Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Make money teaching tennis
Reading Time: 6 minutesYou don’t have to be a Wimbledon ‘seed’ to make money teaching tennis. A love of the game and an ability to teach are the main requirements. It’s flexible so you can fit it around other work or studies. This makes it a good extra money-earner for adults and teens alike. Tennis coaches make at least £15 an hour but it can be more if you teach groups or you train serious players.
Take your hobby further – make money teaching tennis
If you love tennis you can work your way up the coaching ladder and make some good money teaching tennis. You can start off as a coaching assistant working with children in your spare time, then take the next steps to qualifying as a licensed coach, and maybe even working with the next tennis star!
Parents who enjoy playing tennis can make some money on the side doing something really fun. If your child is a keen tennis player too you could spend time at their local school, club or even tennis camp in the holidays and make money from it.
For teens who love playing tennis, becoming a coaching assistant is a great way to make extra cash with a really flexible job. Tennis clubs and camps work around the school calendar so it’s a handy job to fit around your studies and get a bit of practice in yourself while you’re working.
But…
- You do need to be patient to teach properly.
- You will also have to be very enthusiastic and able to motivate people.
- It’s not easy to get to the top – it will take years of training and a fair amount of determination to make a really successful career as a tennis coach.
- Good people skills are essential – so if this doesn’t sound like you, give it a miss!
How to make money teaching tennis
STEP ONE: Starting out
Involve yourself in tennis as soon as possible, and look out for local clubs. Parents should encourage any child that shows an interest in the sport.
Parents and teens should start off by volunteering their time at school or a local tennis club. Volunteer as an assistant to the coaches to get some first-hand experience and those all-important contacts.
Parents who want to help out on a fairly casual basis at a local club or school may not need any qualifications – it depends on the club. BUT you will definitely need a criminal record check to work with children. Check out the Disclosure and Barring Services website for more information, and have a look at our article – What is a DBS check?
STEP TWO: Training and qualifications
There is a fairly set path to becoming a tennis coach – through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). You work your way up through the various LTA courses, and that way you gain both the necessary practical experience and the relevant qualifications.
1.Tennis Leader Award
This is for 14 to 18 year olds and involves 10 hours of course time and 10 hours of practical experience, plus the chance to help out at tennis events and promotional days.
The Tennis Leader Awards are open to all standards of players, including those with a disability. It’s a great starting place if you want to become a coach or a competitor, and will help build up your confidence.
Contact your local LTA county office to find out about a course near you. Sometimes the course is offered for free so do check.
2. Level One Coaching Assistant Qualification
This three-day course is available for anyone aged 16 or over, and gives all the applicants an introduction to coaching, plus help in developing the communication and organisational skills that you’ll need to become a coaching assistant.
This is the ideal qualification for parents who want to take on some extra work in their spare time. Also, a club or school is much more likely to take you on if you have this qualification.
This is also the qualification that any teens will need to start coaching.
The course costs vary by centre. It covers all the skills you need to teach beginners Mini Tennis, as well as health and safety and child protection. After two days of training there’s a three- to six-week break which you use to gain some practical experience assisting a coach and attend a Child Protection workshop (included in the price and organised by the LTA).
You also need to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Enhanced Disclosure form – which again you can get through the LTA. Just send your name and address to [email protected] – it takes about eight weeks to process but you can still take part in the course while you’re waiting.
Go to the LTA website for more information on dates and venues near you and to download an application form.
3. Level Two Community Coach Qualification
This five-day course is available for anyone aged 17 years or older. It builds on all the skills you learn in the Level One course.
Go to the LTA website for more information on dates and venues near you and to download an application form. Prices vary depending on the provider so have a look at what’s available near you.
4. Taking it further
If you want to take your training even further, the next step is the Development Coach Award. This is designed for coaches interested in working with beginners in clubs and schools.
If you pass your DCA and want to move onto the next level you’ll need to obtain a Coaching Licence. The Coach Licensing Scheme is designed to help you develop as a coach and give prospective employers or clients the assurance that you’re a quality coach.
Getting work and making money teaching tennis
Working for a school or club
It’s quite likely that you’ll be able to work at the school or club that you trained in. If this isn’t possible, make use of your contacts. So much of this job is about who you know so try to keep in touch with everyone you meet along the way. Also, get into networking at sporting events, school events and even in the bar at your tennis club!
Here are some useful websites to use to look for work:
Freelancing
This is a really convenient and ultra-flexible way to work. Basically you get to choose when you work, BUT it’s obviously not as stable as a staff job working for a tennis club or school. Also, you’ll have to register yourself as self-employed and fill in a self-assessment form at the end of each tax year, if you make more than just pocket money.
Advertise yourself in newsagents, schools and tennis clubs. Also post an ad on Gumtree advertising your skills, how much you charge, availability and where you would like to work.
It’s a good idea to have a look at websites like Gumtree just to get an idea of how other coaches sell themselves and how much they charge per hour. Then base your ad on those.
Word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to get work so give some friends (and their children) a few free sessions to try and drum up some publicity.
How much can you make?
The amount you could earn really changes depending on which region you’ll be working in. Generally speaking you will earn more in the south of England, and London in particular. So, qualifications and experience will also mean that you can charge more per hour.
Excellent idea if you have a talent for tennis.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am not a UK citizen however I would like to continue my tennis career in Britain. I am a 23 year-old male with 6 years of tennis coaching experience and a Bachelors degree in information technology. I would like to know what steps I should take to be able to start working in the UK as a tennis coach as I am looking forward to continuing my career in tennis.
Thank you
Moamen Nagiub