Post job

How to hire an athletic coach

Athletic coach hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring athletic coaches in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire an athletic coach is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new athletic coach to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an athletic coach, step by step

To hire an athletic coach, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire an athletic coach:

Here's a step-by-step athletic coach hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write an athletic coach job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new athletic coach
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an athletic coach do?

Athletic coaches organize professional and amateur athletes and teach them the basics of sports. The coaches train athletes to compete individually or as a team. They work before and after a match or game in the sphere of administrative duties. They provide assistance to the athletes to develop their full potential. They work as game coaches, leaders, performance managers, trainers, and leaders of the athletes. Also, they honor their clients as experts in their work and lives.

Learn more about the specifics of what an athletic coach does
jobs
Post an athletic coach job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The athletic coach hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an athletic coach to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an athletic coach that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of athletic coaches and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Athletic CoachDescriptionHourly rate
    Athletic CoachCoaches teach amateur or professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players and evaluate their skills and likelihood for success at the college, amateur, or professional level... Show more$13-34
    Head Baseball CoachThe head baseball coach provides supervision and leadership for teams, individual sports, and works with the staff and administration. They promote an appreciation of physical fitness, sportsmanship, and teamwork... Show more$13-33
    Baseball CoachBaseball Coaches are responsible for training players within a baseball team to pitch, throw, run, and catch. Their duties include implementing a training program, overseeing coaching staff, assisting the activities director with game schedules, travel logistics, meal arrangements, and conducting public relations activities... Show more$13-34
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • CPR
    • Student Athletes
    • Volleyball
    • Soccer
    • Public Schools
    • Freshman
    • Practice Sessions
    • Athletic Program
    • Physical Education
    • Role Model
    • NCAA
    • Student Performance
    • Academic Eligibility
    • Competitive Events
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
    • Create a positive, team-base environment focuse on teaching soccer, flag football, baseball, and life skills.
    • Coach middle school women's volleyball, softball and basketball.
    • Coach girls sports year-round: including volleyball, basketball, track and field.
    • Implement monthly recruitment logs for contact with prospects to meet the NCAA rules.
    • Coach several players to post season accolades including a player who make an NFL training camp.
    More athletic coach duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the athletic coach job description is a good way to get more applicants. An athletic coach salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for an athletic coach in Kansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level athletic coach. Additionally, an athletic coach with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average athletic coach salary

    $45,554yearly

    $21.90 hourly rate

    Entry-level athletic coach salary
    $29,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 21, 2026

    Average athletic coach salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Massachusetts$59,772$29
    2Connecticut$57,327$28
    3New Jersey$55,738$27
    4Florida$50,194$24
    5California$48,857$23
    6Virginia$48,371$23
    7Texas$48,014$23
    8Arizona$46,243$22
    9Illinois$44,580$21
    10Minnesota$41,711$20
    11Michigan$41,322$20
    12Colorado$34,161$16
    13Georgia$34,130$16
    14Utah$34,101$16
    15Ohio$33,474$16
    16Delaware$32,448$16

    Average athletic coach salary by company

  4. Writing an athletic coach job description

    An athletic coach job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an athletic coach job description:

    Athletic coach job description example

    ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
    Atlanta International School (AIS) offers the full International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum to all students, from 3K through grade 12. Our challenging academic programs develop internationally-minded, critical-thinking students able to take complex and often disparate knowledge, concepts and skills, and forge these into new and unique ways of solving problems. We provide a rigorous education in a diverse, multicultural, multilinguistic community where the reality and hope of human potential are in action.


    Our mission at AIS is to develop courageous leaders who shape their world for the better. All AIS employees believe deeply in the potential of each student, value critical thinking (their own and students’) and know learning can be fun and exciting. AIS offers an incredible spirit of community and diversity of perspectives that come from students, families, and employees representing more than 90 nationalities and over 60 languages.

    POSITION DESCRIPTION
    The AIS Athletics Department has programming for students in Pre-K through Grade 12, with approximately 40 Middle School, JV, and Varsity teams across the following sports: Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Swim and Dive, and eSports.

    The Athletics Department is seeking committed, understanding, and versatile coaching candidates to serve as community coaches for our Middle and Upper School sports teams. Specific roles will be determined by a candidate's experience and expertise. Ideal candidates will be those who are interested in contributing to our programs in a variety of ways and have a passion for working with student-athletes in our multicultural and inclusive athletic community.

    In your application, please specify which program you are interested in coaching.

    POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Serve as a positive role model to the players and parents.
    • Teach skills through effectively planned practices at a level appropriate for each member of the team.
    • Condition athletes appropriately for activities requiring endurance, strength and agility.
    • Responsible for all aspects of directing the team’s practice and play in games, dependent upon the coaching role.
    • Teach sportsmanship, cooperation, work ethic and responsibility to one’s team.
    • Monitor players' personal conduct during games.
    • Establish a working relationship with the other coaches in the program and athletic department for the purpose of creating stronger overall teams and programs.
    • Continue professional growth by attending classes, clinics, workshops, and affiliations with professional organizations.
    • Transport the team to away competitions as needed
    • Perform other related duties as required.

    REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/SKILLS

    • Bachelor’s degree preferred
    • Minimum 2 years of relevant coaching experience
    • Required GHSA certification, if applicable
    • CPR/AED & First Aid Certification
    • Background check and driving record check required

    SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

    Atlanta International School is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The School’s current COVID-19 Immunization Proof and Testing policy states that all employees are required to submit proof of COVID-19 immunization or participate in regular COVID-19 testing. Regular testing opportunities are provided by the School on campus.

    EEO
    AIS is an equal opportunity employer. We are a diverse community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan Atlanta area and the United States at large. We aim to align our hiring process with our mission and institutional goals. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. AIS takes affirmative action in support of its policy to employ and advance all qualified candidates.

    We will contact those applicants whose skills and experience best match our needs. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we are not able to take or return phone calls regarding employment.

    Powered by JazzHR

    H419HdwDof

  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right athletic coach for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your athletic coach job on Zippia to find and recruit athletic coach candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting athletic coaches requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new athletic coach

    Once you've found the athletic coach candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new athletic coach first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire an athletic coach?

There are different types of costs for hiring athletic coaches. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new athletic coach employee.

Athletic coaches earn a median yearly salary is $45,554 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find athletic coaches for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $13 and $34.

Find better athletic coaches in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring athletic coaches FAQs

Search for athletic coach jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs