swimming coach

Jack of Sports

Unfortunately, I could go on and on about my poor experience working for Jack of Sports. I had friends that worked for the camp the summer before and were paid above minimum wage at $12.50 an hour (min wage at that time was still 11.50). However, the summer after when I worked.. minimum wage increased to $14 an hour and so to compensate for loss of revenue Jack of Sports switched to a weekly pay of under $400 for working 40+ hours so I was making $9-10 an hour, which they did not tell us was going to be the case until the week we started which was a huge blow as I expected better pay. 
The summer camp also has swimming slots everyday for the kids, on my first day I was informed each coach had the role of instructing a certain swim group level. I was never asked if I could even swim MYSELF!!! Of course I could, but I never really took swim lessons growing up and obviously was not equipped to teach children how to swim! I even had a co-worker (another coach) that didn’t know how to swim herself!! I was working along side Larry’s son for one week in the summer, he was very sweet however, when he saw I wasn’t formally teaching the kids how to swim he called me out and I said “I’ve literally never done this and don’t know how” he responded with “just make it look like you’re doing something.” 
There was another week that I was one of the Bike coaches, we were given maps/routes to take the kids in the streets of toronto! Some of them were extremely busy main streets with poor bike lanes. There were a few routes that I felt extremely uncomfortable taking the kids on (mind you they were as young as 9 years old!!!) I’m a very athletic woman and some of the hills were even hard for me, I felt like I was leading these kids into an adult cycling route. The camp manager pressured us (myself and the co-coach) to take a new route everyday to push the kids and it was uncomfortable to do so.... some of these routes were 2+ hours of riding for these young kids in the blazing heat. Yes we had marked spots to stop and rest but were also under a time restriction because we had to get back in time for the bus for the daily swim lessons that we had to drive to. There was one particular day were we took an extremely long route, I was leading, the kids were in single file behind me and my co coach was at the end of the line, as we were instructed to have this formation. We had one kid fall into the road on Royal York with cars passing constantly, extremely stressful for both the coaches and kids. He was such a good sport and picked himself up to keep going! The route was so long, we were going to be late and miss the swimming bus so we called the manager. He said “do whatever you can to get back here on time”. I was exhausted myself, some of the kids were in the verge of tears. Thankfully they were a very strong and kind group of kids! We had to ride along Bloor street with NO BIKE LANES and parked cars which could open and knock a kid over. We rode from Royal York and Bloor to Bloor and Dundas..... EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!! Just to get to Bishop Morraco in time for swimming. Our camp was at Runneymede school but swimming always at Bishop... we missed the bus, and to make up for it we had to ride there instead. I was extremely upset and frustrated at management for creating this route, pushing us to go, and then when it was taking too long because the kids were young and tired tell us to do whatever we can to get back to the school in time for swimming. I was so impressed with the kids, they pushed through with little complaining compared to the difficulty of the route. I was so tired myself. All of them had beat red faces, exhausted, dehydrated.... etc. I can’t quite remember what transpired after that when talking to management but I remember being stern and saying these routes were extremely inappropriate and dangerous for the kids and put us as coaches in severely compromising situations. I was so thankful that no one was seriously injured because honestly it was so dangerous even drivers were giving us odd looks like “why on earth are these kids with Jack of Sports shirts cycling on such busy streets.” I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly but I vaguely remember maybe someone had called the office in regards to our biking group out of concern... having seen us out on the streets. If it was up to me I would have NEVER EVER taken those kids out like that... they were exhausting routes even for 19 yr old athletic individuals!! Mind you, I am almost certain none of the parents of the kids knew the severity of the routes and the conditions the kids were put in. None of the parents complained so I can only assume none of the kids were too distraught, however to me that just says they didn’t fully understand how dangerous the routes were. One of the most stressful jobs I have had.
Another experience I had while working was that there was talk amongst the coaches about a $50,000 grant that Larry had been given by the government to employ more students that needed jobs, one of the requirements of the grant is that you pay your employees minimum wage. None of us had any idea of the grant until there was talk that government reps came and asked some of the coaches questions and took the grant away for obvious reasons... we were severely underpaid. One of the managers told me about it and said not to say a word about it. We were never paid more and I don’t think Larry suffered any repercussions from doing this other than the $50,000 grant being taken away. He was essentially stealing. Disgusting. At the pools, the lifeguards worked for Hack of Sports and were paid WAY MORE than the coaches whom had to be with the kids all day from 8-4. Sometimes 6pm if the kids had paid to stay later because parents worked late.... of course we never received extra pay for that. 
Another thing was that at the end of the summer, our work shirts were expected to be RETURNED!!!! Those shirts we had sweated in everyday for 8 weeks, of course they were cleaned frequently but they did not inform us of that requirement until the last week when I had received an email that we would need to return the shirts to some drop off destination.... we had to drive and drop them off or else we would be charged $30 out of our last pay check! I was already back at school in another city at this point and in the middle of moving student houses. There was no way for me to return the shirt especially the fact that this had just come to my attention!! I was charged. 
The company itself from a costumer standpoint has great reviews! I certainly tried to make the experience enjoyable for my kids. However, the mistreatment of the staff and Larry’s extreme disregard for the experience of his staff members just show how driven by money and ratings this company is. It’s great that Larry wanted a quality camp and he really cared about the kids and wanted them to have a great experience. It is just very disappointing that the staff was so poorly treated as a result. To this day when I see a Jack of Sports car I roll my eyes. I really wish I didn’t have this experience! I still loved being with the kids and out in the sun and playing sports but this company is awful to its employees.

- THEY TRAIN YOU!!!!!
-lesson guidelines and curriculum are expected to be followed and familiarized.
-management is mediocre. (i had a wetsuit issue during my first season but it rarely happens to most coaches)
-your coworkers are 99% chill people and your supervisors are real humans you can talk to and form a bond with (your admin is your friend)
-the hardest part of the job is talking to parents about children's progress (or lack thereof). most parents trust the coach however you will encounter helicopter parents (i can only advise you know your stuff, and have something resembling evidence to back it up ex expectations for a level 4 swimmer)
-the nicest part of the job is my coworkers, season end parties and the happiness parents come to me with when they tell me how proud they are of their kid's progress! its so rewarding.
-YOU WILL BE IN THE POOL. it can be really physically demanding. prepare for it, eat something, and go over lesson plans.

The most enjoyable part of this job is the campers. That is the only reason to pursue this.  At the end of the day, there were many situations where management and other staff were immature and unreliable.  They kept themselves at a distance to a point where employees feel uncomfortable to talk to them.  Not to mention that fact that you are paid $11/hr.  Anyone who is considering applying here should try and look elsewhere. Some other options that are much more professional include: Toronto Parks and Rec, Harbourfront, and more. The management would often give a weeks notice for a mandatory training session, and would force anyone who couldn't make it because of a prior engagement to change their plans.  Essentially, just don't work here. 2/5 would not recommend.

While there are some nice people, ive come across quite a few judgy coworkers/bosses. It’s a hierarchy where you’re respected based on how long you’ve been working with the company and how many people you know. Despite their reputation for being superior to Toronto parks & recreation, they let people with little to no training teach kids how to swim. Not only is there inadequate training for coaches, but they expect poorly trained coaches to be the best. Not to mention, there is extreme disorganization & irresponsibility within the company, the number of times I’ve witnessed my bosses/coworkers screw up their jobs, then have those same people shame me for any small error/inconvenience is ridiculous. I could honestly go on forever about how problematic this company is. 

The best way to succeed  in this company is to be dating or related to someone at the top. There is no room for growth at JOS. The management team loves to micromanage and they blame all of their unorganization and hiring mistakes on you. If the camp is doing poorly they refuse to think its their fault. They do not believe in change or flexibility. If you don't show up in black shorts they will lecture you on it and not let it go. They are so focused on small things like shorts that counsellors are wearing and cannot even fathom that there is lack of equipment, lack of staff, lack of training, and lack of organization and structure to make the camp run. 

Freezing Cold pools, you will teach much larger classes than you expected, they won’t pay you properly. If you reach out regarding missed hours you will be ignored by managers. They are not understanding about sick days and I have seen someone’s shift been taken away from them because they were in the hospital sick. They will pretty much hire any living body that knows how to swim but then expect them to be Olympic swim coaches to large groups of kids up to 8. No interview required you are pretty much hired in the spot if you are able to swim. I not only did not get paid for various hours i worked , I did not get paid for several tiring hours of training. 

Working as a Swim Coach at Jack of Sports has been a fantastic experience. The combination of a supportive work environment, professional development opportunities, excellent facilities, and the chance to make a positive impact on swimmers' lives makes this position truly exceptional. I highly recommend Jack of Sports to any aspiring swim coach looking for a fulfilling and rewarding career.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great pay, lots of oppourtunity foor further growth, nice coworkers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Feedback from the bosses/ people in charge. Got screamed at once for no reason...

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Come in for my shift 30 mins earlier, snacks are provided sometimes, 5 min break in between 55 min classes.

very fun work days with over 60 kids per day, enthusiastic work team and the kids bring a lot of joy. 
Jack of Sports has made me a bigger human being and a better employ, they have offer me the chance of growing within the company by assigning different responsibilities, that get more challenging every day, making it more fun

good workmates, good kids (not always great parents), good superiors, bad superiors, descent pay for students. excellent training initiatives, lot's of coach resources available. owners very enthusiastic but the company is pretty well rounded. Fit my high school schedule comfortably.

Working at Jack of Sports: company overview and reviews

Jack of Sports

Jack of Sports ratings

Popular jobs at Jack of Sports

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected