Coaching, first aid, massage, rehab programming, writing and all of the things that I do are skills that have to be practised, (that’s why these blogs aren’t very good - I’m new to it). You can learn all of the theory, but you need to actually do it if you want to improve. I’ve no references here but I don’t think many people will argue.
In my first year at university studying sports science we were required to do a period of 'work expedience’. I did a couple of weeks with the fitness coach at a professional rugby team. (I think I’ve aged myself straight away with terms such as ‘work experience’ and ‘fitness coach’, everybody ‘interns’ in ‘Human Performance Departments’ now, but that’s another point.) I came to the training sessions, observed, joined in and helped as best I could. As a first year student I admit my contribution wasn’t great and I could have done so many thing so much better, but that’s part of the learning experience. This was, for example, my very first introduction to Olympic weightlifting, which 15 years later I would start to compete in. During the next holidays I voluntarily went back to the club for another couple of weeks, again I didn’t really get my hands on many players, but as a new guy I wouldn’t expect to have much influence over professional players at the top of their league.
I was an athlete myself, I trained with a squad at my university and gradually started to take more responsibility for the physical development of the athletes, whilst the coach looked after the technical skills.
During my second year I also completed a sports massage diploma, for which one of the requirements was 100 practise hours. Again the group of athletes with whom I trained came in very handy and I also went to events and tournaments to try and increase my expose to different athletes, different sports, different competitions and get my hours in.
None of this was paid, nor would I expect it to be and I will be eternally grateful to the athletes, coaches and players who allowed me to practise and taught me so much.
Then came the next step - I was qualified and wanted to work. Other things got in the way of the normal graduate job search - a six month climbing trip to South America overran and in that time my girlfriend moved to the Netherlands and I followed her there. I continued to do the odd bit of sports massage but it wasn't my job. When we moved to the south of France I wanted to get back into the sporting world, with rugby being the obvious choice given the area. I wrote to a number of clubs and two responded - one in the Top 14, the other Pro D2. Luckily I could combine the offers, attending home matches and two training sessions per week with the Pro D2 team and home matches with the Top 14 team, in both cases as a masseur. The money wasn’t great but the point is there was money - I was qualified, doing a job and getting paid for it.
I learnt a massive amount at the clubs, the Pro D2 team especially and with them I started to attend gym sessions, recovery sessions and getting more and more involved. By my second season I would be doing massage, taping etc. before a session, then doing rehab work with injured players whilst the others were on the pitch, and doing treatments again after training. In other words I was a full time, fully integrated member of the medical team. I was still a junior member, not really given any responsibility, but I was working, getting paid and gaining massive amounts of experience.
Years later I volunteered at the Olympic and Paralympic games in London. The entry requirements were high but the pay was non-existent. I knew going in that there was no pay and I was fortunate to have friends living in the area so I didn’t have to pay for accommodation, but I had to drop the offer of the Olympics as to do both was just too great a time commitment. We worked hard there, really hard and a feeling started to grow that it wasn’t fair that the litter pickers and dish washers were paid, building and service companies were making massive amounts of money and yet we were there working with the top athletes and whilst out on first aid duty in the park literally saving lives, yet we got nothing and had to pay if we wanted a drink supplied by a major sponsor.
I’ve seen a lot of adverts coming out of the UK since then saying things like “come and gain experience with us”. When I went to the excellent Assess, Treat, Manage, Perform event in Manchester last year I was shocked by how far the culture of ‘interns” had gone. Each period of my work experience was measured in weeks, these kids were committing to years. There were even stories of experienced coaches asking for money for a meeting. You had too pay to have a cup of coffee with somebody! I agree that you should buy the coffee of the person who has been generous enough to spare you half an hour. If you ask something of them, like to write a program, you have to pay, but to just chat, that seems too much. It has to be a two way street though, you have to go into such meetings with a purpose, with questions you want answered and questions that might cause the coach to do some reflection - so it’s a beneficial experience for both of you. Listen to some of the excellent podcasts by the likes of Rob Pacey for examples of question that make the coach stop and go ”hmmmmm”.
You needs to get out there, work and volunteer to gain experience. Go and coach kids at the local village team, provide massage to a bunch of fun-runners who’s cause you believe in, shadow a physio in their clinic, but if you are qualified and sign a contract to work ten hours a day, six days a week for a season or more then it’s a job and you should be paid. If a team comes into my facility and wants me to run a session for them, I want to be paid. ‘Experience’ won’t pay for the electricity, the cleaning lady or the hot water in the showers. Of course I might invite them in and use it as advertising but that’s another matter and has to be by mutual consent. When I say advertising though, please note that doing a one hour mobility session with a team does not make you their 'movement coach'.
I was struggling with work load recently and somebody suggested I get a student in. It’s something I’d like to do, but I couldn’t offer them a learning experience, it wouldn’t have been a benefit to them, just free labour for me and I wasn’t willing to do that. If a student approached me this week I could organise something of mutual benefit.
So in conclusion, don’t be shy with volunteering, but don’t get taken advantage of. Don’t expect to be programming for a pro-team and getting paid mega-bucks for it in your first job, you have to work your way up. Then, when you do get to the top and an 18 year old wants to ask you for a friendly chat, please remember all of the people who helped you along the way.