Schools sports

Life as a Coach

HE QUIT his full-time teaching job to be a professional coach.

At the time, Justin Teh was a physical education teacher at Outram Secondary School, a form teacher, the teacher in-charge of netball and the netball coach.

'I was this and I was that, and it got to a point where the load was too much,' he said.

Unfortunately, Teh's principal was not able to take away his other duties, and the suggestion was to hire a full-time coach for the netball team instead.

So Teh decided to resign and come back as a paid coach in the school.

Right step

'I took a step out of my comfort zone to see if coaching was what I wanted to do,' he said.

That was in 2001.

Ten years on, and the 40-year-old is still going strong.

He is a member of a fast-growing band of coaches who have taken over training student athletes from full-time teachers.

Most of them are qualified and registered with the National Registry of Coaches, but there are some who are not.

Teh coaches thrice a week at Singapore Chinese Girls' School and twice a week at St Andrew's Junior College. Each training session lasts up to three hours.

He also is a coach adviser at Bukit Panjang Government High.

It is also not uncommon for coaches to take up jobs in more than one school, and sometimes even coach schools in the same zone.

Is there a shortage of school coaches in Singapore?

Explained Teh: 'It can't be helped. The school sports scene is vibrant and there are many schools.'

Though some schools may not like their coaches helping other teams, Teh explained that it was unavoidable as the fees they are paid by one school is not enough to make ends meet.

'Financially, it's very hard for a school sports coach to survive. We have no CPF, no benefits and it's worse if you are paid by the hour,' he said.

When SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) struck in 2003, training sessions were cancelled and coaches, especially those paid by the hour, suffered.

Stability

'I was not paid during this period and almost 'died',' said Teh.

Now, he prefers to be given a monthly salary as it offers more stability.

When he started coaching back in 2001, his pay was $35 per hour. Each training session was two hours, so that amounted to $70 per day.

'I was married for only a few years and had no kids then, so it was OK for me to try,' he said.

He managed to stay afloat as his wife was working, and his church offered him a part-time job as a technical resource coordinator in the music department.

A coach's pay ranges from $40 to $70 per hour. This is the same for both private and government schools.

Dunman High School, which employs quite a few coaches, said that different coaches are hired on different terms.

According to the school, some coaches receive fees for every player they coach, and that can be drawn from the individual's Edusave.

Teh estimates that a coach's monthly salary can range from $1,500 to $5,000 a month.

Experience, qualifications and results are some of the factors that influence how much a coach gets.

Registration

In order to be registered under the National Registry of Coaches (NROC), one has to go through the National Coaching Accreditation Programme (NCAP).

It consists of two components: theory and technical. There are also three levels in NCAP, with Level 3 being the highest.

This programme is run by the Singapore Sports Council, and is for coaches of all sports.

They learn about the role of the coach, mental skills training, sports nutrition and tactics, among other things.

For Teh, on top of the NCAP, he underwent an umpiring course by Netball Singapore.

It is not compulsory, but he took the course to better understand the game.

Said Teh: 'I don't think I can change which sport I coach now. In order to be a good coach, you really need to spend time learning about the game and all its intricacies.'

Last year, he set up Crossroad Sport Solution, a company hiring two full-time coaches and two part-time coaches.

He said that there are more of such companies these days, compared to when he started out, where almost every coach was freelancing.

The company exists for the synergy that comes from working with others, and also to develop the next generation of coaches.

'Of course, it also makes good financial sense,' he added.

All his staff are his ex-players, and all are female.

When asked if his wife gets jealous of him spending so much time with girls, he said: 'So far, no complaints. Either she is very confident in herself, or she is very confident in me.'

Or both, he cheekily added.

SCHOOLS NATIONAL TRAMPOLINE CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS:

BOYS

1 April 2011, Friday