Coaching

Question
I'm interested in coaching. I'm a ex international diver and have done a bit of coaching in the past, is there many opportunities for coaches in the U.S.? I'm an Australian citizen and my wife is also a diver but a Ukraine citizen so i was also wondering how hard it would be for us to get working permit if such an opportunity was available.If you could help us with any information or know anyone who has done similar that we could contact that would be great.
Thank you Matthew

Answer
Matt -

There are many opportunities to coach in the States because we have the most divers of all the English speaking countries. Besides club diving, there are many high school and college diving positions as well as seasonal summer league diving. The hard part is finding them as some coaching positions get filled without being announced. Here is what I suggest you do:

1. Prepare a good resume with not only your diving accomplishments but more importantly what you have done as a coach. Two pages max and ready to send as an attachment in an e-mail.

2. There are several sources for finding coach job announcements:

  * www.ncaa.org. At the top of home page, click on Employment. On the next page in the far right hand column, click on 'Current Openings'. On the next page scroll down the left hand side of the page and look for 'Job Search' next to an eyeball. This will take you to a page with announcements for all different kinds of college coaching jobs. There may not be many diving ones now as the season has started and goes until the end of March. Look for openings in April through June as new jobs start on July 1.

  * www.usadiving.org. Our national governing body site. Click on 'Coaches' and then 'Coaching Positions'. While at this site look for information on how to become a coach by taking the Safety Certification Course. You will need to pass this test to be coach in the US.Also click on Clubs and then Find A Club. Enter a state that interests you and a list of teams will come up. Send them your resume and ask that they contact you if a position opens up.

  * www.divemeets.com. At the top of the home page, click on Lists of Divers, Teams and Coaches.
Then click on Teams and a huge list of teams from all over the world will come up, including your country. Click on any teams name for contact info. Send your resume to ones that interest you.

  * www.aaudiving.org. Another USA national governing body.

  * www.fina.org. International Governing Body website.

  *You should also try Canada #www.diving.ca# and England, Great Britain Diving Federation
   www.diving-gbdf.com/index.html and see what jobs they may have.

  * www.jobsinsports.com and www.aquaticjobsnetwork.com

  * www.diving.about.com - Site that explains how diving works in the US.

3. You will also need certification in CPR, AED, First Aid and Water Rescue. Go to
  www.redcross.com to see how to obtain these courses/requirements.

Good luck. Hope all this helps.