More than 1,650 REPs members have taken part in the Register’s first Annual Members’ Survey.

This was only open to REPs’ members and was designed to give an accurate picture on issues voted as most important to them by REPs’ members.

A full breakdown of the results, including views and comments from the REPs Members’ Council will appear in the September edition of the REPs Journal, and will feature at a special presentation at LIW.

Some of the initial findings show:

• The average basic salary for respondents is £14,350. The highest earners are those working in exercise referral/clinical exercise positions who average a yearly income of just over £17,000. The lowest earners are Group Exercise and Aqua Instructors (level 2) who average £11,850 a year – only just above the minimum wage.

• More than half of those taking part work in London, the South East and the South West. • More than one third of respondents work as Personal Trainers or Advanced Instructors (level 3).

• An overwhelming 93 per cent of respondents described their ethnic status as white. The remaining seven per cent were mainly Mixed and Black / Black British workers. Black / Black British show above average proportions in the work categories of Physical Training Instructor and Personal Trainer. Gym Instructors have above average levels of Chinese and Asian / Asian British workers. • Nine out of 10 of those questioned said they expect to remain in the industry for the next three years and most added they were generally satisfied with their current roles.

• However low pay would persuade 55 per cent of respondents to leave the industry and a further 37 per cent said they would quit the industry for better prospects / career paths in different fields. • More than three out of five REPs members are paying for their own training, particularly for Yoga, Pilates and KFA teachers, Group Exercise and Aqua Instructors / teachers and Personal trainers.

Registrar Cliff Collins said: “This survey shows, as the Working in Fitness survey has done in previous years, that our members take their careers, training and remuneration very seriously indeed.

”What we need to do now is ascertain how seriously the rest of the industry takes them. It has been important to separate findings for our members so we can really see the trends in the industry in such important areas of pay and job satisfaction.

“Already we are seeing levels of remuneration improving for our higher-qualified members and the general expectancy for how long exercise professionals intend to stay working in the industry is also increasing.”

The survey was run in conjunction with SkillsActive and Leisure-net Solutions.