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Swimming teacher

Swimming teachers help people learn to swim, improve their swimming skills and how to exercise in water.

Potential salary
variable
Working hours
36 to 38 variable
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work on your own
  • leadership skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of English language
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Your day-to-day duties may include:

  • teaching or coaching one-to-one or in groups
  • planning and delivering sessions
  • demonstrating swimming techniques and correcting faults
  • identifying ways to improve performance
  • making sure safety standards are followed
  • checking life-saving equipment is in working order
  • organising and supervising assistants and helpers
  • offering basic first aid

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a fitness centre or at a school.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and humid.

With experience, you could be a swim co-ordinator or lead swimming teacher, checking the quality of swimming teachers.

You could work as the head coach of a sports club, or senior coach with a regional or national team.

You could also move into sports development or youth work.

You can find out more about teaching swimming from Swim England and the Swimming Teachers' Association.

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