Having been a part of the Trans World Soccer team for over a year now, there are a few recurring questions that seem to always come up on the trips. The most common of which is “how did you get your job” or sometimes the slightly more pro-active kids go for “can I come and work for you”. It always breaks my heart to inform the pupils on the trip that it’s not as simple as some of them would like, and in fact the sports industry is one of the most competitive there is.
With this in mind the staff at TWS have pulled together our top 5 tips as to what we feel are essential to getting involved in the sports industry, and hopefully into a job that you love. Get your pen and paper ready….
1.GET INVOLVED IN COACHING
Here’s where you can sign up http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=3616
2.VOLUNTEERING GOES A LONG WAY
Whilst working for no pay sounds like a terrible idea, you’d be amazed at how much employers love to see someone with relevant experience. Even if you can only manage one day a month, it’s going to go a long way in the long term and might be what separates your C.V from someone else’s. Here’s a couple of great football charities you could be helping out now – www.footballaid.com & http://www.streetsoccerscotland.org/
3.DON’T FORGET ABOUT UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE
With such a competitive job market in the sports industry, employers are now seeking those with degrees & can easily discount you if you don’t have one. Scotland has a number of great sports courses ranging from coaching and development to business and management. Check out some of the top rated courses here:http://www.whatuni.com/degrees/courses/degree-courses/sports-science-degree-courses-scotland/m/scotland/r/9083/page.html#
4.USE YOUR NETWORK
One thing you’ll find is that the sports network is actually very small and everyone knows everyone. So use your contacts to your advantage, it may be your P.E teacher, football coach or even someone’s older sibling you talk to. Don’t be scared to ask for advice or how they got to where they are, it could be just the advice or motivation you need. There’s nothing more flattering for an adult than to have someone seek their advice & opinion – use this to your benefit.
5.EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING
When I started out on my working life when I was 17, I ended up working in retail in a clothes shop …. not exactly the dream sports job I’d imagined. What I did find was the experience of working in such a fast paced, customer orientated environment did, was give me lots of transferrable skills that I could bring to any job. So when I was in my first ever interview for a sports related job I actually found it was my customer service & communication skills that they were interested in, not my ability to bend in a free kick from 30 yards.
We hope these tips help those of you that are interested in getting involved in the best industry in the world. Sport is big business and with that comes big competition to get involved and be the best at what you do. Use these simple tips to get yourself on the ladder and who knows where in the world you could end up.
