18-year-old Jenna recently completed her Swim Teacher training through Royal Life Saving WA, and we chatted to her about why she wanted to teach swimming.
“I have always loved the water,” she says. “I used to swim competitively but stopped due to injury a few years ago.” Jenna says her love for swimming and younger kids inspired her to try swim teaching. “I have two little brothers and I love teaching them new skills in our pool at home. The opportunity with Royal Life Saving came up and I thought I would give it a go!”
A real water baby, Jenna not only enjoys swimming but also a range of other aquatic activities such as wakeboarding, surfing, sailing, and many more. Being around the water so much, she knows the importance of learning swimming and water safety skills. “Swimming is a big part of Australian culture. All aquatic activities require the ability to swim, so I thought I’d give swim teaching a go and see if I liked it, which I did!”
To obtain her swim teacher qualifications, Jenna completed the Swim Teacher by Royal Life Saving course, which provides an industry-recognised swim teacher qualification for swimming and water safety instruction. “I loved my course trainer, and the length of the course was perfect. I also really enjoyed the online training aspect as we went into the course with knowledge already.”
Jenna was also eligible for the State Government funding for the course, which she said helped a lot. “It was a big help; being young and having other expenses and trying to save money is something I find difficult, so the funding really came in handy! Although the funding was a big help, the course was very worthwhile – I made a few contacts and learned a LOT!”
Jenna completed the practical component of her Swim Teacher course at Craigie Leisure Centre, where she “had great supervision and learned a lot from different instructors.” After completing her practical hours, Jenna was offered to apply for a job at the centre which she will be doing after a short stint working on the ski slopes in Victoria!
Jenna says she is looking forward to working as a swim teacher and passing her knowledge and love for swimming on to younger people. We look forward to seeing her around at Craigie and wish her the very best for her swim teaching endeavours.
If you’re interested in becoming a swim teacher, learn more about how to get started on your swim teacher journey at the link below.
