What is a good job for an aspiring martial artist?

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by qazaqwe, Sep 1, 2015.

  1. qazaqwe

    qazaqwe Valued Member

    I don't really know where to put this, so i'll put it here, but, I have a cousin who has been training in BJJ for a while, just got his blue belt not long ago, and he'd ideally want to be able to one day be an instructor, but he's reached a point where he's finding his costs of living are starting to effect his training.

    He's currently collecting unemployment benefits, but would like to find a job, at the same time he is worried that he won't find something that is compatible with the his training schedule, so what sorts of work would suit someone in his position?

    Just some further details, he's 22, doesn't have much of a job history, he's helped my aunt out with a few of her businesses, and he worked in a call center for a bit, but beyond that he's not done much.

    Ideally he'd like something that would allow him to continue to train two times a day, asked me for some advice and I've been racking my brain, but i can't really think of anything that seems to fit everything he wants, when i was boxing i wasn't really doing anything else, and when i was doing sambo, my instructor had to work a day job so i did most of my training at night anyway.

    Anyone got an idea, or should i tell him to pull back on his training a bit?
     
  2. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    If he is not a College graduate, he could go to school. Take classes around his training. Take classes in business. That way, if he becomes an instructor he understands the business side of running a school too. See if he can get financial aid while going to school.

    So many young people want to be instructors, but very few make a decent living at it. Going to school for a business degree could meet his immediate goal of still training and his longer term goal in a more realistic fashion. Plus, if he changes his mind, a business degree is a useful one to have that applies to all sorts of career choices.
     
  3. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    He's going to need to think about what sacrifices he would prefer to make at the moment. If work conflicts with training, then he needs to decide which of those is more important to him to keep up. If it was me, I'd always suggest securing income before doing a hobby, but others may differ.

    Ideally he'd get a job which doesn't conflict, but if he can't then he might be better off taking whatever work he can get until he finds something more permanent.
     
  4. qazaqwe

    qazaqwe Valued Member

    He's really not the school type, he's rather severely dyslexic, he has gotten better, and isn't illiterate, but pretty much any sort of actual study is going to probably drive him mental.
     
  5. qazaqwe

    qazaqwe Valued Member

    I think it's more that he was wondering what sort of job a person would have to train every day, apparently there are people there who make 10 sessions a week, and i'm at a loss to work out what someone could do to make them all, as they seem to occur in the middle of the day and evenings.

    To be honest, i think he is putting the horse before the cart a bit, but at his age i was doing the same thing, so i can't really hold it against him.
     
  6. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    Postman?
     
  7. liero

    liero Valued Member

    What about a job in a gym. Either as a trainer or just a desk receptionist, even a lifeguard if there is a pool. Most people get free memberships where they work and he could get quite fit even if he couldn't do martial arts training X2 per day.

    I'm a little In line with some of the other comments about not putting every hope into teaching full time. It's not a lucrative lifestyle unless you get an incredible fight reputation or have a massive children's program
     
  8. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    How many hours does he actually need to work?
     
  9. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    I train at the gym Monday - Friday few hrs each day, am in full study with the nhs and work a job to pay for life and training. I think you can do it if you want to. The hardest part if you are in the UK is finding a job fullstop.

    When are his sessions? Maybe have to drop some day classes?
     
  10. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    Sounds like he's in a similar boat to myself minus the training twice a day.

    If he's not in college the best thing he can do is to do volunteer work and build up his CV. The welfare agency can usually help with this if he can speak to an employment coordinator or advisor. Temporary work/seasonal is also a good bet. If he needs help with qualifications, sometimes there are free local programs available, again the welfare agency should have this information on hand, if not, there are free resources on the internet like Khan Academy.

    If he really needs the money he will probably need to make some compromises to his training schedule. Training twice a day is allot, does he really need to go that often (unless he's a pro fighter)? How does that affect his budget?
     
  11. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    As someone who trains 2x a day most days, I can tell you that being self-employed is the realistic way to choose your own hours. I can't think of a job where the employer would be flexible enough to fit around the demands of training more than once in the evening - most applicants won't get past the interview stage if they say, "I want the job but I can only do the hours I want to work."

    Even then, there are times I have to forfeit my own training to suit the needs of a client because they can only do a specific time slot and I have bills to pay. Besides, your cousin is only a blue belt - does he really need to take his training that seriously right now?
     
  12. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    I was a postman after Uni. I'd get home by about...12:30 or 1 pm (?), so I could easily get a couple of sessions of training in after that. Usually had a big nap in between sessions.

    Getting up at about 4:30 was rubbish though.
     
  13. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    I'm just a blue belt..... :(
     
  14. Prizewriter

    Prizewriter Moved on

    Zero hour contracts are getting more popular now, which mean people work as little or as much as they like, that might help. Mickey D's run them as standard now. I would recommend looking for jobs offering zero hour contracts as a starting point.
     
  15. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Get a trade, work for yourself, pick your own hours.

    BJJ is a hobby, not a career. Tell him he's not a child anymore and that you only get one lap on this circuit called life.
     
  16. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    A blue belt who also kicks people in the face is not just a blue belt. :)
     
  17. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    I had two thoughts:
    (1) Self-employment, as a couple other people already said, though like them I recognize that it requires some sort of marketable skill that maybe he doesn't have yet. But if one has a marketable skill, it really does give you extreme flexibility as to your daily/weekly schedule.
    (2) Join the military. They give you food and clothing and a bed and medical care, and they expect you to work out in your free time. And you have a built-in pool of training partners. (A few years back I had a short-term job assignment on an Air Force base, and I would frequently see guys rolling in the grass, practicing BJJ or some such grappling.)
     
  18. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Excellent suggestion.

    If the cousing in question is American, the USMC would be a good choice. They do MCMAP, which is basically BJJ with testicle bites.
     
  19. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    and if he's UK, the UK forces have official BJJ teams, which means free training.


    Aside from that, any well paid job that gives you regular hours and flexibility would be good, Get him to get a trade, (builder, electrician, etc), if he cant do that, get a personal training qualification, easy money.

    Also long term you need a balanced life, if the choice is 10 sessions and no life, or 4 to 8 sessions and a life, I'd take the second choice anyday, otherwise the risk of burn out is just too high.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2015
  20. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    If he's a Brit, then how about the fire service? Although the hours aren't 'flexible', the nature of the shift pattern does mean that you get a fair bit of free time which could be spent training. And every fire station has a gym, because firemen are required to maintain a certain level of physical fitness.
     

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