The following information should be very useful to you wherever you are looking for employment, and also whether or not you wish to be employed or self-employed. We will up-date this information at every opportunity, so if you discover any new ways of finding work or new marketing ideas we would be happy to hear them and include them.
We will always hear of jobs through ‘word of mouth’ and we will put you into contact with the people who are looking to employ, but you must also be prepared to find employment yourself. All CV’s, brochures, leaflets etc should be presented in folders as the first impression / image is crucially important.
CV AND COVERING LETTER
Your CV and covering letter is the first visual contact that a prospective employer will have – make it work. You will be responsible for sending your own CV to any prospective employer. It is also vital that your covering letter is informative, but brief and to the point.
WHAT A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER NEEDS TO KNOW
A prospective employer obviously needs to know that you can do the job, but they also need to know the following information, some of which will be on your CV but other points may not be:
- Name and address
- Phone, Fax, Email – how can they contact you during the day and evening?
- Age
- Family – are your family willing to move? Are you willing to travel to another location on your own at first to test the water and find out about such things as schooling, medical facilities etc?
- What languages do you speak? Are you fluent or are you still learning?
- Proof of your CV contents – certificates, references, photos
- When can you start?
WHERE / HOW TO LOOK FOR WORK
WORD OF MOUTH – from ourselves for UK and overseas work. We will put prospective employers in touch with prospective employees and vice versa.
WEB ADDRESSES
GOOGLE search engine regularly adds employment websites for the golf industry.
GOLF MAGAZINES – most golf magazines have an employment / advertisement section. Also if you can get a glance at the ‘PGA Profile’ magazine, they advertise quite a few jobs and there is no reason at all why you can’t apply for any of these.
SEND OUT YOUR CV – get the addresses of all golf clubs, ranges etc in the area you want to work and send them your covering letter and CV, or you could ring them first and maybe get an appointment to discuss the possibility of a) being hired or b) using their driving range to teach by finding your own pupils.
APPROACH APPROACH APPROACH – anyone or any company or organization that may be able to help you either a) advertise or b) employ you occasionally, temporarily or permanently.
NEVADA BOBS / AMERICAN GOLF – These golf shops have in-store Pro’s.
ADVERTISE / MARKET YOURSELF – as discussed below under Marketing.
MARKETING
If you wish to start up on your own, marketing is the most important thing that you must do to begin your business. Marketing, in all its varied forms, is concerned with attracting customers, getting them to buy (a golf lesson), and making sure that they are happy with their purchase and come back for more (golf lessons)
You should be thinking about:
- Literature and Brochures.
- Business Cards
- Advertising in trade magazines, sports shops, local newspapers, notice boards, schools, community halls, sports organisations/clubs (adult & children) and anywhere else you can think of.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE ACCEPTING A JOB
You are obviously going to have to face some risk in taking on a new job, especially abroad, but you can and should make every effort to reduce this by asking the following questions:
- Is there a contract and what is the length of it?
- What is the type of position or title?
- When is the starting date?
- What is the remuneration – how and when is it paid (i.e. weekly, monthly in arrears)?
- Who gets tuition fees – all yours? And how is cost decided or agreed?
- Will there be time for tournament / competition playing days off?
- Who is responsible for the shop (painting, cleaning, insurance of buildings, stocks, phone etc)?
- Are they themselves fully insured?
- What happens if you fall ill or injured?
- What are the hours of work?
- What are your holiday entitlements, paid or without pay?
- Notice required if things do not work out either way?
- Accommodation, is it provided?
- Who collects green fees if it is a Golf Club?
- Who is responsible for banking?
- If it is a Driving Range who collects balls, washes etc?
- If it is a Driving Range do they receive commission or what % do you give to the Proprietor?
- Who pays for advertising?
GENERAL
Keep yourself looking and acting professional at all times. This includes:
- Appearance
- Manners
- Timekeeping – never be late
- You must keep good and factual records for tax purposes if self-employed.
- You must have public liability insurance.
- You must pay NI contributions or similar.
- If you want to work in Europe – learn the language.
- Keep in touch with other members, this may help you hear of opportunities.
Remember – if you want to succeed you will, but no-one is going to hand success to you on a plate – you will have to make it happen yourself.
