Wherever there is an athlete, there is an instructor. With swimming being one of the most valuable life skills children can learn, swim instructors have a life changing impact on their students’ lives. The path to becoming a certified swim instructor can seem overwhelming so we’ve decided to break the whole process down for you in a way that’s clear and easy to understand.
Why Be A Swim Instructor:
Apart from teaching children skills that can save their lives one day, there are a multitude of benefits to starting a career as a swim instructor. Here are some of the benefits swim instructors can enjoy about their job:
An amazing starting wage of $25 per hour.
Great first job.
Get to interact with children and adults from all walks of life.
Knowing that you’re making a meaningful difference in your community.
Learn and develop soft skills that transfer into everyday life and future careers such as effective communication, time management, collaboration and adaptability.
Certificate credits can be used as credits to graduate high school.
And many, many more…
Why Choose Swim Fins to Work for:
At Swim Fins, our instructors shared some of the reasons they love working with Swim Fins Swim School:
Competitive wages ($25 -$30 per hour).
30+ hours of paid training.
Job security: Swim Fins tends to have instructors that last for upwards of 10+ years!
Small, family business where you feel appreciated.
Ready-made lesson plans are provided by our Head Coaches that have been tried and tested.
Flexible scheduling of shifts that work around school schedules and volunteering.
Small group classes make it easy to focus on safety and making sure the swimmers are having fun in their lessons.
Each shift is about 3+ hours with breaks in between so work days don’t feel long.
Opportunity to support and be supported by a team of like-minded, hard-working individuals.
Multiple locations to work at across the Lower Mainland: White Rock, Cloverdale, Walnut Grove, Richmond, and Abbotsford.
Easy, information-filled application process where you fill out the application forms, attend a video interview and a 15 min practical interview at the pool before starting training.
The Certification Process:
As you can see from the above infographic, the process of becoming a certified swim instructor can start as young as 13 years old with only a few prerequisites and some hard work. Let’s explore that more…
The first step (we recommend) to becoming certified is completing the Canadian Swim Patrol. After you’ve completed the Canadian Swim Patrol to their highest levels (Star Patrol) you can then do your Bronze Star which develops swimming proficiency, lifesaving skills and personal fitness. Completing that moves you through the Bronze exams, which is the next step: completing your Bronze Medallion. This course works your judgment, knowledge, skill and fitness – the four components of water rescue. Once passing that exam, you can do your Bronze Cross which begins the transition from lifesaving to lifeguarding and prepares candidates for responsibilities as lifeguards. After this point, there are many different paths, careers, and opportunities for you! Any future jobs will see these accomplishments as a large amount of skill and responsibility.
To teach with us at Swim Fins we also need you certified in your NL, Swim for Life Instructor, and SFA. Let’s break those down further:
NL - National Lifeguard is your lifeguarding certification. This means that you are able to provide effective safety supervision in swimming pool environments.
Swim for Life Instructor - Swim for Life Instructor is your certification so that you can effectively teach the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program properly with the tools given.
SFA - Standard First Aid and CPR-C (children) is your most commonly used certification for how to properly respond to emergency situations.
All these certifications are required to be current and recertified when expired so that you have the most up to date knowledge possible. If you have any questions about certifications, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or the Lifesaving Society.
How To Apply to Work At Swim Fins:
To be a successful applicant at Swim Fins here’s a little checklist for you:
Do you have your NL, Swim for Life, and SFA?
Have you read our job description?
Now complete your application form found here!