soccer coach

instructor

early childhood instructor

coach

kids coach

Soccer-Shots

Absolutely disappointed with my brief experience at Soccer Shots. Upon being hired, there was an overwhelming sense of positive energy. But by my second and third shifts, it took a drastic turn. The warm welcomes faded and the atmosphere became cold and aloof. Despite my hard work and genuine effort to keep everyone happy, I was abruptly removed from the schedule without a heads up. They never gave me a clear reason for my termination. They simply stated I wasn’t “a good fit for the field” – a vague rationale that left me baffled. If there’s a decision to let someone go, clarity and professionalism are paramount.  Inquiries about this decision were met with evasiveness and a lack of professionalism.

Moreover, the work environment felt judgmental and cliquey. It's disheartening to feel out of place based on socio-economic backgrounds, especially when my focus was on providing a positive experience for the kids – who, by the way, were the only rays of sunshine during this ordeal. They deserved better than some of the coaches they were getting.

One incident stood out: Due to circumstances beyond my control, including juggling multiple jobs and moving homes, I couldn’t wear the designated shoes for one day. I communicated this to a coach, who assured me it was fine. Yet later, I was reprimanded for this very reason. It felt like a stab in the back.

It's crucial to highlight the significance of respect in a workplace. I am no rookie; I've faced tough days, managed multiple jobs, and always gave my best, but the treatment I received here was unwarranted and borderline disrespectful. No one should ever be subjected to this kind of hostility. I loved the kids, and some parents were a delight to interact with, but the internal dynamics of this organization left a lot to be desired. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to work here.

I truly enjoyed working here solely for the purpose of working with young children and bonding with them. This job was an incredible opportunity to make lasting memories and connections with young students and their families. I also met a number of individuals who made awesome coworkers, and the pay for this job is really good. 

That being said, management completely destroyed my admiration for the job. They are absolutely corrupt and quite manipulative. I was adamant about my priorities as a student upon being hired and I was promised that it would not be an issue during my employment. Nonetheless, it became the biggest issue and I was often confronted for my limited hours when submitting work availability in between seasons as I did not meet their needs--even though I made it clear that I was a full-time college student from the start. Several of my coworkers quit before me for similar reasons, as they felt extremely unsupported and exhausted from the job (due to management). 

Management has very bitter and condescending attitudes towards their employees, and it has costed them several employees for this reason. Despite the fact that I would cover shifts for other employees who called out last minute (several times), gave my maximum amount of available hours to work due to their demanding pressure, and worked hard to promote and establish the goals of this company to the best of my efforts, I was still met with hurtful and toxic treatment; especially towards the end of my employment when I became more busy with school. 

On top of all of this, they managed to completely belittle and disregard me when I requested time off for important reasons and they used the benefits that they offered against me, as if to insinuate that I should be grateful for their support when they literally provided nothing more than the minimum. 

Although I genuinely loved this job because of my students and their families, I would advise against working here to anyone, as management is toxic and forceful. What was a beautiful experience for me turned into a very mentally taxing and exhausting job that in the end, I was very eager to resign from. 

Overview - Soccer Shots is a great job for those needing a flexible schedule (why many college students do it), good pay rate (in my area we also have opportunities for raises and bonuses) and a supportive environment (the staff is on call if we need help, and do all the admin work so we can just show up and coach).
Mental Stamina - If you have another job along with it, it’s not too mentally exhausting (if you already work with kids, or are overburdened by homework or another job, it’s a nice change up). I say this because there’s not a ton of problem solving involved, the sessions are less than an hour, and it's easy to move on with your day. However, if you’re doing a lot of sessions back to back, have certain groups that are hard behaviorally, and/or driving a lot, it can definitely be tiring— but, if you’re communicating those things with the staff, scheduling, amount of sessions you prefer, driving, etc., they’ve worked well with me on that. 
Curriculum - The curriculum is routined enough to be memorable, and varies enough to be educational and fun for the kids. After having used the curriculum for a few seasons, you begin to figure out your techniques and how to gauge the group you’re coaching to adjust to what they need. 
Evaluations - You’ll also get evaluated regularly, which has helped push me become a better coach and employee— the feedback and accountability is usually helpful. Can evaluations make you nervous and make you study the curriculum extra hard? Yeah, but like you’ll tell the kids— try your best, you got this. 

Hopefully this was helpful, those are the biggest areas I think of when I think of Soccer Shots. Hope to see you on the field! 

A typical day at work consisted of driving to scheduled session, setting up equipment, greeting the director of the site (school or church) and picking up up children. After picking up the rostered children from class, a quick bathroom break was offered to the children and then you would lead them to where the equipment had been set up. The session would begin and continue with a high energy level and positive attitude. Once the session was completed, prizes would be given and then back to class you would take the children back to class!
     I learned much about the behavior of children and how to handle positive and negative situations. The coaching techniques I acquired from soccer shots are invaluable. Working with the teachers in the schools also made for a great learning experience of preschool development sites are and how they function.
    My co workers were always positive and helpful. The management was ALWAYS available for problems or guidance. The rules and expectations are set clear and easy to follow.
     The hardest part of the job is dealing with a problem child when there is not a teacher or teacher's assistant to help alleviate the problem. The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing the children grow and develop, not just soccer skills but also in character.

I would like to thank the owners of the company for giving me the opportunity to work with them while I was there.

The most enjoyable part is that the workplace culture is very welcoming between employees. I learned a lot and gained new connections along the way that will last a lifetime.

The hardest part was coping with the demand along with the everyday work. Being 'burned our' was a consistent feeling voiced among staff from when I stated to when I finished. Sacrifices go unnoticed but your personal growth blossoms.

Management has a business ambition that overlaps those not in the top, searching to exceed numbers by changing roles and adding responsibilities that push their staff to their limit. These are often presented in over-saturated meetings. Although few have been able to cope with their demand and doing a great job, the turn-over rate was substantial.

There are some good intentions of management providing avenues of growing with the company but their pressure of continuous growth deteriorates the everyday quality of all aspects of the job.

This is a good job:
-If you are looking to become a teacher and currently doing Child Development in college.
-Have a reliable car to drive.
-Have a passion to teach 2-10 years old

Soccer Shots Houston is honestly such a fun place to work. The environment is positive and you genuinely like your co-workers. The job is all about being kind, silly, and energetic to keep children entertained while teaching new skills, so you know going in that you aren’t going to be working with a bunch of grumps like some other jobs. The pay is great, especially compared to other childcare programs, and full-time coaches get healthcare benefits which is rare and a huge plus. 

Now, that said, some might not realize that in addition to teaching soccer, this job comes with the challenges of childcare. Some groups can be more challenging than others and take more patience. Fortunately, Soccer Shots Houston provides plenty of training on how to better connect with your players and you are part of a team who are always happy to share their tips on how they have successfully navigated similar situations.

I highly recommend Soccer Shots Houston to anyone who is looking for a fun job with good benefits, who is patient and genuinely enjoys working with children, and is interested in personal and professional growth. If you tick all those boxes, you will love working here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Everyone that works for soccer shots is so nice and so positive. All of the kids are so great and it’s so fun! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Classes with multiple special needs kids

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is friendly and funny. There are high expectations from management but they are so nice and make everything fun

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I generally coach classes alone but occasionally with another coach. We arrive 20 mins before the start of the class to set up our field and recheck rosters. We play with the kids as they show up at a public site, or we get the kids from their classes at private locations. We coach the lesson (every week is different) and either talk with the parents at the public site or return kids to their classroom. Sometimes there are multiple classes, sometimes we have to go to a second location to coach another class. We clean up our fields and submit attendance.

I arrive 15min before class begins to set up the soccer field, prepare water and have all equipment ready. After, I pull children out of there classrooms for the soccer shots session and check in each child from the roster. Once all the children are outside you follow the soccer shots curriculum for that specific day. The typical lesson of the day consist of a word of the day, a technical drill to improve touch, two fun games with the ball and at the end a scrimmage. There was great communication with the managers and employees. All my co-workers were enthusiastic, fun and very hard working. The hardest part of the job is teaching 3 year olds to not take there own teammates ball when scrimmaging. The most enjoyable part of the job was playing alongside the children because I'm a soccer player and you could see the passion for the game in most of the small kids.

Spirit and type of approach to kids is excellent, 3 star is a credit for the great execution
Pro
- Friendly atmosphere
- Detailed training provided
- Fun if you like play with kids
Cons
- Hard to make money - not only for living, but even to compensate your time ! Especially during training period
- Single short sessions (1-2 Hour) with big gaps and traveling between sessions. On average you could expect 1-2 sessions per day. Will break your day in pieces
- Travel hours not paid at all
- Session preparation time and after session time not paid (At least 30 min). After session time partially including in total session time, but still you must to appear at least 20 minutes before session and make preparations
- Computer training hours will not be paid (3-5 Hours)
- Kids often misbehave or simply don't listening
- Extensive paperwork and medical to get in, full background check. Hours (including travel) which will be spend for that will be not be paid (4-6 Hours)

they bait you with the pay rare then you barely get hours. most days I'd drive out of my area (15-20 mins 1 way) just to work for an hour max. I was asked twice a week to cover other people's shifts. they have team meetings that are an hour away to go over things that could have been conveyed through a zoom call. constantly having to work in poor weather conditions. they'd say it's "light rain" and expected you to stand outside and work if anyone showed up. no ppe or rain gear. I was given 1 work shirt that I had to wear 4 days a week while out running around with kids.
most if the staff have never played soccer before...
I had great reviews, great attendance, always helping cover shifts when asked but yet I was let go without word. last time I heard from anyone in management I was told they were still figuring out enrollment for the next season. that was in November 2023, never received notice of termination they just block my access to to company portals. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Soccer coach 2891 salaries reported	$22.64 per hour
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Coach 114 salaries reported	$19.20 per hour
Kids coach 99 salaries reported	$22.80 per hour

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