Why you should always hire a licensed professional

Disturbing phone call on the way to work this morning.

‘Hi, this is ___, my son is thinking of trying out for your team this week,’ says the woman.

‘Yeah? Good for him,’ I respond unimpressed, trying not to offer her any encouragement since every place on my squad is already filled in my head.

‘I just have a question to ask.’

‘Fire ahead,’ I say, wondering to myself whether I’ll have the heart to tell her not to waste the kid’s time by bringing him along.

‘Is the team professionally trained?’ she asks.

I’m so stunned by the arrogance and the insulting nature of the question I can’t even reply.

‘Sorry, not sure if the line is bad but is the team professionally trained?’ She fires the same dart again.

I’m shaking my head. I can’t believe some of these people. What an attitude!

‘Of course it’s professionally trained,’ I roar down the phone. ‘I’m the trainer and I’m a consummate professional!!!’

‘I’m sure you are but are you paid?’ she retorts in the same annoying calm voice. ‘Where else do you coach? Is it your full-time job? I need to know these things before I sign my son up.’

‘Firstly lady, you are not signing your son up for anything. I decide whether he’s good enough or not. I don’t coach anywhere else because I’m dedicated to my club. I’m not going to cheat on my boys with other teams.’

Still, she just won't let it go.

‘There’s no need to be like that about it. It’s just that his last travel team had an English coach with an accent and everything and we were hoping you’d be a professional too, especially if you are not even European.’

That’s the last straw. Another Europhile soccer mom. I’ve enough of them in my life. I hang up before I have to admit I'm not yet being paid for this.  What else can I do? I’m not taking this type of abuse. Before nine on a Monday morning. Please.