus seeing people change their lives is really rewarding.

Where do you want to go from here? I would like to set up my own personal training basis on a full-time basis, or move into a more senior mananger position or to a bigger site with more staff.