Turning Down The Perfect Job

I recently rejected an offer to go back to Asia and become the Head of Youth Development for the national league champions of that country. Even as I write that sentence I ask myself, 'why?'

The answer is both simple and complex. To step into the role of Head of Youth Development would be a great one, to step into the same role for a national league champion would be fantastic; and to be involved with a club involved in continental competition in that function could be...perfect. However, what would you need to give for that role? I'm familiar with a number of countries in Asia and have previously worked in this particular one, but not the region. That didn't bother me, I've taken that particular leap of faith before. Where this did become more complex was the scale of what the club wanted. They wanted: a newly created coaching philosophy for the club, for me to develop a club structure and coaching methodology to guide the club for "a long time", development of a training plan for each age group within the club, creation of an individual player evaluation form and individual development plans for youth players, creation of a scouting methodology, counselling of academy players, education of coaches in talent identification, implement general coach education sessions, oversee the holiday camp programme, and on and on.

It seemed like a clean slate, a club that I could help shape for the future and be part of for Long Term Player Development. But, the contract was for 1 year. That list seemed like a large undertaking for what could potentially be a single season. The landscape got slightly muddier when I was told the club owner was a micromanager and somewhat of a loose cannon (I did confirm this with two other sources as I didn't want to make a decision based purely on hearsay). Numerous national association charges lie on the rap sheet of the owner and this did give me pause for thought too. Up-managing committee and board members is something that I've done in the past but if you need to dedicate significant amounts of time to that instead of your contracted duties, you will run into trouble.

At that point in time, the job was a large scale project in a short timeframe with an overbearing boss. Doable? Yes. Ideal? No. So what else comes into play? Well, no matter how much we love the game and coaching, if it is to be treated as a profession, we need to talk about salary. Things started to come undone at this point. The total take home pay for this role was £7900 for the year (at the exchange rate when this was typed). Accommodation was provided but there was no mention of transport or a phone, there were no bonuses included and no room for negotiating the salary.

I've had profitable contracts and inauspicious contracts but the scope of this role and the pay seemed completely out of proportion. If the contract had 4 weeks of holiday time, and fell under a 40 hour working week, that hourly rate would be £4.11. How many full-time coaches actually work for 40 hours a week? We think about coaching at breakfast, lunch and dinner, in the shower, lying in bed at night, it's certainly more than a normal Monday to Friday, 9-5 job. And that's where I drew the line.

I got my first coaching certificate at 16 years old and have been coaching, in some capacity, ever since. Over half my life has been spent building my knowledge, my experience, my qualifications to reach a level where I am confident and comfortable taking on a Head of Youth Development role. I value the offer, and am grateful that someone at that level of play thinks I could perform those duties to the required level however; I also value myself and do not wish to devalue all my time and effort in gaining my qualifications and experience for a position that could be very short lived.

I believe a coach must understand what they need from a contract, what they want from a contract, what they are willing to give up in negotiations, what they expect from the employer, and what is expected from them. The one thing that I have't touched on but is massively important is your personal situation. Are you young, single and can take a lower paying job to get experience without having to look after a family, or are you older with a wife and kids, and need a certain level of income? If you can answer all those questions and the position still seems attractive...dive in!

(Originally published on 17th July 2018)

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