If you’re a keen swimmer and looking for flexible work, why not consider a career as a swimming teacher? With swimming being one of the most popular sports in England, swimming teachers jobs are plenty, teaching children and adults alike all about navigating the deep blue.
If you want to find out if becoming a swimming teacher is something that floats your boat, the best way to get a taste for your potential future is to spend some time on the job.
To do this, you could try volunteering at your local pool or competitive swimming club. Most swimming clubs also offer swim lessons and always looking for helpers for assisting their experienced swimming teachers.
Anything that gets you on poolside and helps you of see what a swimming teacher routinely does. Plus, volunteering will always look good on your CV and as it demonstrates your commitment to pursuing a career in swimming.
In addition, you could also consider shadowing another swimming teacher. Contact your local swimming pools and speak with the manager or the swimming lessons coordinator to see if they would be happy to let you shadow one of their swimming teachers for a couple of sessions.
To become a swim instructor, firstly, you need to get a qualification.
In England, as a minimum, you have to have a Swimming Teaching Level 1 qualification or Award in Swimming Teaching, which allows you to help out a fully qualified swimming teacher or a coach. There are two levels that you have to pass to become a fully qualified swimming teacher yourself. You are more likely to need to do a recognised lifesaving qualification too as many swim schools (not all) prefer their swimming teachers to have a life-saving qualification so they can teach their classes even without a lifeguard. So, including the lifesaving qualification for swimming teachers, you will need 3 qualifications.
After becoming a fully qualified teacher, you will need further qualifications to teach more special groups like under 3-year-olds (babies and toddlers) or children with special needs.
To have more teaching opportunities, consider getting qualifications that can help you to teach a variety of ages and swimming abilities.
To find out where you can get qualified to become a swimming teacher in England, you can check out Swim England Qualifications as they have a comprehensive list of all training providers, the Swim England or Institute of Swimming (IOS) website. Visit the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) website for more details for the STA swimming teachers qualifications.
The minimum qualification could cost you between £300 to £400 depending on if it is an STA Award in Swimming Teaching or Swimming Teacher Level 1 course with Swim England. There might be some helps and grants available from different sporting bodies, if you need financial support. Some grants can cover the whole cost of your tuition fees.
If you want to progress and get ahead as a swimming teacher, there are a few key skills and traits that you will need to have. These include:
After getting the necessary swimming teaching qualification, you need to keep attending continual professional development (CPD) courses to stay up-to-date.
Teaching methods keep evolving and you must stay on the top of your own learning.
You want to teach people to swim. Like any teacher, a good swimming teacher must be able to connect with the learners. A swim instructor firstly, must understand how his/her swimmers learn. After that, he/she should focus to on how to communicate different message and instructions effectively.
You will have a better work opportunity if you are willing to broaden your horizon. Swimming teachers can explore other related areas like:
Teaching swimming can be rewarding and enjoyable. Try to get as much experience as you can early on.
Send your CV to different places and websites and keep an eye on new teaching positions and opportunities near you.
Read more on how to be a good swim teacher
About the author: CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent job board. For more expert advice on education jobs, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.
A good swim school with professional staff
My girls have been going to Blue Wave Swim School for over 2 years, they have been looking forward to each lesson and keep practicing the swimming tricks even in a bath. All teachers and an owner of the school has been friendly, very professional. They found unique approach and made kids happy, but most importantly show them how to swim and have fun. Thank you very much from our family to Blue Wave Swim School.
April 19, 2021, www.yell.com
Easter 2021 Crash Course
Various lockdowns have held back my daughter’s swimming development so we opted for a crash 4 day course over Easter and she has come away from it much more confident and with a recognisable stroke as opposed to doggy paddle!
April 19, 2021, www.yell.com
Although I have only attended two lessons, Marjan’s bubbly personality makes you feel instantly at ease. During the lessons, the pool was not very busy which is a good thing (as opposed to public pools) for those who are anxious.
I would strongly recommend to adults who have experienced trauma with water at a certain time in their lives.
November 24, 2020, www.yell.com
My son has been going to swimming lessons at Blue Wave in Wimbledon for a few years now and thoroughly enjoys it. The teaching is great and the lessons well run. Helps to prepare him for when we finally get to go on holiday again!
September 26, 2020, www.yell.com
Highly Recommended
My son went to improve his swimming technique and found his instructor very helpful, very kind and patient. The school itself is very welcoming and feels safe for all the children who go there. I would highly recommend it.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Excellent results
My son is 4 years-old and we were looking for weekend swimming classes in a nice environment that could bring good results. After some research we chose Blue Wave Swim. Our son has been having private lessons since the end of 2018 and he is progressing very well. We believe the professionalism of the team, the clean and tidy infrastructure, and the good care of the management are contributing for his development and confidence in the water. Thank you very much Blue Wave Swim!
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Awesome!
I am grateful to Marjan and her team at Blue Wave Swim for their hard work and for promoting happiness and enjoyment in swimming. It is amazing to watch the lessons, see the attention, the encouragement and the support the children receive. I have been impressed with my daughters’ progress and the fact that they love attending their classes and learning a vital life skill. Thank you very much. Great job!
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Superb Swimming School in Wimbledon
My daughter, who is now 7 years old, started with blue wave two years back and we have been very happy with her progress at the school. Initially we started with group lessons but once she got comfortable in water we moved her to semi private lessons, which made a lot of difference in her ability to learn swimming. As part of the smaller group she is better bonded with other children in the group and gets more attention from the swimming instructor, which is helping her advance her swimming skills. During her 2 years with blue wave, swimming instructors for my daughter have changed and while continuity in learning was maintained, I think this could have been managed better. Needless to say, she still goes and enjoys her time here and looks forward to her class every week. Overall we are very pleased with Blue Wave and would recommend them without any hesitation.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Highly recommend
Highly recommend this swimming school. My daughter has been attending since she was 1 years old and she loves it. The teachers are very good with children and my daughter, who is now 4 years old is very confident in the water.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
020 8090 1415