Have you thought of coaching adults instead of kids? I use a coach who has around 50 adults who pay him $75 a month for coaching plans. Almost none of his athletes are local - he hooks up with them via dailymile strata twitter or facebook. A lot more money in that if you can pull it off. If you're set on coaching high school I'd recommend either teaching or web/mobile development or design. In demand and we'll paying while being flexible with hours.
High School coaches, what do you do on the side for income?
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The days of dealing weed being a viable financial supplement to coaching salary are pretty much doomed, too. Already a minimum, no-benefits position in Colorado.
Front Rangy wrote:
I deal weed. (I live in Colorado.) -
I'm a man-whore. It pays well, keeps my afternoons free for meets and practice, and I've recruited the sons/daughters of several Moms who've hired me.
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So he might gross $45,000/year? Although, if you had a stable like that, you could work IT around another, regular job. I doubt, however, that this sort of internet-based coaching is likely to satisfy someone who believes that coaching is their passion. You would rarely get to see any of your atheletes compete and there would be no feeling of team unity or spirit.
When I started competing, in Canada in the mid 70s, we mostly had a club system. High school coaches were teachers--only, no exceptions--who got little to no money for their work. It was part of their expected extra-curricular work. The real coaches were in the club system and a lot of them either were senior enough in their day jobs that they could work flexible hours in order to get to practices, or they had odd careers like data management or the early IT positions that allowed them to work in isolation, long hours when they could to balance their time.
We also, though, only had practice twice per week; the rest of the time you were expected to train on your own. So the coaches only needed to get out of work early twice per week and then be willing to give up their weekends for many, many months of the year. If there was additional weekend travel involved, their vacation hours went towards it. If they had a family, the entire family's schedule had to be build around the coaching schedule, often including summer vacations.
It's not a thankless job. You get lots and lots of thanks and praise, from athletes and parents. But it's not a glamorous life, nor one in which you're likely to make much money. And even though today teaching is the best route to getting a good coaching job, that's not a definite route, either. You could be lucky enough to land a teaching gig at a good school (in itself a difficult task) only to find an established coach five years ahead of you, successful enough and power-hungry enough not to let you do much beyond carry a clipboard and a water bottle...
Salt Lake City man wrote:
Have you thought of coaching adults instead of kids? I use a coach who has around 50 adults who pay him $75 a month for coaching plans. Almost none of his athletes are local - he hooks up with them via dailymile strata twitter or facebook. A lot more money in that if you can pull it off. If you're set on coaching high school I'd recommend either teaching or web/mobile development or design. In demand and we'll paying while being flexible with hours. -
I am a head XC/track coach at a private high school. I make 4,200 a year coaching both. I get paid 6months out of the year and I'm not with the kids 5 days a week only 6 weeks out of the year. I make 23-24,00 a year. I have a small running group I coach and made 4,100 in 9 months meeting with them 2-3 times per week. I work at a local triathlon store most mornings 10-3. So the bulk of my income comes from the store. I am extremely busy working 50-60 hours a week only making 23-24 grand a year. Last year was my first year doing this. I am hoping my running group grows and I can back off the tri store soon! I am happy and I can train with my team or running group. This will not work once I am married with a family... But for now I'm happy.
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I am a nationally certified Personal Trainer. I competed in college. I specialize in Training Distance Runners. Adult runners and fitness buffs during the morning and during the day; High schoolers in the afternoons and evenings. The best High schoolers and parents in my area seek out personal trainers due to incompetent High School coaching. Flexible hours so that I can train for Masters Track and Field. 50K a year. Could make more if willing to work more hours.
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I work as Physical Therapist in home health. I make my own schedule and definitely could see coaching as a possibility. Great option if you can get through all the school. I make 100k working on average 35 hours a week. If the schooling is too much, you can also get an associates degree as a physical therapy assistant. That also allows you to work in home health with a real flexible schedule and the pay is pretty good, just not as good as a PT.
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If you really want to enjoy coaching, make it an avocation rather than a vocation.
I am self employed and make enough through my businesses that I can afford to coach for free. I can also make my own schedule which makes it work. Contrary to "Been There," I highly recommend coaching high school as I have done for 10 years. Working with kids during those important formative years is both rewarding and very fun. I coach adults as well, but for me, nothing beast working with kids.
Because I am not a teacher at the school, I cannot be head coach, which suits me just fine. I don't have to worry about all of the administrative stuff. I get to focus on the fun stuff - designing training programs and working one-on-one with kids.
If your objective in coaching is to make money, you probably won't be satisfied. I imagine you are more interested in helping young runners, in which case being a lay coach might be a good avenue for you. -
Just to re-emphasize what's been said, if coaching is your passion you can probably find more money in coaching not only a high school team, but try coaching adults if you really want the money. You can work it around your HS team's schedule so you meet with your group in the mornings and go to your HS team in the afternoon.
Also if you're that passionate about coaching, I would imagine you would be willing to put in the time to study shoe types and models, which creates potential for being a shoe guru at a local running store. -
Web development. Great hourly rates, work whenever you want. Accept/Decline clients based on the seasons.
Obviously you'll need to learn some, but you can do this on a small level with basic hmtl/css +wordpress knowledge. -
A few years back i was looking for something fun to do on the side and got a laid back distance coach track job. It was an assistant position and the pay was lousy. There's a lot of travelling and if youre a good coach other little expenses will come up. Honestly if you don't teach the schedule is near impossible. Imagine everyday at 3, all day saturday, and random nights. I worked at a bakery from 3 am to 11, ate lunch and drove to a meet or practice.
I was then offered head coach for cross so pay went up. Was getting more excited about coaching and got hired to coach first time half and full marathoners. I quit the bakery and lowered my expenses. I even got some individual coaching gigs and stayed afloat on very little. Problem is there is the off season. I picked up a bakery delivery job and kept at it for another year. All this time filling out apps for college jobs and grad asst. My resume i know wasn't enough for a college job and i decided against grad school because a lot of places set you'll on a track for a sports admin. I didn't want that and there wad my red flag to move on to someyhing else.
Moral is sleeping in my car five hours a night sucked and so was being poor but i wanted to coach so i found a way. But college job or grad asst is definitely the way to go. -
Aspiring Coach wrote:
I want to be a coach, but I'm not sure how I'd get by financially. This is my sole passion though, so I want to make it work. I came on here to find out how you coaches who aren't teachers get food on the table consistently. I'm definitely willing to take suggestions from people that don't fit this description too. The more the merrier.
I am a head Track & Field coach in a CA public HS. I work for a Silicon Valley tech company, and they let me leave when I need to for practice or meets. After two years, I'm still in disbelief about the flexibility, but I am proof that it can be found.
That said, I am well aware that I am the exception. I have a staff of six assistants, none of whom have a traditional full-time career: Three are retirees, one owns his business, one is a grad-student, and the last a city lifeguard. Every other head coach in the county is a teacher (I think).
Bottom line is, the right company and certain industries can be amenable to the flexibility you need, provided you can get your work done. But until you ask, they can't say yes.
Alternatively, what aspects of coaching are you most passionate about? You might be able to transform those into a business or career too - maybe personal/life coaching, personal training, some sort of work with kids, etc. -
Leave it to a Cyclone to say something stupid.
I work in retail until 3:00 every day and am able to be a head coach for track and I assist for cross. I work in Illinois and make about $14,000/year as a coach. As long as you find an understanding company to work for and you're ok with not earning a bunch of money, it's totally worth it. I lucked out that I get to work for the oldest running store in America and they support track athletes and coaches when it comes to hours. -
It must be your secondary passion.
The first passion being a living wage. Coach for your passion, not for a living. So far you have no score on the board to even say that you are worth the money. If you had, you'd not be asking this question. -
Your best bet is to find a job/career where pay is based on production or the nature of the job leads to very flexible schedules. Web/computer, sales, real estate (not residential broker), physical therapist, massage therapist etc.. Another thing to keep in mind is depending on your location/district there will be a wide range of acceptance/willingness to hire off-campus or non-district employee coaches. Even in areas where that isn't the case, keep in mind that it will without a doubt be harder to be a head coach as an off-campus coach versus being at the school during the day. I'm not saying it can't be done successfully, but it is harder to build a team and program when your interaction with any member of the student body starts at 3pm.
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A local Catholic HS coach and teacher also tends bar for Sunday brunch at a restaurant near the HS/Church. I'm told they even mention his being there at services. Runner families drop in after services Sunday knowing the tips help his bottom line. Restaurant owner is in congregation and had a child running XC thus the job offer.
Waitresses both are church members and serve the brunch to the the bar and bar tables but let the coach run the tab and collect the tip. Busy place so they make good money off the rest of the customers and usually give coach a bigger than normal tip-out. Owner works service bar during brunch to give coach some behind the bar help and does not share in the tip cup.
Same school's basketball coach tends bar there Monday night.
I doubt this is a viable option for many but shows how far some coaches go to make it work. -
Impending Choke wrote:
Leave it to a Cyclone to say something stupid.
I work in retail until 3:00 every day and am able to be a head coach for track and I assist for cross. I work in Illinois and make about $14,000/year as a coach. As long as you find an understanding company to work for and you're ok with not earning a bunch of money, it's totally worth it. I lucked out that I get to work for the oldest running store in America and they support track athletes and coaches when it comes to hours.
How is Walmart these days? -
CycloneAlum wrote:
Impending Choke wrote:
Leave it to a Cyclone to say something stupid.
I lucked out that I get to work for the oldest running store in America and they support track athletes and coaches when it comes to hours.
How is Walmart these days?
I would guess Dick Pond.
When I was in High school in the early 80s, I saw an ad in the back of a running mag for Dick Pond. I lived an hour away from buying running shoes so I gave them a call. Back then you paid COD (cash on delivery) I called about 4:30 pm from central Ohio. They said they would grab the shoes as the deliveries were just going out. UPS arrived at 8:30 the next morning and I ran in them that afternoon! -
You don't make much money as a high school coach. Sometimes there is a stipend. It's not enough to live on unless you move to a third world country.
You need a regular job. You could teach and coach after class. -
I worked as a high school coach briefly (one year) and enjoyed it but had to supplement the income. I worked on a golf course maintaining the grounds which worked well for scheduling purposes since I was done by 10 or 11a.m. Early mornings for sure but it helped. I also did occasional part time jobs that i found through Craig's list and other sources. It's challenging for sure but if you really have a passion for it then you'll make it work. Best of luck and I commend you for pursuing your passion.
