The job market for soccer in the United States is actually very good but very strange. Let’s start at the youth clubs. In the Northeast in places like New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and many other states the job opportunities are all over. The pay can be very good. It is not uncommon to get $125 a training session or $20,000 to coach one youth team. There are regular people making six figures doing multiple teams. Private lessons can easily run up to $125 an hour. If you really wanted to make money you would be the person to supply a club with coaches. This is done all the time with many of the UK coaches. The NY Red Bulls for example will bill a club by the hour for a coach who they send to a club. The soccer company will take $75 or so an hour and the coach may clear $25 to $45. Most soccer company’s determine the amount paid each coach is by the coaches licenses and experience. The soccer company’s send coaches to town leagues and they get assigned teams to coach. There are many companies who you can work for. The number of UK coaches here in our youth game is very very very large. Some are really good and some are not. It’s like anything else. I have met some really good coaches here from the UK and its great our kids get to learn from them. I have also met some that were not and thought they were but that happens every where. In short the real money in soccer in the United States in the youth game. There is a company in NYC that coaches kids around the ages of 2-5 years old. They actually expanded to older age groups now but this company is a multi million dollar company. They have over 10,000 members!! The parents pay like $15 or $25 session which is a group lesson with many little kids. I friend of mine makes a very high income living from running clinics for select town programs for the kids. If you are a specialized coach like goalkeeper, fitness or even high level teaching technical skills you can make a good living just doing individual private lessons. The is even a company called “coachup” that started matching players and coaches for private lessons. The real money in soccer in the States is in youth soccer period! Thats the reality in this country. Want to make $100,000 plus than thats what you do. The catch is you must eventually get hired direct from the club. I will show you the best way to do this in my ebook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I6OR0RI
Next there is the school system. High school soccer which is ages 14-18 and most high schools have teams. It is fun but they pay very poorly. Maybe $3,000 – $5,000 for the entire season and far to much work when you could be getting much more from a club. College soccer is the place every serious coach wants to be. The level can be very good depending on the level and scholarship dollars the program has. College soccer at the highest level will have many players that turn pro. There are players all over college soccer that got released from pro clubs or wanted to choose education over trying to turn pro. You would think these jobs pay very well. Think again! The top NCAA Div I jobs pay on average about $120,000. Those are the top jobs. Head college soccer jobs can be part time starting as low as $10,000. Most jobs will fall into the $40,000 to $60,000 range. However, to do well at these jobs you need to really work year round full time. College coaches will often run soccer camps or work for private clubs in there spare time to make a decent living possible. It is to bad because American Basketball and Football Coaches in college can make millions of dollars a year. Job stability is different at every college. Top schools who pay more money come with more risk. The college soccer route also requires you have a least a bachelor degree. Club soccer does not require anything. However, you should have some license. FA or UEFA licenses people look at as very good here. Really as long as you have something. If you want to coach in the pro’s that is obviously the hardest and most political route. It is possible but the path is different for everyone, Without the right connections and resume the chance is zero. To become an assistant is more realistic but again very hard to do. My advice would be to network, get your licenses and work on it slowly. If you can win at the top college level over time that would be the best way to make it to the pro’s (MLS).
My ebook provides the details of obtaining a coaching job in the states, places to apply to get hired and all the links and advice I can give. I understand the process and have watched many internationals become successful. The book is available on amazon for $2.99 at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I6OR0RI
If you are a soccer coach who has a good skill level, a soccer license, good personal skills and wants to work hard than coaching in America is a great opportunity. If you are a business savvy person and coach than you can do very well here. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.