Swimming Teacher

You can qualify as a swimming teacher by doing Level 1 and Level 2 teaching qualifications awarded by Swim England or the Swimming Teachers' Association (STA).

These qualifications will allow you to teach non-swimmers, improvers and people looking to learn advanced swimming skills.

You may be able to train on the job and become qualified while you work. This would depend on your employer.

You'll need:

• 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
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

During your day-to-day duties, you could:

• teach or coach one-to-one or in groups
• plan and deliver sessions
• demonstrate swimming techniques and correct faults
• identify ways to improve performance
• make sure safety standards are followed
• check life-saving equipment is in working order
• organise and supervise assistants and helpers
• offer basic first aid

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

Your working environment may be physically demanding and humid.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Further information

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

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks, as you may be working with children and vulnerable adults
• be over 16 years of age