Coach after learning as an adult?

[flippet]

Just a question--how many coaches (either here, or that you know) started coaching after learning how to skate as an adult? How feasable do you see it as a career track?

I'm becoming more and more frustrated with my 'career' goals--or the lack of them, really. Skating and pseudo-coaching my friends is something that I really, really love. Only trouble is, I don't have the skills under my belt to be able to coach, and no way to get them any time soon (time and $$). It did just occur to me though, that if I get a better-paying job, even if I'm not passionate about it, perhaps I could make enough money to skate again, with the eye to becoming skilled enough to later coach--maybe not until retirement, but heck--if I stay in shape and can spend my later years doing something I adore, it would be great. If that's possible, then just having that as a do-able goal will help me get through doing things that maybe I'm not quite so passionate about at the moment. I could look at it as funding what I really want to do.

[Mrs Redboots]

I do know one person who started as an adult, and is now a qualified coach, but she doesn't actually practice, only taking group lessons.

But I believe DBNY coaches a bit, and I know she started as an adult!

[phoenix]

I started as an adult & have been coaching for about 8 years. I started out just helping (volunteering) with an extra large LTS class, which eventually (after a year or so) became my own class. From there I continued teaching group classes and eventually one of my students asked for private lessons.

I still teach group classes, & currently have 5 private students. It's my goal to eventually have coaching be about a 1/2 time career. To that end, I'm continuing with my own training with great passion, because I really want that end goal!! I have basically put much of the rest of my life on hold until I finish w/ my training goals, which is to get through my gold dances & senior free dance. That will take 4 more years probably, at least. I also do some competing, for the experience, so I'll know how to prepare & guide a student through competition.

Sometimes it feels like a huge undertaking, and I get down on feeling like I'm not doing much w/ my life/career, because of waiting to be done with this; and you can't rush through the training! I can't take on more students because I need the time to practice. I can't move away anywhere (another long-term goal) because I am committed to staying here w/ my coach, who I believe is best suited to me for getting me to those goals. I don't have time for a boyfriend, my house doesn't get cleaned often (!), I don't paint much anymore (I'm an artist) because that creative energy is going elsewhere. I'm fairly deep in debt because all my money goes into lessons & ice time.

BUT--I believe in the end it will be worth it. When I'm done, I will be able to move away, and I will be able to walk into pretty much any rink in the country & they'll let me coach there because I'll have the credentials.

You can do it to a less drastic extreme than I've chosen to do.....I'm currently well qualified to teach group classes, & privates to a medium level, before having to pass my students on to a higher coach. I just want to be able to take them all the way up, and for that I need to have done it myself.

The best place to start is your rink's learn to skate program, probably as a helper to a class. Some rinks pay for that; some don't. Some rinks use the PSA apprentice program, which will prepare you to teach on your own & is really good. Get to know the skating director, let them know your goals and ask for their help/advice in the steps to take.

I absolutely love coaching, seeing the progress, getting to know very interesting & wonderful people & families. It's very satisfying work, and never dull. It can be pretty good money. You have to have a somewhat thick skin, as students will come and go, politics can be stupidly annoying, people will always be judging you. But I do love it, and I want to continue with it for years and years!!

As you can see, this is a HUGE issue for me/weighs on my mind a lot! I hope I've been a little helpful, & feel free to PM me if you want to discuss it/get more info.

I'll add that I firmly believe you need to be at a pretty competent level yourself before doing much teaching!!! I was almost done w/ my silver dances before I started helping w/ classes. You need to be very honest w/ yourself about your level of knowledge, and limit yourself to teaching only the things you consider yourself an expert at. You need to always think about the skater's best interest over your desire to keep a student longer than you maybe should.

[blue111moon]

I learned to skate as an adult and have been coaching group lessons for over 15 years. It's not a career but I enjoy it.

The trick is knowing the limits of my teaching expertise. I've found I'm really good with the raw beginners, not so great with the advanced classes.

I may retire from my real job in a couple years and I already have offers from several programs to teach for them. So this could turn into a second career eventually. We'll see.

[Isk8NYC]

I started skating at 18, competing in my 20's. I'm coaching now in my mid-40's. Not sure if you count me as an adult learner - I think I'm an in-betweener.

I know of several coaches who were truly adult skaters and became coaches with some success. They all teach LTS group and beginner privates. None of them works full-time as a coach, nor do I for that matter. Because of medical benefits and the need for steady income, I have an IT day job. (Which allows me to moderate, btw.)