- Anywhere from $30,000 – $100,000 depending on experience. Top elite tennis coach could make over $1 million.
- Head tennis professional or director at a prestigious club can potentially earn six figures a year.
- Experience, qualifications, geographical locations and what type of classes they teach play a significant factor.
Your Guide
Gavin Davison
Since I have personally worked as a tennis coach for a number of years in the past, I feel I am qualified to answer this common question.
For a direct answer, I’d have to say that it depends on the following:
- Where the coach is based
- Their Skill Level, and
- Their CLIENTELE
For example, a coach in the USA will generally be paid much more than a coach in the UK, and of course, this then varies throughout the world too.
I’ll be breaking down all of the factors that impact the EARNINGS of tennis coaches right now, so let’s get started.
5 Factors that Impacting a coaches Earnings
1) Qualifications
Different countries have different coaching qualifications available. However, almost all jurisdictions will base a coach’s earning potential on their qualification level.
Here in the UK, a coach can be anything from a level 1 to a level 5 coach, and I know that this is quite different in the USA.
Basically, the more a coach INVESTS in their career, the more they rise through the ranks, the more they can charge.
After all, one coach can work only so many hours in any given week, so the more they charge per hour, the more they will obviously make overall.
2) Experience
This is a big one in tennis coaching, believe me.
You could be the most qualified coach in the world, but if you’ve never worked at big clubs or managed to create decent players, you won’t have a whole load of CREDIBILITY.
Of course, experience also relates to how long you have been in the game. Although I have to admit, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine!
I’ve seen plenty of coaches within the first 12 months of their career display more APTITUDE than coaches that have been in the game for 20+ years.
I’ve also seen coaches who weren’t great players prove to be fantastic coaches – JUST LOOK AT Richard Williams!
And I’ve witnessed amazing players really struggle with coaching. It all depends on the individual, but the more experienced and the better the CV, the more a coach will make.
3) Geographical Location
As I’ve mentioned, the country a tennis coach works in also impacts how much they will make.
I used to work as a tennis coach in the USA, specifically in New York.
Of course, this is quite an AFFLUENT part of the country and indeed the world.
So naturally, tennis coaches can charge quite a premium for individual and group classes here.
However, if I was to coach tennis in South Carolina, just as an example, I would have been paid around half of the money.
So as you can see, not only does it depend on the country, it also depends on its REGION.
Coming back to the UK, in the North, I know of tennis coaches that will STRUGGLE to make more than £25,000 per year.
But in London, coaches can easily make more than £40,000.
You’ve also got the costs of living in various places that impact this too, but I won’t run into that in great detail.
4) What Classes do They Primarily Teach
As a tennis coach, there are two ways of teaching the game.
You can either teach private lessons or you can teach group lessons.
The former is where a tennis coach makes the most money, mainly because you are then supplying the client with your undivided attention for one hour.
This is the best way of learning and advancing your skills in the game, in my experience, so naturally, the costs involved are higher.
As an example, back in my teaching days in New York, I could charge as much as $100 for a one-hour individual class at a private home.
But here’s an interesting one, if you receive 100% of the PROFIT from a lesson, sure, private lessons are the way to go.
But should you do group classes, where a client might be $30 each, and you’ve got 8 clients on the court, you are suddenly making $240 for one hour?
However, this isn’t always the case – as discussed in my next factor.
5) The Club Tennis Coach Work at and the Structure
A tennis coach’s position at a club is one of their biggest factors, as this usually dictates the cut received from lessons and classes.
I can use my own example again here to highlight this. I was classed as an assistant professional at my club, so while an individual lesson with me was $90, I would only receive $40.
Away from the club, I could charge $100 and receive all of it.
But if I were the club’s director, I could charge $90 and receive the whole thing, while BENEFITING from working at a club with a guaranteed flow of clients.
In terms of group classes, should you be anything but the head pro or a director, you will receive less than the private lessons.
Maybe a group class is bringing in $240 for the club, but if you’re an assistant professional, you will probably get around $30 or $35.
Hopefully, you can see the ENORMOUS IMPACT that a coach’s position in the club has on their earnings!
Final Verdict
Is tennis coaching a good career?
I believe so. You certainly won’t get a better office!
Being OUTDOORS and running around a court all day is much better than being sat in a chair for 40 hours a week.
But in terms of their earnings, the annual income might meet the national average or be a little higher in certain parts of the world.
If the coach is particularly ambitious, however, and they strive to become a head pro or a director at a PRESTIGIOUS CLUB, it’s not at all uncommon for a coach to bring in an income that is well into the six-figure range.
These jobs can be hard to come by, and they aren’t a walk in the park by any means, but hey – it beats an office job in my opinion!
Did you find this article useful? Are you now more aware of what a tennis coach actually makes? Let us know down below!
