Coaches and Scouts

Summary

Coaches and scouts instruct amateur and professional athletes, teaching them the fundamental skills of sports.

Quick Facts: Coaches and Scouts
2010 Median Pay	$28,340 per year
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	242,900
Job Outlook, 2010-20	29% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	71,400

What Coaches and Scouts Do

Coaches teach amateur and professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players, evaluating athletes’ strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits. Many coaches also scout out new talent.

Work Environment

Coaches and scouts often work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Full-time coaches usually work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports season, and they may be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions. Coaches travel frequently to sporting events. Scouts may be required to travel more extensively when searching for talent.

How to Become a Coach or Scout

Coaches and scouts must have immense knowledge of the game, which they usually get from having played the sport at some level. Although some jobs require a bachelor’s degree, many entry-level coaching positions require only experience from having participated in the sport. Scouting jobs often require experience playing a sport at the college or professional level, which makes it possible to locate young talent.

Pay

The median annual wage of coaches and scouts was $28,340 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of coaches and scouts is expected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Those who are state-certified to teach academic subjects are likely to have the best prospects for getting coaching and instructor jobs in elementary, middle, and high schools. The need to replace coaches who change occupations or leave the labor force also will provide some jobs. Very strong competition is expected for jobs at the college or professional level.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of coaches and scouts with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about coaches and scouts by contacting these additional resources.

What Coaches and Scouts Do About this section

Coaches and scouts analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes and opposing teams.

Coaches teach amateur and professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players, evaluating athletes’ strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits. Many coaches also scout out new talent.

Duties

Coaches typically do the following:

• Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes and opposing teams
• Plan strategies and choose team members for each game
• Provide direction, encouragement, and motivation to prepare athletes for games
• Call plays and make decisions about strategy and player substitutions during games
• Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that enable athletes to achieve maximum performance
• Instruct athletes on proper techniques, game strategies, sportsmanship, and the rules of the sport
• Keep records of athletes’ and opponents’ performance
• Identify and recruit potential athletes; arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

Scouts typically do the following:

• Read newspapers and other news sources to find athletes to consider
• Attend games, view videotapes of the athletes’ performances, and study statistics about the athletes to determine talent and potential
• Talk to the athlete’s coach to see if the athlete has what it takes to be successful
• Report to the coach, manager, or owner of the team for which he or she is scouting
• Arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

The following are examples of occupational specialties:

Coaches teach professional and amateur athletes the fundamental skills of individual and team sports. They hold training and practice sessions to improve the athletes' form, technique, skills, and stamina. Along with refining athletes’ individual skills, coaches also are responsible for instilling in their players the importance of good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit, and teamwork.

Many coaches evaluate their opponents to determine game strategies and to establish specific plays to practice. During competition, coaches may call specific plays intended to surprise or overpower the opponent, and they may substitute players for optimum team chemistry and success.

Many high school coaches are primarily teachers of academic subjects who supplement their income by coaching part time. For more information, see the profile on high school teachers.  

Coaches who work with athletes in individual sports are often called sports instructors rather than coaches.

Sports instructors teach professional and nonprofessional athletes individually. They instruct and train athletes in sports such as bowling, tennis, and golf. Because of the diversity of individual sports, instructors usually specialize in a single activity, such as weightlifting, scuba diving, or karate. Like coaches, sports instructors also hold daily practice sessions, assign specific drills, correct athletes' techniques, and devise a competitive game strategy.

Coaches and sports instructors sometimes differ in their approaches to athletes because of the focus of their work. For example, coaches manage the team during a game to optimize its chance for victory, while sports instructors often are not permitted to instruct their athletes during competition. Sports instructors spend more of their time with athletes working one-on-one, which permits them to design customized training programs for each individual.

Scouts evaluate the skills of both amateur and professional athletes. The scout acts as a sports intelligence agent, primarily seeking out top athletic candidates for the team he or she represents. At the professional level, scouts typically work for scouting organizations or as self-employed scouts. At the college level, the head scout often is an assistant coach, although freelance scouts may help colleges by reporting to coaches about exceptional players. They often seek talent by reading newspapers, contacting coaches and alumni, attending games, and studying videotapes of prospects' performances.

Work Environment About this section

Coaches provide direction, encouragement, and motivation to athletes.

Coaches and scouts held about 242,900 jobs in 2010. About 19 percent were self-employed.

The following industries employed the most coaches and scouts in 2010:

Coaches and scouts who work outdoors may be exposed to all weather conditions of the season. Additionally, they often must travel to sporting events, usually taking long bus rides and, in some cases, flying internationally. This is particularly true for those in professional sports.

Coaches and scouts often work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. They usually work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports season, if not most of the year. Some high school coaches in educational institutions work part time, and they often coach more than one sport.

How to Become a Coach or Scout About this section

Coaches and scouts must have overall knowledge of the game or sport.

Coaches and scouts must have immense knowledge of the game, which they usually get through their own experiences playing the sport at some level. Although some jobs require a bachelor’s degree, some entry-level coaching positions require only experience as an athlete or competitor in the sport. Scouting jobs often require experience playing a sport at the college or professional level, which makes it possible to locate young talent.

Education and Training

Although there is no specific education requirement, head coaches at public secondary schools and sports instructors at all levels usually must have a bachelor's degree.

For high school coaching and sports instructor jobs, schools usually prefer, and are sometimes required, to hire teachers to take on these part-time jobs. If no suitable teacher is found, schools hire a qualified candidate from outside the school.

College coaches must usually have a bachelor’s degree. Degree programs specifically related to coaching include exercise and sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition and fitness, physical education, and sports medicine. Some entry-level positions for coaches or instructors require only experience from participating in the sport or activity.

Scouting jobs often require experience playing a sport at the college or professional level. This familiarity makes it possible to spot young players who have exceptional athletic ability and skills.

Most scouts begin working as part-time talent spotters in a particular area or region.

Certification

Some sports and localities require coaches to be certified to practice. For example, most public high school coaches need to meet state requirements for certification to become a head coach. Certification, however, may not be required for coaching and sports instructor jobs in private schools. College coaches may be required to be certified. Certification often requires coaches to be a minimum age (at least 18 years old) and certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Participation in a clinic, camp, or school is also usually required for certification.

For those interested in becoming scuba, tennis, golf, karate, or an instructor in another individual sport, certification is highly desirable and may be required. There are many certifying organizations specific to the various sports, and their requirements vary.

Part-time workers and those in smaller facilities are less likely to need formal education or training and may not need certification.

Advancement

Many coaches begin their careers as assistant coaches to gain the knowledge and experience needed to become a head coach. Large schools and colleges that compete at the highest levels require a head coach with substantial experience at another school or as an assistant coach. To reach the ranks of professional coaches, someone usually needs years of coaching experience and a winning record in the lower ranks or experience as an athlete in that sport.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Because coaches instruct, organize, and motivate athletes, they must have excellent communication skills. They must effectively communicate proper techniques, strategies, and rules of the sport so every player on a team understands.

Decision-making skills. Coaches must choose the appropriate players to use at a given position at a given time during a game and find a strategy that yields the best chance for winning. Coaches and scouts also must be very selective when recruiting players from lower levels of athletics.

Dedication. Coaches must practice daily and direct their team and individual athletes to develop their skills and improve their physical conditioning. Coaches must, therefore, be dedicated to their sport, as it often takes years to become successful.

Interpersonal skills. Being able to relate to athletes may help coaches and scouts to foster positive relationships with their current players and to recruit potential players.

Leadership skills. Coaches must demonstrate good leadership skills to get the most out of athletes. They also must be able to motivate, develop, and direct young athletes.

Resourcefulness. Coaches must use talent on a team that will result in the best chances for winning. For example, a coach may change players during the game to meet the defensive needs of a team.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of coaches and scouts was $28,340 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $16,380, and the top 10 percent earned more than $63,720.

In May 2010, median annual wages in industries employing the largest numbers of coaches and scouts were as follows:

Coaches and scouts often work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. They usually work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports season, if not most of the year. Some high school coaches in educational institutions work part time, and they often coach more than one sport.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of coaches and scouts is expected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. A larger overall population will continue to participate in organized sports for entertainment, recreation, and physical conditioning, boosting demand for coaches and sports instructors.

Job growth also will be driven by the increasing number of retirees who are expected to participate more in leisure activities such as swimming, golf, and tennis. These retirees may require instruction.

Population growth is expected to lead to more schools, and more schools should result in more jobs for coaches and instructors. However, funding for athletic programs often is cut first when budgets become tight. Still, the popularity of team sports often enables shortfalls to be offset with help from fundraisers, booster clubs, and parents.

In colleges, most of the expansion is expected to be in women’s sports.

Job Prospects

Those who have a degree or are state-certified to teach academic subjects should have the best prospects for getting coaching and instructor jobs at high schools. The need to replace the many high school coaches who change occupations or leave the labor force also will provide some jobs.

Coaches in girls’ and women’s sports may have better job opportunities and face less competition for positions.

Strong competition is expected for higher paying jobs at the college level and will be even greater for jobs in professional sports. Competition should also be strong for paying jobs as scouts, particularly for professional teams, because there are few available jobs.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about coaching and scouting for team and individual sports, visit

American Football Coaches Association

National Association of Basketball Coaches

National Collegiate Scouting Association

Women’s Basketball Coaches Association