What is a job coach and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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A job coach is primarily responsible for showing employees and potential employers how to improve their strengths and weaknesses for success. As a job coach, you should be professionally educated and experienced in helping clients, especially those with disabilities, improve their strengths and skills and work on their weaknesses. Since you will be working with people in need of counseling on how to advance their careers, you must develop and implement an effective coaching strategy. Also, you should be able to communicate with your client to know their career goals. This way, you can help them overcome their limitations, motivate them to improve themselves and supervise the client's progress.

Good communication, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, ability to motivate, time management, and organizational skills are the skills required to be a job coach. As a job coach, you are also required to have at least a bachelor's degree, preferably in counseling, psychology, or human services. Most clients will also require you to have relevant experience, especially while working with a client with disabilities. Your average salary per month is $2,295 or $27,545 per annum.

ScoreJob CoachUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $37,372

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
9.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 64.73%

male 35.27%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
9.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Job Coach career paths

Key steps to become a job coach

  1. Explore job coach education requirements

    Most common job coach degrees

    Bachelor's

    50.4 %

    Associate

    19.1 %

    High School Diploma

    14.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific job coach skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Developmental Disabilities12.77%
    CPR10.86%
    Rehabilitation8.41%
    Customer Service6.53%
    Mental Health5.19%
  3. Complete relevant job coach training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New job coaches learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a job coach based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real job coach resumes.
  4. Research job coach duties and responsibilities

    • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
    • Educate teens with autism and intellectual disabilities on workplace skills such as communication, problem solving, developing independence
    • Train and certify in CPR.
    • Train and assist teachers on how to incorporate program into GED prep classes.
  5. Prepare your job coach resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your job coach resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a job coach resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Job Coach Resume templates

    Build a professional Job Coach resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Job Coach resume.
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  6. Apply for job coach jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a job coach job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Job Coach Job

Zippi

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Average job coach salary

The average Job Coach salary in the United States is $37,372 per year or $18 per hour. Job coach salaries range between $31,000 and $44,000 per year.

Average Job Coach Salary
$37,372 Yearly
$17.97 hourly

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How do job coaches rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Job Coach reviews

profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

Support of special needs adults at their place of employment.

Cons

There is nothing that I dislike.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

hand on helping people with barriers to employment

Cons

nothing this job is great


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

hands on opportunity to help people with significance barriers to employment

Cons

the rate of success


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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