Those who love sports often make great coaches and may wonder if they need an education degree to become a coach. Athletic coaches generally work for schools, so most coaches do have degrees in education. Here’s a closer look at what it takes to become a coach:
Degrees for Coaches
Many coaches teach in junior highs or high schools. Coaches of children’s teams are often volunteers who have other day jobs and only coach for fun. Some former athletes and accomplished coaches work for colleges, and others make it into professional coaching positions. Although there is no particular degree that gets these big players into coaching positions, the best way to get a good coaching position is with a degree in physical education.
Beyond Education
Regardless of what sport you wish to coach or what level of players you coach, a degree alone won’t make you a good coach. Coaches need experience in the sport that they coach. If you want to coach football, it helps to play. If you want to coach basketball, you need to be able to shoot hoops. If you have a passion for volleyball or hockey, you’ll be more likely to land a position as a coach if you’ve spent some time playing the game.
Just knowing how to play a sport, however, won’t make you a good coach. You need to be able to teach others how to play as well. A good coach helps players develop their own talents. As a coach, you also need to be able to encourage teamwork and spur your team on to a win, even when it looks like all is lost. To be a coach, you need to be a leader, someone your team will want to follow no matter what.
Getting a Coaching Job
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although professional coaching positions pay well, the average coaching position doesn’t. If you want to coach, teaching junior high or high school is likely to be the best way for you to achieve this dream. However, it would be a good idea to have more than one career path to fall back on. Physical education teachers aren’t in the highest demand, and you can coach a team whether you teach physical education, math or history. With limited budgets, many schools rely on academic instructors to coach their sports teams. Keeping this in mind, you might choose to get a double major in college to make yourself more marketable to schools. A high school English teacher with a second major in physical education and experience playing collegiate volleyball will find it a lot easier to get a job than an individual with just a degree in physical education and no backup plan.
Related Resource: Maintaining a Teacher Certification
Sports have many benefits for players of all ages. If you enjoy watching and playing sports, you might want to try your hand at coaching. Make sure you plan for success. You need to get an education degree to become a coach and earn a livable income.
