Learning to swim and water safety is necessary for every person everywhere. It is a valuable skill that brings joy and helps saves lives – what more could you want in a career?
Giving swimming lessons and teaching the skill of swimming and water safety is one job that brings a smile to your face at the end of the day. Knowing that you have given someone a life saving skill, taught them to be safe in and around water, and helped them develop swimming strokes so they too may enjoy swimming and water sports, is a very satisfying career choice.
To be a great swimming teacher you do not need to a degree, you do not even need to be a fantastic swimmer! Being a great swimmer and being a great swimming teacher are not the same thing. You need a willingness to learn and a love of water. In fact, people who have done a course to become swimming teachers have been able to develop their own swimming skills and stroke development to become better swimmers and great swimming teachers, passing on their knowledge to others more easily as they understand better if a student is lacking confidence, has a fear of water, and are able to impart their knowledge more easily as they can really relate to the whole teaching and learning experience.
So if you’re thinking “but I am not a good swimmer” – that is okay. Especially at the beginners’ level of swimming, you are teaching water safety first, movement and becoming familiar with water, teaching the student to become comfortable in the water, and helping them to develop basic strokes. From there, you can advance your career to other speciality areas. You can teach parents and babies, fearful adults, school age children, special populations, or competition swimming, just to name a few of the different kinds of swimming and water activity coaching that you can do.
There is no limit to the opportunities that you can create for yourself in the aquatics industry. You can undertake a range of swim teaching classes, or develop specialist skills in niche areas such as:
- Baby and Infant learn to swim
- Pre-schools/kindergarten swimming and water safety
- Juniors learn to swim and stroke development
- Schools programs teaching and coaching
- Adults (from Learn to Swim through to Competition strokes)
- Special needs students
- Teaching to culturally and linguistically diverse populations
- Water aerobics, yoga and fitness
- Lifeguarding
- Pool management and plant operation
- Mentoring teacher trainees with Swim International.
Skilled teachers are highly valued by swimming schools, and parents and students around the world. Swim teaching is a fantastic additional skill for TEFL Teachers and Dive instructors to gain extra income opportunities, as well as a starting place to build a long, healthy and rewarding career.
It is also a great opportunity for those who want to travel, offering a fantastic alternative job to the digital nomad, giving you the opportunity to meet people, share a wonderful skill and enjoy being in and around water wherever you may travel.
At Swim International we are always looking for qualified and experience swimming teachers and schools to help our trainees gain their work experience hours to complete their course, so there are always more opportunities available to our members. We actively seek out job opportunities, offer an online program so you can easily run your own classes and business, and promote our members to the international communities.
Many people working in the aquatics industry have started out as volunteers, moving to casual or part time employment and then into full time or contract employment, as well as having all they need to start their own business as some have done in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and others parts of the world.
So Dive in to an aquatics course today – you will love your job, and be part of an international network of swimming teachers and aquatics trainers, with access to training materials and class lessons, job opportunities and professional development. What are you waiting for?