Swimming Teacher

Industries: Leisure operations

Overview and responsibilities

Swimming Teachers plan, deliver and evaluate a series of swimming lessons while providing a safe learning environment. Through their engaging, fun and safe delivery of activities, swimming teachers will be able to develop water confidence, safety and technical skills for a range of participants from non-swimmers to those with advanced skills.

In addition, Swimming Teachers provide learners with core aquatic skills and a range of pathways for continuous development while promoting awareness of swimming opportunities. Swimming Teachers must also be able to supervise and lead Assistant Swimming Teachers and provide high levels of customer care and engagement.

Working hours

Swimming Teachers can be employed by leisure centres or private companies as well as being self-employed. They often work non-standard hours, which may include evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Education

To be professionally recognised as a CIMSPA Swimming Teacher Practitioner, we ask that Swimming Teachers provide us with evidence of holding a relevant CIMSPA-endorsed qualification, degree or apprenticeship certificate issued by a CIMSPA Awarding Organisation Parter or Higher Education Partner or the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

If you have a qualification or degree that is not endorsed by CIMSPA or is over five years old, or if you have an international qualification, we still encourage you to apply for professional recognition. We may, however, need to ask you for additional evidence of other training you have undertaken as part of your application.

Achieving this level of qualification demonstrates that a Swimming Teacher has a good knowledge of delivering swimming lessons, technical knowledge and skills, safe systems of work and maximising the customer experience. They will also have a strong understanding of the role of a Swimming Teacher within their organisation alongside knowledge of industry legislation, and organisational policies and procedures.

Once practitioners have gained a qualification in teaching swimming, they often seek out further qualifications to enable them to work with specialist populations, such as disabled people, ante/postnatal populations, children or older adults.