Tennis Instructor

POSITION SUMMARY  

CPF’s free citywide sports programs for children are among the most ambitious and successful in New York City and the country.  For the past 30+ years, CityParks Tennis has typically provided free instruction to 7,500 children at 40 citywide parks each spring, summer, and fall, and is supported by professional spokespeople such as Billie Jean King. 

CPF is seeking to hire experienced players, coaches or teachers to teach free beginner tennis lessons to children in NYC parks. Lessons are held on weekdays from 9-12 noon and 1-4 PM during the summer and on weekends during the spring and fall.  Instructors will be trained in June to teach a standardized curriculum and will be seasonal employees of CPF’s Sports Department. Our program sites are throughout NYC, however staff are usually assigned to work in their borough of residence.

Compensation: commensurate with experience and can range from $16 to $35 per hour

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Demonstrate and teach daily lessons  
• Work with 2-3 other coaches to organize groups of approximately 50 children in an orderly and safe manner
• May be required to help transfer tennis equipment to/from certain sites
• Monitor weekly attendance and maintain accurate records of class participants
• Answer questions from parents and promote whenever possible to the community

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Advanced playing ability and thorough knowledge of tennis rules and etiquette
• Ability to work with diverse constituencies, both internal and external to CPF
• Exceptional communication skills and work-ethic
• Willingness and ability to travel to various park sites
• Group-teaching experience preferred, preferably with children
• Applicants will be subject to a background check and SafeSport training through USTA Net Generation

ABOUT CITY PARKS FOUNDATION

At City Parks Foundation (CPF), we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming New York City parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through arts, environmental education, sports, and community building programs for all New Yorkers. Our ethos is simple: we believe thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Community engagement includes Partnerships for Parks, a public-private program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks, which supports and champions a growing network of community leaders who care and advocate for the transformation of our neighborhood parks and the Parks and Open Space Partners-NYC coalition of conservancies and alliances. We also administer the NYC Green Fund, a regranting program for parks and open space nonprofits and grassroots organizations.

We produce SummerStage, the iconic free, outdoor performing arts festival in NYC, presenting world-class artists from across the globe and our own neighborhoods on our mainstage in Central Park and in local parks in all five boroughs, and our Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and roving PuppetMobile present marionette puppet theater throughout New York City.

We connect youngsters to nature in the urban environment through progressive, experiential teaching. Using parks as classrooms, we provide learning experiences and hands-on activities in urban forests, coastal areas, and gardens.

Free golf, tennis, track & field, soccer, and fitness programs bring high-quality instruction and equipment into areas where few organized athletic opportunities exist. We offer leveled training, year-round scholarship coaching, and special pro events.