Q&A Part One: Working for Weight Watchers

Can I just say how amazing it feels to finally be able to pay forward everything that Weight Watchers has given me over the (many) years? You can read about my first night training here, and how monumental it was for me finally being on the receiving end of the weight tracker. Now that I’ve been working for them for over a month and am fully trained, I love it even more than I did that first night because I finally feel like I know what I’m doing (somewhat).

I also feel like I’m semi-qualified to start answering some of the questions I’ve received over the last couple months about working for them, what it’s like, what the time commitment is, what the training is like, etc. and I figured it would be nice to dedicate a post or two to answering your questions!

In the interest of not having a terribly long/boring post, I’m going to break it up into two separate ones. Today I’ll answer mostly logistical questions, and the next Q&A post will address more experience related questions like how I like it, how to deliver bad news at the weigh in, if its more stressful than I thought, what it’s like to follow the program and also work for them, etc.

Even if you are not a weight watcher, I hope you still find this post interesting to get an insider’s look at WW, what the program is like, and how it’s structured.

Here goes!

1.) Do you have to have successfully lost weight through Weight Watchers to work for them?

Yes, you do and that’s one of my favorite parts about Weight Watchers! I think it’s SO refreshing that you have to have followed the program in order to work for them, because as someone who needs to lose weight, its just so comforting knowing that the people weighing you in and leading the meeting get it and have been there themselves.

2.) What are the different positions for Weight Watchers?

There are two different meeting room positions – Receptionists and Leaders. At the meetings, you do your weekly weigh in, have the opportunity to buy products if you want, and then sit down for a 30 minute group meeting. The receptionists are the ones who weigh people in,  distribute the weekly program materials, process new members, and answer any questions about the program. Leaders run the 30 minute meeting and also help out with weighing in as needed and answering member questions. Leaders also lead a “Getting Started” session after the regular meeting for new members or people who just want a refresher. I am currently a Receptionist but would love to be a Leader and run the meetings some day.

3.) Do you have to be at your goal weight to start?

This one depends on your territory, but for DC, you do have to be Lifetime to be a Leader. This means hitting your goal and maintaining it within 2 lbs for 6 weeks. To be a receptionist, you just have to be within 10 lbs of a healthy weight for your height (which is me for now – zoning in on goal!). Some areas require you to be Lifetime for either position though.

4.) What is the minimum time commitment?

You have to be able to commit to a minimum of one meeting per week that you “own” and work every week. You can substitute for additional meetings, or take on more than one permanent weekly meeting, but one meeting is the absolute minimum. Just being a substitute and working occasionally is not an option.

5.) How early do you have to be at the meeting?

Weighing in starts 30 minutes before the meeting time. If it’s a Weight Watchers center, you generally have to get there 15 minutes before weigh in. If it’s a travelers center (meaning a church or other place that’s not solely for WW), you generally have to get there 30 minutes before weigh in to set up. So, if the meeting is at 6:30, you have to get there at 5:30 if its a traveler’s center, or 5:45 if its a WW center.

6.) Is it hard to balance with a full time job?

Yes and no. The training was actually pretty intense for a while, and there was one week where I had a phone thing on Monday and then trained at meetings Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. That was only one week though, and for now I’m just working one permanent meeting and a few extras here and there. Just doing the one meeting a week isn’t that hard time-wise for me. I leave work at 5, head over there by 5:30, usually leave by 8, so I’m home by 8:30/9. Not so bad for one night during the week.

7.) What is the training like?

Training is INTENSE and way more involved than I imagined! For a receptionist position, you have to train for four weeks at a travelers center, which I did every Tuesday through the month of March. You also have to take three online courses and tests (One about the basics of the program, one about the WW products, and one about completing the Tally) as well as 2 webinars (The Art of Customer Service and Welcome to Weight Watchers). Also, you have to train at 1-2 meetings at a computerized center so you can see how the computers work (way easier than the paper tally!).

8.) What is the pay like?

The million dollar question. Do NOT expect to get rich working for Weight Watchers. The pay for training is hourly and is minimum wage in your area. The pay for actually working is a formula based on how many people attend the meeting, how many products are purchased, and how many monthly passes are sold. There’s a minimum you get paid for each meeting, which is around $20 give or take, and then it can be more if your meeting is super busy or a ton of products are purchased, but it’s not a lot. You also get reimbursed for travel, so if you have to pay for parking, or have to pay for the metro, they give you back that money in your paycheck too which is nice.

9.) Are there other perks?

You get to follow WW for free and also get free E-tools, which is a great perk in my opinion! For you non WWers, e-tools are the online tools that you get when you pay for membership, including an online food tracker, recipe builder, weight tracker, food and restaurant lists, etc. I was spending $39.99 a month for all of that, so that extra $40 in my pocket definitely helps! You also get a hefty discount on all their products – 50% – so you can try any of the tools or food that is sold at the meetings, including electronics like the food scale and pedometer.

So that’s all I have for today! If you have any additional questions or want to know more details about anything above, please feel free to ask additional questions or for clarifications in the comments section!

If money didn’t play a role, what would be your absolute dream job?