Skip to main content
Pay & Wages

Virgin Active Pay Rates 2026: Instructor, Reception & Casual Pay

2 min read

What Virgin Active workers should be paid in 2026 — the Fitness Industry Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Virgin Active enterprise agreements sit.

MC

Leave & Entitlements Specialist · JD, Monash University — Admitted in Victoria (non-practising)

Who covers Virgin Active workers — award or agreement?

Virgin Active is a large-format health club chain operating company-run clubs with pools, group fitness studios and gym floors in capital cities. Club teams cover front-desk staff, group fitness and swim instructors, personal trainers and duty managers.

Virgin Active roles are covered by the Fitness Industry Award 2020, which sets separate rates for fitness instructors, personal trainers and support staff at each classification level. Our corpus holds no current Virgin Active enterprise agreement, so the award tables below are what should be on your payslip unless your contract or a newer agreement says otherwise.

The federal awards relevant to Virgin Active roles:

  • Fitness Industry Award 2020 (MA000094)

Fitness award floor (1 July 2026)

The Fitness Industry Award 2020 (MA000094) adult minimums are:

ClassificationPermanentCasual (incl. 25%)
Level 1 (introductory — reception, crèche, cleaning)$25.74/hr$32.17/hr
Level 2 (customer service, gym floor supervision)$26.44/hr$33.05/hr
Level 3 (Cert III instructor, swim instructor)$27.97/hr$34.96/hr
Level 3A (Cert III/IV instructor with responsibilities)$29.45/hr$36.81/hr
Level 4 (Cert IV personal trainer, group fitness)$30.66/hr$38.33/hr
Level 4A (senior instructor)$32.13/hr$40.16/hr
Level 5 (supervisor/coordinator)$33.87/hr$42.34/hr

Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.

Does Virgin Active have an enterprise agreement?

As at 25 September 2026, our corpus of 14,141 federally registered enterprise agreements holds no current agreement for Virgin Active. That usually means one of three things: the employer pays on the award (or on individual contracts above it), the agreement covering you is registered under a different entity name (check the employer name on your payslip and search our agreements database), or — for state public-sector employers — pay is set by a state award or agreement outside the federal register. If you have a copy of an agreement that names Virgin Active, it beats the award figures above.

Common leisure pay issues at Virgin Active

The patterns worth checking on a Virgin Active payslip:

  • Contractor personal trainers who are really employees — set hours, uniforms, club-sold sessions.
  • Instructors paid for class time only, not set-up, pack-down and mandatory meetings.
  • Wrong level for qualifications — Cert IV trainers paid at Level 3.
  • Early-morning and weekend loadings missing.

What to do if your pay looks wrong

Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.

FairWork Mate AI

Check your own pay with the advisor

“I work at Virgin Active. Am I being paid the right rate for my age and hours — and are my weekend and public holiday penalties correct?”

Cited answers grounded in the Fair Work Act, your award and the Fair Work Commission decisions behind them. Free to start.

Ask the advisor →

Pro is $29.99/mo for 150 questions, or a $14.99 7-Day Pass covers 50 questions over 7 days. See plans

Get pay and rights updates for your job

Free email updates when award rates, the minimum wage or workplace laws change.

Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.

MC
About Megan Cole

Former Fair Work Commission Associate (2021–2024) after two years as a plaintiff-side employment paralegal in Melbourne. Juris Doctor from Monash University (2020). Writes about unfair dismissal, leave entitlements, termination, and enterprise bargaining. Admitted in Victoria, currently non-practising. Based in Fitzroy North.