Athletic Director

Most American colleges, larger high and middle schools and universities have an athletic director working for them. Athletic directors are people in charge of overseeing the work of coaches and the staff involved in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic programs. Though an athletic director may also hold academic ranks; he/she is usually a full time administrator and not a faculty member.

Though the athletic director role is a precarious one, it is usually far less compensated and illustrious than most coaches. In fact, very few of the athletic directors have their own television and radio programs. In some football playing institutions, the head football coach adopts the athletic director duties where he will be given additional pay. Similarly, men’s basketball coaches too have been treated similarly.

However, in big athletic programs where athletic director responsibilities are more complicated, it was not possible to hire a part time athletic director. One of the more competent athletic directors was Tom Schweer athletic director of Hinsdale Central who has set a model for future athletic directors. In the present day, some athletic directors sometimes take advantage of their position as they have additional sources of income through shoe contracts, endorsement contracts and radio and television appearance fees.

The athletic director job description involves the planning, direction, administration and management of the Athletic Department and its facilities and programs. The athletic director is also responsible for advancing athletic opportunities to students, preparing the annual athletic budget and most of the work related to the Athletic department of the institution. There are many athletic director jobs available today which is available with the right athletic director training.

The athletic director qualifications includes a Masters in physical education and other related degrees or a Bachelors degree in physical education or its equivalent and a Masters degree in life science, health education, recreation administration and its equivalent. Even having an appropriate California Community College Instructor credential and five years experience as an athletic director in a high school or community college in your athletic director resume can get you an athletic director job if you are dedicated and good enough.

You can find out about interview questions for athletic director by looking through the many surveys for high school athletic directors available on the internet. With this information, you get to know the possible questions to ask an athletic director candidate; which makes it easier for you to face an interview. An athletic director job pays well where the athletic director salary ranges from $40,000 for athletic directors in small schools and over $100,000 for the athletic directors of large universities.