How to Become a Sports Teacher

Few school districts, especially those with declining enrollment, have slots for instructors who teach only physical education or sports training classes. This means that sports teachers must also hold a subject area teaching credential. Sports training requires instructors to be informed about sports training requirements and health and safety, and so most schools also prefer to hire credentialed teachers with the health and science courses required for the physical education certification.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

How to Become a Sports Teacher

1. Apply to a certificate program and register for teacher credentialing courses. Coaching and sports teachers are required to pass a number of science and health courses. To begin working as a walk-on coach while finishing the credential, take the required science, emergency first aid and health classes first. There is a nationwide shortage of science teachers, and it may be possible to work with an emergency teaching credential as a long- or short-term science substitute while taking the courses for the teaching credential.

2. Gain practical sports experience. Even if the teaching candidate never participated in high school or intramural sports, it is possible to volunteer to coach for community or high school teams. Select a district school with an established sports program in the area of interest and offer to volunteer for the experience. Explain the circumstances surrounding the volunteer offering. Many veteran teachers are happy to assist a new teacher-in-training.

3. Gain personal training experience. Ask to shadow the sports doctor or trainer during a season to assess how injuries occur and things to look for in recognizing injuries that require medical attention. Obtain a letter from the person observed indicating the number of observation hours. Add this letter to the portfolio described in Step 5.

4. Locate valuable print and online coaching and sports teaching resources in the area of specialty. ERIC is a valuable resource for scholarly education articles. (Link is listed below under "Additional Resources.") Ask a veteran sports teacher to recommend magazines and journals in the subject area. College libraries usually carry print journals or have access to databases allowing students to read the articles online. Stay current on the issues and topics in the field. This will assist in the volunteer position, as well as preparing the candidate for a future job interview.

5. Build a career teaching portfolio by collecting recommendations. As the season volunteer opportunities end, request letters of recommendation from the supervisors. Ask that the person itemize the duties completed in the letter.

Tips & Warnings

• Select more than one sport for the training program or experience. Schools with large sports programs require several assistant coaches. Be open to take any position to get a foot in the door at the school. After a season of competent assistance, other coaches will be interested in obtaining assisting services, perhaps with stipend or hourly pay.
• Coaching usually provides a small season stipend, sometimes with a bonus if the teams earn a berth in the playoffs. Do not expect coaching to pay a living salary, without also obtaining a position as a credentialed teacher.

References

• Coaching Information
• Links to Professional Coaching Associations
• Federal Standards for Physical Education

Resources

• ERIC

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