By Ashley Miller
Nature of the Work: Think of the best coach you've ever had. What made her great?
Coaches have the extraordinary opportunity to use their sports knowledge to help their athletes excel at their sport and, perhaps, grow personally in the process. As anyone who has been on a team knows, coaches become an important part of an athlete's life. Coaches prepare their athletes both physically and mentally for the rigors of competitive or recreational athletics. They instruct athletes on the fundamentals of their sport and provide general athletic training. Coaches set up and run practices, at which they set up drills to improve athletes' skills and conditioning. Utilizing their intimate knowledge of a particular sport, they advise athletes on proper form and technique, prepare team strategies and oversee the execution of these strategies.
Coaches may also oversee a variety of managerial duties, such as administering a budget, arranging accommodations and transportation to and from events, and dealing with equipment and uniforms. Duties and responsibilities of a coach vary widely with the level and age group of athletes. High school coaches, for instance, are often teachers in the school and deal with all aspects of running a team. Professional and college coaches tend to specialize in an area or two of their sport and work only in that realm. Both head and assistant coaches are also responsible for recruiting athletes.
Education and Training: Coaching children and teenagers is largely a part-time job. Coaches should have an extensive knowledge of their sport, some training in injury prevention, and have taken classes in child development. When hiring a coach, schools and clubs also consider prior coaching experience and playing history in the sport, whether it was at the high-school, college or professional level. Generally speaking, schools search for coaches internally before hiring someone from the outside. Accordingly, many middle- and high-school coaches teach in the school where they coach.
In college and professional athletics there exists a coaching hierarchy. At the top of the hierarchy is the head coach, followed by assistant coaches, followed by graduate assistants. Generally, coaches work their way up the ranks from an entry-level position, where you would gain coaching knowledge and experience. Head-coaching positions at large colleges or in professional sports require years of coaching experience and demonstrated success at the lower levels. As always, networking in the coaching community of a particular sport helps open doors for entry level and advancement positions.
Job Outlook: As schools expand their sports offerings and youth leagues grow, opportunities for coaches, especially part-time, are expected to increase about as fast as the average for all jobs. Those who seek coaching positions possessed of teaching certification will be in the best stead. Competition will remain stiff for college and professional-level coaching positions.
Salary Range: Professional - $35,000 to $2 million; College - $25,000 to $2 million; High School - $20,000 to $75,000