Pickleball Instructor in Chicago, Illinois at After School Matters

Summary of Position: After School Matters is seeking committed part-time instructors to teach a Pickleball, Health, and Wellness program located at a partner site at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court Gym during the Fall Session 2026 Program Session. The program will serve 15 teen participants between the ages of 14-19.

The Pickleball, Health, and Wellness program will offer a foundational review of the sport, enriched with wellness activities, community building, and personal development. Designed for teens, the program provides a safe, supportive, and fun environment where participants can practice teamwork and mindfulness.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
Instructional:

• Plan and facilitate a pickleball curriculum, including community engagement opportunities and guest speakers
• Create clear program structure and support for teens, including agenda setting, creating group norms, and abiding by ASM’s supportive behavior management plan and incident reporting procedures
• Teach and demonstrate pickleball fundamentals and techniques, including proper footwork, serving, and timing
• Lead activities on pickleball strategies, organize games, and provide feedback to help teens improve
• Engage and guide teens through leadership methods and their application in real world experiences
• Adapt instruction to meet varying skill levels and encourage participation.
• Lead the teens through the planning and implementation of an end of session demonstration of learning

Administrative:

• Conduct teen interviews and select teens by ASM roster deadline
• Complete data entry, including interview outcomes, daily attendance, teen checklist support, program reports, teen survey administration
• Supervise teens at an average of 15:1 teen-to-instructor ratio
• Supervise and collaborate with a teen assistant

Instructors must submit a program curriculum plan before the start of the program session. See ASM Program Planner.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of pickleball fundamentals and ability to teach them effectively
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Must be organized and possess a strong attention to detail
• Cultural competence
• Youth development

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant content area etc. is preferred, high school diploma or GED required
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion is required
• Experience coaching pickleball, working with youth in any sports setting is highly preferred
• Experience teaching, specifically teens, is highly preferred

Program schedule:

• The fall program will run over 10 weeks from September 28 to December 12, 2026.
• Anticipated program hours from M-W, 5-7PM
• Additional hours are allotted for planning, recruitment, professional development and meetings.

Compensation: $20-27 /per hour, depending on applicable experience and education
About Us: After School Matters is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that annually offers after-school and summer programs to nearly 19,000 Chicago high school teens to explore and develop their talents while gaining critical skills that will set them up for success in college and beyond.

Thirty-five years later, now known as After School Matters, our program has engaged more than 450,000 Chicago teens and is the nation’s largest and most successful provider of after-school and summer programs for high school teens. No other organization offers programs to high school students at the scale and quality that we do.

We offer paid apprenticeships led by professionals in the fields of arts, communications and leadership, sports, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Our nationally respected youth development model has been replicated in cities across the country and earned us the City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Programs take place at community locations throughout the city, including four ASM buildings: downtown at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts and Orleans, the Michael and Karyn Lutz Center in Belmont Cragin, and the Pullman community at Gately Park. Currently, After School Matters' annual operating budget is approximately $48M and employs approximately 500 staff across the organization. For more information, visit www.afterschoolmatters.org.

EEO: After School Matters is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, military discharge status, age, marital status, parental status, or source of income.