How To Find A College Tennis
Coaching Job You’ll Love
Outside of the pro tour, college athletics is considered by many to be the pinnacle of coaching in tennis. As a result, many of the top tennis jobs at the most prestigious institutions are highly competitive and sought after.
However, not all college coaching positions are created equal. For example, if you desire to become a tennis coach at a school that’s part of the NCAA, there is a wide range of schools and competitive atmospheres to consider.
In this guide, we’ll explore some of your options and what you can expect from various roles, whether you’re just getting your feet wet and looking for an assistant coaching position or you’re a seasoned professional and looking for a head coaching gig.
Article Contents
NCAA Coaching Jobs
Most individuals looking to get into coaching tennis at the college level will desire to be part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA, which regulates student-athletes for over 1,000 institutions.
Within the NCAA, there are three separate divisions with varying levels of competition. As you might expect, the higher the level of competition, the higher the expectations will be for a tennis coach.
Division I (D I)
Division I schools offer some of the most competitive student-athlete programs in the world. Generally speaking, these are the most prominent colleges with significant student bodies, large budgets, and extensive scholarship programs.
As a result, Division I colleges tend to draw some of the best talent and demand the most from their athletes. If you’re looking for a college tennis coaching job at a Division I school, expect the demands to be the greatest and the bar the highest regarding qualifications and experience.
However, with that said, tennis coaches at Division I schools enjoy some of the best compensation, most impressive facilities, and robust programs to ensure their teams perform at the highest level.
Top-Ranked NCAA Division I Schools in Tennis
- Princeton University
- Stamford University
- Harvard University
- University of Florida
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
- University of California
- Yale University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Michigan
- Columbia Univesity
- University of Virginia
- Vanderbilt University
- Duke University
- Georgia Tech
- University of Georgia
Division II (D II)
One step down from Division I, you’ll find Division II athletics. For the most part, the size of these schools will be smaller, their budgets humbler, and there will be fewer scholarships available.
Despite that, there’s still plenty of fierce competition and excellent opportunities for tennis coaching jobs. Expectations regarding tennis coaches in Division II schools are still high, but the financial commitments from these institutions are lower.
As a result, Division II coaching positions tend to be easier to attain with less stringent qualifications and experience. Salaries and compensation for these coaching positions tend to be solid, but coaches shouldn’t expect top-notch pay.
Top-Ranked NCAA Division II Schools in Tennis
- University of California – San Diego
- Bentley University
- Rollins College
- Point Loma Nazarene University
- St. Mary’s University – Texas
- Georgia College & State University
- Florida Southern College
- Grand Valley State University
- Rockhurst University
- Cedarville University
- Augustana University – South Dakota
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Christian Brothers University
- University of West Florida
Division III (D III)
The largest division in the NCAA is Division III. These tennis programs will have the smallest budgets and do not offer scholarships but still afford student-athletes with excellent opportunities to compete.
However, because these institutions don’t grant students scholarships, there are far less rigorous commitments and typically minimal if any formal offseason training requirements.
As you may expect, the lower commitment from the students trickles down to Division III college tennis coaches. That’s not to say coaches at these schools don’t take training or competition seriously, but their demands are significantly lower.
Division III coaching positions in tennis are often seasonal and part-time, and the pay will rarely suffice as the coach’s only source of income.
Top-Ranked NCAA Division III Schools in Tennis
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT
- Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
- California Institute of Technology
- University of Chicago
- Emory University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Amherst College
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Swarthmore College
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Tufts University
- Williams College
- Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
- Bowdoin College
- Washington & Lee University
NCAA vs. NAIA & NJCAA Coaching
Although the NCAA offers some of the most prestigious college tennis coaching opportunities, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) are worthy alternatives to consider.
The NAIA has some of the smallest schools with competitive student-athlete programs, but it’s unique in that they can and often do offer scholarships for athletics. However, their lower budgets, which are roughly consistent with Division III schools, result in less demanding opportunities with lower pay.
The NJCAA is similar to the NAIA but exclusive for two-year colleges. Schools within each of these governing bodies offer many coaches opportunities to build their resumes with relevant experience that can often be a stepping stone into a more competitive role.
Types of Positions
As you explore opportunities to coach college tennis, it’s beneficial to become familiar with the different types of positions available.
This section will touch on a few typical roles and responsibilities you can expect in these positions.
Director of Tennis
The Director of Tennis job in college tennis is a broad and all-encompassing role that leads an institution’s tennis program.
In some cases, the Director of Tennis will oversee a Head Coach for the men’s and women’s teams. However, more often, they’ll assume the role of Head Coach for one team with additional administrative or operational responsibilities that span the entire tennis program.
In the former scenario, they might have a senior associate or assistant that helps with coaching activities and functions as the coach of record when the men’s and women’s teams compete at different locations.
Furthermore, an athletics department may use the Director of Tennis title as a step above Head Coach, reflecting seniority and compensation.
Example Responsibilities
- Manages all aspects of the tennis program
- Serves as Head Coach for the men’s or women’s tennis team
- Organizes, plans, and leads team practices
- Develops sport-specific fitness and weight training programs
- Ensures adequate mental, physical, and strategic match preparation
- Evaluates athlete performance and progress in developing players
- Hosts video review sessions to enhance skill development
- Assesses the competition to help establish match strategy
- Monitors academic performance and student welfare
- Scouts and evaluates prospective student-athletes
- Oversees scheduling and budgeting
- Cultivates and nurtures alumni relations
- Plans fundraising events and special functions
- Manages Assistant Tennis Coach
- Partners with the Director of Athletics (or designee)
- Adheres to NCAA bylaws, policies, and regulations
Head Tennis Coach
A Head Tennis Coach is directly responsible for the men’s or women’s tennis program. However, there are some instances where a Head Coach will assume responsibility for both teams with the help of an associate or assistant coach.
Example Responsibilities
- Manages all aspects of the men’s or women’s tennis team
- Organizes, plans, and leads team practices
- Develops sport-specific fitness and weight training programs
- Ensures adequate mental, physical, and strategic match preparation
- Evaluates athlete performance and progress in developing players
- Hosts video review sessions to enhance skill development
- Assesses the competition to help establish match strategy
- Monitors academic performance and student welfare
- Scouts and evaluates prospective student-athletes
- Oversees scheduling and budgeting
- Cultivates and nurtures alumni relations
- Plans fundraising events and special functions
- Manages Assistant Tennis Coach
- Partners with the Director of Athletics (or designee)
- Adheres to NCAA bylaws, policies, and regulations
Associate or Assistant Tennis Coach
Between colleges, the exact responsibilities of an Associate or Assistant Coach will likely have some variation and nuance. However, the essence of supporting the Head Coach will always remain the same.
It’s worth noting that an associate position generally reflects some degree of seniority relative to an assistant. As a result, the responsibilities, expectations, and compensation are usually greater, but the core responsibilities of each role will closely mirror each other.
Example Responsibilities
- Supports Head Coach during practice sessions and matches
- Helps develop and carries out fitness and training programs
- Ensures adequate mental, physical, and strategic match preparation
- Evaluates athlete performance and progress in developing players
- Promotes academic excellence
- Recruits prospective student-athletes
- Arranges travel and lodging
- Drives vehicles to transport team
- Completes administrative activities and other duties as assigned
- Adheres to NCAA bylaws, policies, and regulations
Another role that will assume similar but less demanding responsibilities is a Graduate Tennis Assistant.
Individuals seeking these positions will hold a bachelor’s degree and be pursuing their graduate degree. Benefits for these individuals might include a stipend, room and board, meal plan, and tuition remission.
Salaries & Pay
Compensation for college tennis coaching jobs varies widely, with many factors influencing pay. Everything from a school’s division and investment in athletics to a candidate’s experience, education, and location will dictate how much a college is willing to pay.
With that in mind, here are some high-level salary ranges for the two most common college tennis coaching positions broken down by division.
Don’t forget that many college coaching positions are either part-time or limit employment to a specific number of months. As a result, the total compensation will reflect those nuances, which is one of the many reasons pay can vary widely.
Applying for a Job
Like any job, a career in college tennis requires applicants to submit a handful of materials for consideration.
Cover Letter
Your cover letter is your introduction to the hiring manager, highlighting why you believe you’re a good fit for the coaching position. We’d encourage you to customize the cover letter for every application so that it’s as specific and relevant to the job you’re seeking.
Resume
Your tennis coaching resume should cover relevant work history, education, skills, certifications, and accomplishments. Its purpose is to showcase why you’re qualified for the coaching job.
References
Most tennis coaching jobs will require three to five references the hiring manager can call upon to support your candidacy for a position. The individuals you select should be as relevant and timely, i.e., people you’ve worked with more recently, as possible.
Coaching Portfolio
Required or not, we encourage tennis coaches seeking jobs to develop a coaching portfolio they can share as part of their application.
A portfolio might include your coaching philosophy, practice plan, fitness plan, recruiting plan, player development plan, expectations for athletes, values, goals, and any other relevant thoughts that showcase how you intend to approach the role.
Where to Find Jobs
When you’re on the hunt for any job, it pays to have the best possible resources at your fingertips.
Although larger job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, etc., are excellent websites for tracking down a new opportunity, they’re not specialized. Plus, they’re not cheap to post to, so you may be missing out on coaching opportunities if you use them exclusively.
With that in mind, we’ve collected some of our favorite websites to help you dig up that dream college coaching position.
Specific College Websites
If you have a few institutions in mind where you’d like a position, we’d encourage you to start with the job boards on those websites.
They’re often the most up-to-date for their jobs, and you’ll find their jobs posted there before any other website.
NCAA Market
If you’re looking for college coaching jobs, NCAA Market is an excellent resource that focuses exclusively on college athletics. As a result, you’ll be sure to find at least a handful of tennis coaching positions.
Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)
The ITA is the governing body for college tennis, and its website, WeAreCollege Tennis, is dedicated to the sport. Although they don’t focus on or emphasize jobs, they do have a classifieds section where you’ll find coaching positions posted.
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
A non-profit association that helps institutions hire and retain exceptional faculty, staff, and executives in academia, the HERC might not be the first place that comes to mind for tennis coaching jobs. However, it’s worth a review to see what you can dig up.
HigherEdJobs
With an emphasis on administrative, faculty, and executive positions in academia, HigherEdJobs is another job site worth checking for college tennis coaching positions.
Inside Higher Ed
A popular source and community dedicated to higher education, Inside Higher Ed, offers a job search where you’ll sometimes find tennis coaching positions at colleges.
UniversityJobs
As the name suggests, this website focuses on helping higher education recruit talent, including college coaching positions.
Wrapping Up
Whether you’ve recently started your job search or you’ve been at it for a while, we wish you the best of luck and hope this article has provided you with some valuable resources and insight.
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