PBI TENNIS Peter Burwash Tennis?

[csustennis]

I'm looking for a job as a tennis professional at a club or resort, came across Peter Burwash tennis management. Anyone have any information about this, seems like they set you up with jobs after doing a 400 hour, one month training camp....does this mean you are teaching 100's of hours of lessons for free...anyone have any experience with this company? thanks

[TonyGF]

I've had a phone interview with PBI. You must get to and attend a one day interview. Then you must get yourself to a one month training program and support yourself for the month. You don't get paid, you share a PBI house and split the cost with the other instructors. After that they you are probably hired and you'll sign a contract. I'm thinking of doing it but I do have questions. Could be good for a year or two or maybe a career.

[10s talk]

wow, it only took 11 months for a reply

[paulmaben]

I worked for PBI from 1995 till 1999 and enjoyed the company. I taught in resorts throughout the caribbean including Caneel Bay, St. John, Four Seasons Nevis, Frenchman's Reef, St. Thomas, El Conquistador Resort, Puerto Rico. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer. I have a friend who has been working for the company for over 20 years and is a pro in Palm Desert.
You could have the opportunity to work in places throughout the world and meet some incredibly famous people.
I played tennis numerous times with the governor of Puerto Rico, taught lessons to NBA players, members of congress, rock stars wives, and mingled with some captains of industry.

When I worked for them there was a strict no smoking, no alcohol clause that you had to sign.

Peter is a vegetarian, has written books about it, and many in the company are gung-ho vegetarians. All company meetings were vegetarian meals only.
This was great because, well, I was a vegetarian and was very on board with the philosophy.



Paul

[SystemicAnomaly]

Not sure if the OP has even been around the forums since January.

[TonyGF]

I worked for PBI from 1995 till 1999 and enjoyed the company. I taught in resorts throughout the caribbean including Caneel Bay, St. John, Four Seasons Nevis, Frenchman's Reef, St. Thomas, El Conquistador Resort, Puerto Rico. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer. I have a friend who has been working for the company for over 20 years and is a pro in Palm Desert.
You could have the opportunity to work in places throughout the world and meet some incredibly famous people.
I played tennis numerous times with the governor of Puerto Rico, taught lessons to NBA players, members of congress, rock stars wives, and mingled with some captains of industry.

When I worked for them there was a strict no smoking, no alcohol clause that you had to sign.

Peter is a vegetarian, has written books about it, and many in the company are gung-ho vegetarians. All company meetings were vegetarian meals only.
This was great because, well, I was a vegetarian and was very on board with the philosophy.



Paul

I would definitely like more information about your experiences and any advice you could give me about going through the interview and training process. Please get back to me on here or e mail me at txtgf@aol.com. I would appreciate it. Why did you leave? I love to travel and I would like to go to the Carribbean. I'd like to make a career of it but i need to continue my education. E mail me please. Tony-

[TonyGF]

Get back to me if you have worked for PBI. I'm interested and would ike to know more about what' to expect and how to better my chances of getting hired. Thanks. Tony txtgf@aol.com

[Guga_x]

I have also been chosen to attend the next interview for PBI. I have applied after working as a coach with a PBI member at one resort in Mauritius for 3 months. The "no drinkink, no smoking" policy is still enforced by the company. The information you have Tony is the same I have. We will attend a one day interview, with some kind of pratical testing session. If we get chosen we will attend a 400 hour training program. We will have to support ourselves during this period, and we'll share a house with other trainees, sharing expenses. After the training process they do guarantee a contract in one of the resorts they have contracts with.

Please feel free to pm me if you want me to share any more thoughts or the experience I had with PBI.

[Charlzz]

I'm surprised so many folks have worked with Burwash. Any reason this might be? How does it compare with other tennis teaching organizations?

[MZR]

Hey Everyone. I have just applied to work with PBI (its quiet nerve raking) and am awaiting a response from them. My 2 things in life I most love are teaching tennis and travelling and found out that PBI give you the opportunity to do both. If anyone has worked with PBI can you please contact me so I know what to expect if I do get the opportunity to work with them?
I appreciate anyone’s help. You can contact me on Mark_fiesta_1@hotmail.com.
Thanks everyone

[tennis_balla]

I've heard quite a bit of horror stories from PBI but also good ones too. Its not for everyone what he provides and apparently the pay especially your first 2 years is pretty low. They have a system and regardless of how you've taught before they will drill you for a month or so without pay down in Texas on their teaching method's and the way they conduct things. So you will basically not be allowed to have a mind of your own out on the court.

Having worked at the Inn at Manitou where Burwash first started his ideas and business many years ago, its quite funny to hear and see old videos of him conducting coaching seminars that were left over and reading parts of his book.
The Inn however was never run by him. He started his ideas at the kids camp owned by the Inn right next door after the season at the camp ended, teaching high profile people from Toronto such as Issy Sharpe (founder of Four Seasons) who would drive up and sleep in bunk beds to take his clinics. This is also how he developed his connections and why he's got so many big time resorts under contract for life.

From a business stand point the guy is a genius. He provided something which never existed before and did it well. He is definitely different on his approaches to the game. Just this past summer at the Inn I found a tape dated 1996 of him doing a seminar with about 15 coaches. Teaching them what to look for and so on, having them do push ups if one of the team members didn't do as they were told on the court. Kinda funny to see grown men having to put down their clipboards and give him 10 haha. Anyways, he had theories in the video such as your index finger has the most amount of nerve endings of any finger on your hand which is why in the ready position and during your forehand backswing you should have your index finger sticking out and on the throat of the racket. Uhh tough to describe, basically what Guga does. His reasoning was quicker response time or something like that, sending messages to your brain quicker about where your racket is, what its doing if I remember correctly. I dunno, to each his own.
He also always does commentary here in Canada during the Rogers Cup, saying things such as "Thats what we call a CD shot, control and direction" haha Not sure about who 'we' refers to Petey as you're the only one that calls it that :-P

Don't think I'm only pessimistic towards what he does. He does provide an opportunity for people to get into the coaching profession. However personally I do not agree on the way he want his coaches to teach in general though he does sometimes state good points. He is a vegetarian and wouldn't allow his coaches to drink, smoke and so on because he didn't. I think the rules have changed now but it is still pretty strict.