All things together, it’s been an active week on the job front.

At the head coach level, I applied for a Division III head coach position in my old stomping grounds. It’s a job I’ve gone back and forth over for a few different reasons. Decent program in a place I might be inclined to settle in for the long haul should I decide to go that direction. Probably not a great position if I’m thinking in terms of a career progression. There’s also an income tradeoff question relative to non-volleyball options. In the end I decided that I can always say “No thanks” if I end up not liking the situation or whatever.

I found out another Division III program in the Northeast is opening up due to the head coach retiring. It’s in the category of elite academic institutions, which makes it quite interesting for me. I sent a message to the outgoing coach asking about the job. She and I used to cross paths from time to time. I’m waiting on a reply.

At the assistant level, in the last week I applied for a pair of Division I assistant positions in the Southeast, and for a Division II assistant position in the Southwest. I also put in for a Division I position in the Northeast in the same conference one of my reference coaches. I was hoping he would get some insight into things for me before I applied, but it sounds like instead he was looking to pitch me. Kind of awkward when I hadn’t submitted my resume yet, which I then had to quickly do. 🙂

Never did hear back following my phone interview, so it was no surprise to find out that SMU went with someone else for assistant coach. No real complaint as he looks a pretty solid choice.

Also on the didn’t get list is the Division I assistant jobs at North Dakota State and Southeast Missouri, and the Division II assistant gig at Western Oregon. Also the Division III head job at Knox College. and the Division II head position at Newman University. The latter stimulated some online chatter (including from the contact to told me of the opening) as new coach hired has only high school and club coaching experience – and only a handful of seasons at that.

Internationally, a contact of mine in Germany put me in touch with an Australian coach he knows in Sweden who has recently stepped down from the professional women’s team he’s been leading. Said Aussie encouraged me to connect with the club about the position, so I’ve sent an email. Got a note back from the team manager saying there’s a fair bit of interest and that he will get back in touch when they decide on the direction they want to take.

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John Forman
John Forman

John is currently the Talent Strategy Manager (oversees the national teams) and Indoor Performance Director for Volleyball England, as well as Global Director for Volleyball for Nation Academy. His volleyball coaching experience includes all three NCAA divisions, plus Junior College, in the US; university and club teams in the UK; professional coaching in Sweden; and both coaching and club management at the Juniors level. He's also been a visiting coach at national team, professional club, and juniors programs in several countries. Learn more on his bio page.

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