Getting into Coaching

It's not that hard if you're willing to volunteer anywhere...just understand that regardless of where you are & whether you're a GA or volunteer, don't expect to make a dime off it for 3 - 5 years and move that often if not more to awful places to live while living with several roommates. For at least 20 years.

Dont. While it might seem cool, unless you ran D1 and have some great contacts at power 5 schools, its not a sustainable lifestyle. Get a real job.

I probably went through 30-40 job application and got 1 phone call for a GA job at the end of the summer. Don’t give up. Stack that resume, help out with a local club team, get your USATF certification, etc. you never know what someone is looking for. Be ready for a lot of b**** work, a lot of recruiting, and little to no coaching duties in most places. Build your connections while you are a GA to help propel you to your next landing point. Nationals and the convention is a good spot for that. Also, be open to other GA positions like sprints, hurdles, etc. do your homework now

i said it wrote:

Dont. While it might seem cool, unless you ran D1 and have some great contacts at power 5 schools, its not a sustainable lifestyle. Get a real job.

+100000

If you can handle doing a lot of crap work and working several jobs, it can be worth it in the end. My best advice is to learn multiple events, that way, you can slide into a position and help a program out. Don't just be a distance guy... I have loved every minute of my coaching career and I wouldn't want to do anything else in my life.

i said it wrote:

Dont. While it might seem cool, unless you ran D1 and have some great contacts at power 5 schools, its not a sustainable lifestyle. Get a real job.

I highly highly suggest that you reconsider. There are a lot of other physical development jobs out there that you will make far better money and have a 'life'. I've been in the game for over twenty years, and if I had it to do over, I absolutely would not go into collegiate coaching. And btw, I have coached at ALL levels... It's not worth it.

The pay is terrible! Only the best colleges pay well. Otherwise, you will live a life of poverty.

You would be better served teaching high school & coaching there. Decent pay. Health insurance. Retirement. Okay hours. Get to be with the sport you love.

Currently a GA at a no name D3 state school. Competed at the D1 and D2 level in college. Applied to two GA positions, was turned down from the first one and got offered the second one. I didn't have any coaching certifications.

I think how hard it is really depends on what level you want to coach at. If you are trying to coach at the D1 level and won't consider D2/D3 at all expect to volunteer and be unpaid for a while. But if you're fine coaching at the D3 level it'll be a lot easier getting to a paid position in my opinion.

GA positions vary on what you'll actually end up doing. Some just want you to hold a clip board and write down splits or focus on recruiting. I feel lucky at my school that I actually get to handle all of the training for the distance team.

If you want to coach I highly encourage you to try and get a GA position somewhere before settling for volunteering. That way you can still get a higher level degree most likely for free as well as stipend to support yourself. I'd stay away from positions that don't offer housing/living stipend because you'll have to find a way to support yourself unless you've got your parents to help with that. GA is the best route I'd say because if it turns out coaching isn't the career for you you will have a masters degree to at least help you land another career.

volunteered 2 years then got a position, It’s HARD! You have to spread your network far. If you want to be a D1 coach stay away from D2/D3 Becuase it’s basically like coaching a different sport because you won’t be known to the D1 coaches. try to volunteer P5 if possible. The biggest advice is to put all your energy into it, if you run and still compete stop doing that at least until you land your own paid assistant position then go back to enjoying the competitive side but keep it separate from coaching. You see too many guys and definitely girls wanting to coach but still want to run college meets and half marathons it just gives off the vibe that you’re not 100% into being a coach. Personally, I don’t want a volunteer helping me that isn’t all in becuase I know how hard I had to work to get into the coaching realm and I certainly don’t want to help someone who is half stepping. Good Luck!

Consider doing it part time with a regular full time job. The pay is not great. Also you will most likely make more money coaching non elites than elites because there is just more of them out there. Also consider pairing running coaching with teaching strength training.

This may be some of the reason the US lags behind in running. Lack of support and pay of quality coaches.

You can still run and be all in on coaching. It shows you dedication and love of the sport and that you are serious about it.

Thanks for all the advice so far

Be prepared to move and move often. You could be in two places from XC to Track season. Also, even if you were an athlete at a big school don't think you can just waltz into some big P5 program and that the smaller D1 schools are beneath you.

It's tough. Good luck finding a woman willing to lead a nomadic lifestyle with very little job security and even less income.

Good advice. And to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket I would not get the Master's in something related to coaching T&F. It needs to be something that will allow you to get a dang job.

If you're looking to make a sustainable living, don't. I absolutely love coaching, so much that if I won the lottery, I would still coach. If you do decide to get into coaching, find you a significant other that will bring home the bulk of your household income. Coaching track is a relatively low stress job, unless you get into a program that pumps a lot of money into it (which is few and far between). The only pressure is to keep your kids graduating, out of trouble, and win a few things from time to time. Track and Field on the college level is just to keep athletic departments Title IX compliant. AD's don't really care how you do and don't want to spend money on a nonrevenue generating sport.

ataglance wrote:

Be prepared to move and move often. You could be in two places from XC to Track season.

It's tough. Good luck finding a woman willing to lead a nomadic lifestyle with very little job security and even less income.

This. It may sound oddly romantic coming out of college...kind of similar to how you "worked your way up to all-conference from a walk-on & all the sacrifice was totally worth it!" But it's a different thing when you're approaching 40, still living with three roommates in their early 20's, one trump voter (white loser in his mid-40's), never making it past the 2nd date & worried about having health insurance next year (much less a pay check) because your head coach just got fired. Despite the fact that you've nailed your job for the last decade or so. Especially when you realize your admin just sees you as a glorified baby-sitter. I'm not saying it's not worth it...but consider if that's a reality you're prepared for.

DI "Coach" wrote:

ataglance wrote:

Be prepared to move and move often. You could be in two places from XC to Track season.

It's tough. Good luck finding a woman willing to lead a nomadic lifestyle with very little job security and even less income.

This. It may sound oddly romantic coming out of college...kind of similar to how you "worked your way up to all-conference from a walk-on & all the sacrifice was totally worth it!" But it's a different thing when you're approaching 40, still living with three roommates in their early 20's, ...

Yeah, I wrote that because when you are going into college coaching it really is a stage of life thing. If you have a steady gf she is going to want to start a career, and a life. If she gets a job making $60k and you make $25k coaching, but you want to move to X State U because it's a better fit, but you'll be making $30k... is that the right thing for her?

Also this is when her friends will be marrying, starting families buying homes, and you will be renting, driving beater cars and hoping to get a head gig paying what a HS teacher makes in God Knows Where USA.

You will need a girl that is not aspirational. She just wants a couple of kids and is fine without money*.

*Unless she comes from A LOT of money and her family can keep you a float and you are OK with that as a man.

Great thread!!!

I hope it lasts long enough to get a bit more positivity. If most of these posts are true, I'm very glad I stuck

to high school coaching.

This is the kind of Subject I would like to see more of on LRC.

- Frank Short

Maybe...maybeNot wrote:

You can still run and be all in on coaching. It shows you dedication and love of the sport and that you are serious about it.

Haha! You can show all that love and dedication to the sport if ya want, but for becoming a D1 coach it won’t get you a toe in the door more less a foot. Enjoy your road races while sulking in the fact that you can’t get a phone interview.