NOC 53201: Coaches
What coaches do
Coaches prepare and train individual athletes or teams for competitive events. They are employed by national and provincial sports organizations, professional and amateur sports teams, sports clubs and universities or they may be self-employed. This unit group also includes sports scouts who identify and recruit athletes for professional sports teams. They are employed by professional sports organizations.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Coaches
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of athletes or teams
- Plan, develop and implement training and practice sessions
- Nurture and develop athletes' potential skills and abilities
- Develop, plan and coordinate competitive schedules and programs
- Motivate and prepare athletes or teams for competitive events or games
- Formulate competitive strategies, develop game plans and direct athletes and players during games or athletic events
- Analyse and evaluate athletes' or teams' performances and modify training programs.
- Sports scouts
- Identify and recruit developing athletes for professional sports teams
- Observe and evaluate prospective athletes' skills and performance, and review their past records
- File reports on scouting assessments and recommendations with professional team employers.
Job titles under NOC 53201
51 job titles are classified here, including coach, figure skating coach, football scout.
- amateur athletics team coach
- amateur sports team coach
- amateur track and field team coach
- athletic boxing trainer
- athletics coach
- athletics team coach
- baseball coach
- baseball manager-coach
- baseball scout
- baseball team coach
- basketball scout
- basketball team coach
- bobsled coach
- bobsleigh coach
- boxing trainer
- coach
- cycling coach
- figure skating coach
- football coach
- football scout
- football team coach
- gymnastics coach
- head coach
- hockey coach
Employment requirements
- Coaches
- Completion of the National Coaching Certificate program is usually required for individual and team sports coaches in all sports.
- National Coaching Certificate Level 3 is usually required for provincial coaches.
- National Coaching Certificate Level 4 is usually required for coaches of national team athletes.
- A degree in physical education may be required.
- Experience in, and technical knowledge of, the sport is required.
- Sports scouts
- Experience in, and technical knowledge of, the sport is required.
Coaches wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $16.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $43.27/hr |
Toronto ON | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $48.13/hr |
Montréal QC | $18.74/hr | $25.68/hr | $39.60/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $42.79/hr |
Calgary AB | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $44.71/hr |
Ottawa ON | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $45.00/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $18.72/hr | $26.76/hr | $47.52/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $18.19/hr | $26.06/hr | $38.34/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $45.00/hr |
Halifax NS | $19.61/hr | $26.79/hr | $35.60/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $19.52/hr | $26.61/hr | $38.64/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $18.69/hr | $26.09/hr | $37.33/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $21.69/hr | $26.53/hr | $39.64/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Nova Scotia | $19.68/hr | $28.17/hr | $37.25/hr |
New Brunswick | $18.89/hr | $27.49/hr | $34.45/hr |
Quebec | $18.19/hr | $26.06/hr | $38.34/hr |
Ontario | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $45.00/hr |
Manitoba | $19.27/hr | $29.46/hr | $42.35/hr |
Saskatchewan | $17.34/hr | $26.48/hr | $40.34/hr |
Alberta | $18.00/hr | $25.00/hr | $45.00/hr |
British Columbia | $18.50/hr | $30.00/hr | $42.31/hr |
Using NOC 53201 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 51 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Athletes (NOC 53200)
- Athletic therapist (NOC 31204)
- Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness (NOC 54100)
- Sports officials and referees (NOC 53202)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for coaches?
Coaches are NOC 2021 unit group 53201. Example job titles in this group include coach, figure skating coach, football scout, gymnastics coach.
What TEER is NOC 53201?
NOC 53201 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do coaches earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $25.00/hr, about $49,000 a year full-time, with a range of $16.00/hr to $43.27/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.