College Coaches Who Make Less Than the Minimum Wage

Well, I coached college free for nine years, so I'd guess that was below minimum.

Then I coached two years at $2,000 (and a third at $750). That came to less than a dollar an hour, which even then (~25 years ago) was less than minimum wage (assuming an average of 50hrs/wk for more than 40 weeks).

But then I got a full-time job (~20 years ago) and started at nearly $20k. Though I averaged only four days off per year for several years, I still probably didn't *actually work* much more than 3,000 hours per year, so that was well above minimum--even now, I think?

I'd say 2,500-3,000 hours is probably about standard for full-time college coaches. What's the minimum wage now? If it's over $6, then yeah, a $15k/yr coach makes below minimum.

What can you say? It's a sellers' market: lots of guys who want to coach, and few positions.

The money's at the high school level, not college.

i know wrote:

The money's at the high school level, not college.

Makes sense to me. High school's harder.

If you look at the total hours spent over a season, minimum wage is just about right. Recruiting; travel; meetings; training..adds up to a lot of time to do it right

High school coaches typically get paid squat, because it's meant to be additional work for teachers who already make, 30, 40, 50k a year. I've known coaches at smaller schools who make 20-25k a year, sometimes less. Typically this means the coach will also work as faculty or only coaches part-time. I've known a lot of part-time coaches. You don't get into coaching to make money.

Want to make money? Work 9 months of the year? Work for the strongest unions in America? Get paid yearly raises regardless of performance? Be a teacher! I hate other people's kids, so I could never do it.

Alan

supply and demand. few jobs, and many people want them, so they chase the dream and work for peanuts. the reality for a white male now a days is unless you are an olympian, you'd better be willing to pay your dues. which often means living like a starving artist until the full time gig comes along

Runningart2004 wrote:

High school coaches typically get paid squat, because it's meant to be additional work for teachers who already make, 30, 40, 50k a year. I've known coaches at smaller schools who make 20-25k a year, sometimes less. Typically this means the coach will also work as faculty or only coaches part-time. I've known a lot of part-time coaches. You don't get into coaching to make money.

Want to make money? Work 9 months of the year? Work for the strongest unions in America? Get paid yearly raises regardless of performance? Be a teacher! I hate other people's kids, so I could never do it.

Alan

Not that I've done my research here, but I'm pretty sure you overstated average teacher pay by quite a bit. But now that you mention it, education is overrated. Lets stop paying teachers anything, make them get real jobs, and see where our society goes without anybody worthwhile teaching our kids.

yeah, not too much money in coaching, I was just hired as an assistant coach for $1500 for xc. Not much at all, but it will be a nice side income while I am in law school and my wife works full time. However, you have to start somewhere!

I have a friend who was a D1 XC Coach for many, many years and the best deal he could get out of the school was $1,000 a month for a nine-month contract. He pretty much coached year-round and was in his office even in the summer e-mailing runners about their training and sending potential recruits letters.

The math says 2,000 hours put in for $9,000.00 salary is $4.50 an hour and even if he only gave 1,000 hours...well, it's less than a lot of his student-athletes were making working retail at the mall.

You have got to really love the sport to make those kind of sacrifices.

If you are that focused on the money then coaching probably isn't for you and you should go out and work for a living. If you're into to the margins and not working for a living...

Department of Labor statistics for 2004:

"Median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $41,400 to $45,920 in May 2004; the lowest 10 percent earned $26,730 to $31,180; the top 10 percent earned $66,240 to $71,370. Median earnings for preschool teachers were $20,980.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $31,704 in the 2003–04 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2003–04 school year was $46,597. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers, but may be given other benefits, such as free or subsidized housing."

From AFT 2005 Salary Survey: "...average salary of $47,602"

"...average salary in their first year...$31,753"

The survey goes on to bitch about not keeping up with inflation and not being competitive with the private sector.

Teachers work for 9 months. At $47,602 that's over $5000 a month, at $31,753 that's over $3500 a month. Add to that the fact that there are a lot of way to earn extra income...coaching, summer school, etc. Teachers are far from underpaid.

Alan

Teachers may only be in the classroom 9 months out of the year, but they are hardly only working 9 months.

And the work day of a teacher is generally well beyond 8 hours. Well beyond.

What about the local club coaches who put in 3 sessions per week with their athletes for the love of the sport and not for money.They work in all weathers to support runners and see them progress and achieve- thats the reward for dedication.

Coaching should be extra to day job and treated as a hobby or interest that we enjoy!

A recently retired DII coach with nationals titles under his belt was only on about $2500 per year - he was also a professor, but surely that is shit pay for the time he spent recruiting and coaching

Where do y'all get 9 months for a high school teacher's year? Up here school gets out in late June and they're back in before September 1. Sure they get week-long vacations 2-3 times during the year, but that's no different than many full time jobs. Last full-time job I had in the tech industry we got 2-4 weeks vacation depending on seniority plus ~12 holidays a year plus 12 sick days a year.

Pay is not great for teachers until they have been in it for many years. Benefits (medical) are very good, hours are decent (depends on your class load), and if you are in a "bad" school or have crappy administrators to work for it can be a very difficult road.

I have been teaching for 11 years in Florida.

My starting salary was 23,500 or so.

My current salary is 39,500 or so.

I coach (head) cross and track for another 4K or so.

If I was not married, I would have about 46,000 a year to live on if I also taught summer school. After taxes it would be about 3250 a month. That's not bad until you look closer. The median home is 250,000 in the county I live in making it a near impossibility to get into a home (~2000 for mortgage). You shouldn't spend more than 40% of your income on housing according to some. My bills for the month (without mortgage/or credit card debt) tend to run around 12-1300 without savings included.

Fortunately, I am married my wife works part time, (we have 2 young children) and own a home, but if not apartments run 1100-1200 for "good" neighborhoods.

The problem with teaching, is that around year 4 or 5 it's time to get married/start a family/take on a mortgage/realize you won't change the entire world, the money alone is just is not enough to keep you there.

I think this thread was about coaching, and I figured that a good CC team practices from May to November. That works out to 250 a month, which I figure I spend 60-80% of that in gas just about to go to practice each day, and to the meets during the season.

Very few will coach for the money; it's not good at all. I made about .39 per hour last year (as close as I can figure).

All that said, I tend to look at life like this, if I didn't want to coach and teach, then don't.

I have just about everything I need, and a couple of things I want. That's enough for me personally.

Coach H.

If there are any dedicated people who want to give coaching a try here is your opportunity...

Pasadena City College

http://ncaa.thetask.com/market/view_full.php?id=46319

Deadline date is tomorrow...June 1st...

http://www.pasadena.edu/hr/jobs/527.htm

The job pays $8,000.00 a year

I'd love to just teach 9 months a year...

Us Southern people work 10 months a year with staff development and required training for another two weeks during the summer.

I've been teaching four years and all i make is 29,000 so I guess i'm well below your average....

You do realize that your looking at averages. About 10 states in America pull up the Average of the whole nation because they pay their teachers very good money the rest of the states pay their teachers almost nothing.

I coach three sports during the year (Fall, Winter, and Spring) and I get 266 dollars for each seasion. That adds up to about 800 dollars for an extra two or more hours of work a day for 12 months a year (because I do it for free in the summer)

Please don't tell me that teachers are making a killing. I love my job or I would be doing something that made a lot more money.

Teaching and coaching is not about the money.

Oh and by the way most states do not have a teacher Union.

I believe no state in the South has an organized teacher Union. I could be wrong. I know in my state we don't, I'd love to have a Union but we don't.

You must be from up North where they acually treat teachers good that is why you have all these misunderstandings about how good teachers have it.