We have been getting a lot of questions from readers as to how to get a football coaching job in a high school.
I understand the desire to be there, because it is a great career path that can impact many people, and can create so much excitement in your life.
We touched on a few items below that you can do to get closer to this goal.
Depending upon where you are in your coaching journey at this point, not all of these will be meaningful for you, but I imagine some will.
It is getting more and more difficult to find good coaches nowadays, so this is the perfect time to be looking. Let’s get started!!!
FIGURE OUT YOUR “WHY?”
Before you even consider coaching, you need to determine why you want to do it.
There are many reasons to get into coaching, but you have to know exactly why you want to get into it.
If you are getting into it because you believe you are an amazing coach and want to show everyone you can win…you need to readjust your mindset.
Getting into coaching for winning or showing your coaching prowess to the world is only going to lead to misery for you and those around you.
You need to figure out another reason for getting into coaching such as impacting young men in your community or wanting to be a college coach.
But if you believe you will move into a high school level and immediately be a great coach, please reconsider.
Failing comes much more frequently than success.
TALK TO YOUR SPOUSE
Another item to touch upon that must be thought out prior to moving forward, is to talk to your spouse.
Coaching is an arduous profession that will absolutely require your family to take a back seat for the betterment of the community.
Your spouse, if you are married, needs to be made aware of the entire schedule and that practices, games, etc will take priority over vacations and pretty much everything else.
Most people do not know the intensity of a high school football coach’s schedule and if it is not clearly communicated to your wife, you will be miserable.
Ask a friend in the coaching community to share their team’s 12-month calendar with you, and sit down with your wife.
Most likely, it will be an eye-opening experience for both of you!!! In the long-run, you will not regret doing this.
And while you are at it, share your “WHY?” with her.
She will be much more likely to help you reach your goals knowing how passionate you are about impacting your community.
She may even have the desire to join you in the altruistic endeavor herself.
But if not, you also need to be able to separate your coaching life from your home life – as difficult as it may be.
When you are at home, you should be 100% present just like when you are at practice you are 100% present.
CONTACT COACHES IN YOUR AREA
The next thing I would do is get online and email the coaches within a close proximity of you.
Doing this is the best way to get in touch with numerous coaches to see if they need help.
Like I mentioned above, many teams lose coaches at random times or are constantly looking for more coaching.
You may be just what they are looking for, whether it is December or July.
I would also consider CC: the athletic director in these emails.
Depending upon the time of year, the head coach is very busy and may not get to you. But the athletic director will also know about openings and may be able to get you in contact with the head coach.
If you are one that does not know how to find emails, simply go to the school’s athletic website to find the name of the coach.
Then go to the school directory, and you should be able to very easily find his email address or phone extension. If you are unable to do that, call the athletic office and leave a message asking him to contact you.
Another thing to consider is to be willing to volunteer your first year.
You should also be willing to begin at a lower level. First of all, it is a great way to get in, because many programs do not have a lot of money to pay coaches, but if you are able to work for free, they are very likely to take you.
It also shows your passion for the work and will enable you to build yourself as a coach while having a full-season interview for a future coaching position.
Remember, coaching is a career choice.
If you are only interested in the upcoming fall, you are missing the point, as well as a great opportunity to build your resume for the future.
Do not feel ashamed to take this volunteer position.
I remember my first year of coaching high school football, I knew literally EVERYTHING there was to know about football and how to coach it.
Little did I know that I actually knew nothing, and was a long way from being the coach I needed to be.
Go in humble, do not let pride force a crashing fall, and let the chips fall as they may.
WORK TO GET A TEACHING JOB OR JOB WITH AFTERNOONS OFF
If you are young and have a passion for coaching, work to get a teaching degree.
Most people that like coaching love working with young people, and being a teacher is a great job!
It mostly pays a fair salary, has great benefits, is an honorable career-choice, and mainly in terms of this article….it allows you to coach!
Get your degree in something where you can teach either junior or senior high school students, and you are on your way to creating the schedule to allow you to coach.
Check those coaching job boards like Football High School Scoop to see what the most needed teaching certifications are for you to easily get a teaching job in the same school you coach.
This will put you on a great path to a head job down the road.
If you are in the position where you are unable to get your degree or are not interested in teaching, you will need to find a job or adjust your hours to create a free afternoon schedule.
Most teams practice immediately after school, which will fit somewhere within the 2:30 to 6:00 pm range. If you are unable to make practices, you are most likely unable to coach.
That being said, some programs still have practice in the evening because they do not have enough coaches working in their building, and therefore have to hire people from the 9-to-5 workforce. If you are able to find a program like that, good for you!!!
STUDY
Study, study, study! And if I can say it again, STUDY!
While you are going through the process of finding your first position, take the time to learn all that is new in the sport of football.
There are so many great options out there such as this website,
Coach Tube, YouTube, and many, many other options.
At no time in my coaching career has it been easier to get information about any topic at any time.
Take advantage of it!
No matter how much you know about the game, it moves at such a fast pace, that sitting on your hands is a major detriment to your career.
The defense is figuring out ways to stop us right now. We have to figure out how to counter those and confuse them to score more points!
Another great place to go is to your high school coach.
Buying him a meal to talk together will be a great place to begin, as he will know of areas within the program that they need assistance, or programs in the area that he knows are in need of coaches.
Plus, not too many people know you better than he does. Give him the chance to mentor you and provide wisdom that only he can give you.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO GET A FOOTBALL COACHING JOB
Please let us know if you have any circumstances that are not mentioned in this article, and we will definitely try to help.
Coaching is an amazing opportunity to have a lot of fun while creating a huge impact on society.
Like the late Billy Graham once said, “A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime.”
Enjoy the journey!!
