Basketball Coaching Jobs at HoopLife: What the Work Actually Is
Most coaching job ads tell you nothing about the actual job. This one tells you the hours, the money, the three different roles, and the parts people quit over.
- Three different jobs: weekly sessions in Regina, a league team in Regina, and travel clinics across North America.
- Regina coaching pays $15 to $25 an hour depending on experience, evenings and weekends, 15 to 40 hours a week.
- Travel clinic coaching pays $20 to $35 an hour plus bonuses, with flights, hotels and living expenses covered.
- Both roles are open as full-time or part-time. Plenty of our coaches do this alongside school or another job.
Most basketball coaching job ads are a wall of adjectives. Passionate. Dynamic. Energetic. You read the whole thing and still have no idea what you would actually be doing on a Tuesday night, or what lands in your bank account.
So here is the honest version.
There is not one coaching job here, there are three
People apply thinking "basketball coach" is one thing. At HoopLife it is three quite different jobs, and the right one for you depends mostly on what your week looks like.
1. Weekly skills sessions in Regina
One-hour sessions, year round, for boys and girls aged 7 to 17, split into beginner and advanced groups. You are on the floor teaching, correcting, running drills and keeping the energy up. Sessions are capped small on purpose, so you are actually coaching individual kids rather than managing a crowd.
This is the most consistent work. Same nights, same faces, and you watch a kid get visibly better over months. The full posting is here.
2. A HoopLife League team in Regina
You take a team through a 10-week season: weekly games, practices, playoffs and the all-star night. Some coaches lead more than one team.
This is the closest thing to traditional coaching we offer, and it is the one where you have the biggest effect on a specific group of kids, because they are yours for the season. Every league night also includes a 30-minute training block and a confidence and leadership workshop that you run with your own team.
3. Travel clinics across North America
This is the one people do not expect. HoopLife runs clinics in communities across Canada and the United States, a large share of them in First Nations communities. Coaches fly or drive out, run a weekend of basketball, and come home.
Roughly 6 to 12 hours of coaching per weekend, ages 7 to 17, beginner through elite. Flights, hotels and living expenses are covered by HoopLife. You can do one clinic here and there or you can do this most weekends. The full posting is here.
What it pays
- Regina coaching: $15 to $25 an hour, based on experience. Evenings and weekends, 15 to 40 hours a week, full-time or part-time.
- Travel clinics: $20 to $35 an hour plus bonuses, with travel, flights and living expenses covered. Flexible, 10 to 40-plus hours a week.
The travel role requires American or Canadian citizenship, because of the border crossing.
The parts of the job nobody advertises
You will set up and tear down equipment. You will wipe down the gym. You will be at the door doing high fives with kids and talking to parents who want to know how their child is doing. None of that is beneath anybody here, including the people who own the place.
If "no task too small" reads as a red flag to you rather than a description of a functioning gym, this is not going to be a good fit, and that is fine.
Who actually does well here
The best coaches we have hired were not always the best players. The pattern is closer to this: they are still in decent shape, they can hold a room of eleven-year-olds, they take feedback without getting precious about it, and they genuinely like kids. The X's and O's are teachable. That list mostly is not.
We have hired university players, former high school standouts, teachers, and people who simply never stopped playing rec ball. Experience with the game matters. A professional playing career does not.
How to actually apply
Both roles are on our careers page. It is a short form and a resume, and a real person reads it. If you are unsure which of the three roles fits, apply to the one closest and say so in the application. We would rather move you to the right job than lose you.
Frequently asked questions
What does a basketball coach get paid at HoopLife?
Coaching in Regina pays $15 to $25 an hour based on experience. Travel clinic coaching pays $20 to $35 an hour plus bonuses, with flights, hotels and living expenses covered. Both are listed in full on the careers page.
Can I coach part-time around school or another job?
Yes, and many of our coaches do. Regina sessions run evenings and weekends, from 15 hours a week upward. Travel clinics can be as little as one weekend here and there.
Do I need coaching experience to apply?
You need real experience with the game and the ability to hold a group of kids. Formal coaching credentials help but are not the deciding factor. We train our coaches on our own curriculum.
Do I need to live in Regina?
For the weekly sessions and the league, yes, those are in person at the HoopLife Centre. Travel clinic coaches can be based anywhere in Canada or the United States, and must be a citizen of one of the two.
Not sure where your kid fits?
Leave your name and email and a HoopLife coach will help you work it out. Or start with the $10 Get Started package: a planning meeting with a Director plus their first session.
