First Tee – Silicon Valley is hiring more paid part-time Coaches and full-time Coordinators to teach kids life skills and golf skills.
Click here to view the details on the paid part-time Coach position and here for the full-time Coordinator position.
The part-time coaching position:
Delivers our life and golf skill curriculum during our 8-week seasons
Commits to 2.5 hours per class a minimum of twice per week for an 8-week class season, 2-4 seasons per year
The full-time coordinator position:
Oversees all operational aspects of classes, outreach, and more
Delivers and leads our life and golf skill curriculum every day during each 8-week season throughout the year
We recently secured a long-term use agreement with Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course and are working to receive increased golf access at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto and Gavilan Golf Course in Gilroy. Additionally, we are expanding our reach within the surrounding school districts to bring our First Tee – Silicon Valley curriculum to schools and youth serving organizations. As we continue to expand our program, we need additional staff to join our outstanding team of caring, committed, and enthusiastic individuals.
To Apply
Please fill out this form and note which position you are interested in under “additional information.” If you have any questions about the positions please contact [email protected].
For more information on our program staff please click here
First Tee – Silicon Valley is always looking for people interested in transforming lives through youth development and giving kids and teens a brighter future. By becoming a coach or volunteer, you will contribute to the development of core values and life skills in our students, helping to set them up for the future.
New Challenges!
FTSV participants are encouraged to challenge themselves, on and off the golf course, because it is through challenge that they grow the most. It is the same for our coaches. Being a youth coach will present you with unique and exciting challenges, ones that will help you to further develop your creativity, leadership and mentorship skills. Not only will you be making a positive impact on other’s, you’ll be making a positive impact on yourself.
Have an Impact
People find themselves growing the most when they take on new challenges. You can be an important part in that growth, helping to challenge and support our participants as they work on their life and golf skills. At the same time, our coaches are also taking on challenges, learning how to teach in different ways, and all the time improving their communication, mentorship and leadership skills. Not only is this a program that benefits our youth, FTSV is a program that positively impacts all who are involved.
Our coaches and volunteers play a CRUCIAL role in FTSV’s ability to succeed. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on community members determined to make a difference to work with us, delivering our fun life skill curriculum to the kids. It is our goal to maintain a 4 to 1 student to instructor ratio, so every volunteer and coach makes it possible to grow and accomplish our goal. Not only will you be contributing to changing lives and growing character, but you will also continue to develop and hone your own mentorship and leadership skills, all while being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Join Us!
If volunteering as a coach sounds like a good fit for you, please visit our volunteer page where you can apply.
For this spotlight, meet FTSV participant Natalie Chen!
First Tee – Silicon Valley believes that challenges faced in life present the perfect opportunity for personal growth and development. Golf, like life, is full of challenges. Learning how to react to and work through these challenges is what allows players to excel at the game. FTSV believes that the same principles apply to our lives outside of golf, that when faced with difficult and unique circumstances, maintaining a growth mindset allows us to persevere and continue to develop. Our participants have internalized these values and find success as they apply them to challenges on and off the course.
Natalie Chen is one of our participants who thrives in challenging situations. She began taking our classes in the 3rd grade, coming from a family that wasn’t very familiar with golf. From the beginning, Natalie has felt right at home, saying “First Tee was very welcoming…[they] set the stepping stones for me to build the confidence to walk on to a golf course and know what to do”. After many seasons with FTSV, Natalie earned a spot on her school’s varsity golf team. On the team she even has friends who she met through FTSV, other people who she knows she can rely on, both on and off of the course.
Natalie on Volunteering
Natalie began volunteering with FTSV the summer before her freshman year of high school, the earliest possible season a junior can begin coaching. It has been a year and a half now, and she has thrived in her position. According to Natalie, “I love it so much. Coaching has helped me build my relationship with golf even outside of my school team. I really like teaching the little kids, they are like little brothers and sisters to me”.
Being involved with FTSV as both a participant and volunteer has provided Natalie with the tools and mindset to work through and grow from challenges. As a participant, Natalie has worked on the FTSV curriculum with her coaches for many seasons, practicing and developing her perseverance, her positive growth mindset, and her ability to reflect on her mistakes and successes to learn what works and what to do differently. When asked about the challenges she faces in golf, Natalie said “Golf is a process, it isn’t quick fixes. I am always dealing with internal struggles, but knowing that my practice is having an impact and that I will make progress helps me to just keep at it.” She says that she uses the ideas of “process over outcome,” focusing more on improving her process than getting caught up on the particular outcome. She credits her success in golf to this particular mindset.
What do Natalie’s Coaches have to say?
Even Natalie’s coaches have taken note of her growth during her time with FTSV. When asked, Program Coordinator Manny Gallardo said “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Natalie since 2018. With each passing season, she has grown more confident. She’s often the first to participate in our group discussions and has often taken the initiative to help her fellow peers understand our life skills at a deeper level. Whenever Coach Alex and I gave her a responsibility, we were confident that she would go above and beyond to complete it. Natalie has been a fantastic participant and I’m excited to see the next step of her journey”.
Translating Natalie’s FTSV Skills to school and beyond
In school, the attitude and skills she has developed surrounding challenges continue to support her growth. Here she highlights her leadership as one of the most influential aspects of her personality. According to Natalie, “First Tee has helped me build on my leadership in the program and at school, such as taking the lead and initiating conversations.I have learned how to manage a group of people, open up to others, and make space for everyone to share ideas and feel included”. As she encounters challenges in her academic life, Natalie is confidence that she can face them head on. She is armed with specific skills to help her succeed and she knows that facing challenges is where she is able to grow the most.
Outside of golf, Natalie is also a piano accompanist in her school choir and is a percussionist in the California Youth Symphony. She believes that music, like golf, helps to build her patience and enjoyment of challenge. Great work Natalie!
2023 was a year of growth for First Tee – Silicon Valley. We served MORE kids!
In 2023, 5,241 Course Participants and School Students, who were 85% Ethnically Diverse and 60% Low Income, experienced our life skills and golf skills program.
Our youth development program has now positively transformed the lives of 95,747 youth through proven programs on-course, in-school, and after-school since 2005.
FTSV signed a new 25-year agreement in April, 2023 for expanded access at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course for our character-building course program. This nearly doubled our class capacity so that we may include many more kids and teen participants and enable them to take even more classes. Our school program completely recovered from COVID set-backs and we are now serving more students than ever at Title 1 schools.
Program Snapshot
Course Participation Impact
100% of our long-term class students graduate high school
100% of our long-term teen class participants attend college
90% of class participants achieve all A’s and B’s in school
Participant Survey Results
97% Coaches were fun and cared
96% Had a fun experience
95% Felt included as part of the group
94% Coaches helped me with my golf skills
89% Coaches helped me with my life skills/lessons
Course Participation
1,208 unique participants took an average of 2 classes at our golf locations yielding 2,226 total registrations
85% Ethnically Diverse
30% Low Income Families received Financial Aid for total of $112,000
59% Male and 41% Female
20% Teens (age 13+) including 22 Junior Council participants focusing on career exploration, post high school education, and community service.
61% at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course; 20% at Baylands Golf Links; 12% at Gavilan Golf Course and 7% Other – FTSV office and multiple locations
School Participation
3,015 students experienced our in-school and after-school program in their setting.
27 total partners – San Jose (15), Mid-Peninsula (7) and South County (5)
85% Ethnically Diverse
75% Low Income students
24 of our 27 were Title I Schools
49% Female and 51% Male
Volunteerism
4:1 Coach to Participant Ratio due to increased volunteerism
73 Total Adult Volunteers
87 Teen Junior Coaches from our program
7 Board Directors
14 Board Ambassadors
Youth Opportunities
FTSV Teens were selected for various leadership and golf opportunities where many received special recognition through scholarships.
Ashley Pang and Isabella Herrera were selected to attend the John Deere Drive Your Future Academy for girls
Camille Thai, Norah Yang, and Franky Sumcad competed in the First Tee National Championship
Raashika Biswari and Alexandra Varo were selected to attend the First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow
Camille Thai, Norah Yang and Josh Jang represented FTSV at the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee
Dylan Chan was selected to attend the First Tee Youth Leadership Academy
Elise NJ and Li An Panfil were selected to attend the First Tee Youth Leadership Summit
Li An Panfil was selected to the First Tee College Scholarship Program
Katelyn Chan was selected to the First Tee Make Your Mark on the Community $4,000 Scholarship
Jonathan Tessmann received the FTSV Joyce Taylor Eagle Award and $5,000 College Scholarship
Salma Rivera received FTSV Dennis Kettmann Memorial $5,000 College Scholarship
Shivam Maji and Katelyn Chan achieved First Tee ACE certification
9 Seniors announced their College Admissions
22 Teens joined FTSV’s new Teen Council advisory youth group
7,991 total hours served = $159,840 equivalency in In-Kind Labor
Financial Snapshot
While it was a year of growth for kids served, it was a challenging year for fundraising after coming off our highest revenue year ever ($1.8M). Fundraising challenges were brought on by donor reluctance due to economic uncertainties, new donor acquisition challenges in a competitive non-profit landscape, and an unexpected cancellation of a Q4 fundraising event. However, FTSV is proud to share that our operations are very stable.
We are optimistic about launching a comprehensive campaign to endow our programs and build facilities that will secure our future growth.
FTSV raised $1.544M. The operating expense distribution of $1.625M was approximately 75% for Programs, 21% for Fundraising, and 4% for Administration.
First Tee – Silicon Valley was the recipient of a generous $16,000 grant from CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation (CVYGF). This will underwrite our 2024 Volunteer and Instructor Uniforms (hats & shirts) and a portion of our paid lead Instructor compensation. We are a growing chapter that relies heavily on golf enthusiasts and youth development foundations like CVYGF to support our mission.
About CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation
The non-profit CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation was founded in 2004. The foundation’s mission is to expand access to the sport of golf for children of all income levels by directly supporting successful youth golf programs throughout the Santa Clara County. The goal is to provide youth with the opportunity to learn the sport, receive lessons and equipment. Additionally, have access to practice space, and compete, and build positive life skills.
The Foundation annually awards approximately $100,000 in grants to deserving programs. This foundation is funded through a $50,000 annual contribution from CordeValle Golf Club. Also, they raise an additional $50,000 per year through CordeValle’s public charity tournaments.
CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation and First Tee – Silicon Valley are equally committed to expanding opportunities for youth of all income levels to access to the game of golf. Through the discipline and challenge of golf, youth in the Santa Clara County are provided a community with a safe environment and positive life alternatives that build confidence and character, ultimately helping them succeed in our community and in life.
CordeValle has been the location for our annual FTSV Invitational since 2005.
