To become a swimming teacher the first thing you need to do is enrol in an AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety course.
AUSTSWIM courses are held on weekends and weekdays at various swimming pools in the Perth metro area. The cost is around $370 and you will also need to have a current CPR certificate.
Swim instructors are needed all year round across metro and regional WA. Teaching swimming is a fun job that offers flexible hours, and really makes a difference in people's lives! You can choose to teach babies, children or adults, and the skills you give them help to reduce their risk of drowning. You really can save lives!
See what Kenya Rowe has to say about her experience as a swimming teacher.
VIDEO
The AUSTSWIM course is very easy and you only need to have a reasonable level of fitness and swimming ability. The AUSTSWIM course is approximately 17-hours long and includes the following topics:
Introduction - an overview of AUSTSWIM and the aquatic industry
Plan, deliver and review a lesson
How people learn.
Being an effective teacher
Principles of movement in water
Aquatic safety, survival and rescue skills
Water familiarisation, buoyancy and mobility
Teaching safer diving skills
Towards efficient stroke development
Legal responsibilities for the AUSTSWIM teacher™
The instructors of the AUSTSWIM course are great and will help you through it. Once you have completed the AUSTSWIM course you need to do supervised on the job teaching hours with a qualified teacher. You don’t get paid for these hours and the quicker you do them the sooner you are qualified.
A good tip is to do the practical hours at the aquatic centre where you want to work, as you will have more chance of getting a job there. Picking the right centre is essential and choosing one that is close by will make travel to and from work easy. To find your nearest Endorsed Swim School click here.
Swimming lessons are usually conducted in the mornings, afternoons and sometimes on weekends too. During the summer months, more swimming teachers are needed, but most aquatic centres run lessons all year round. You can usually work as much or as little as you want. With so many swimming lessons being conducted during the week, there is a high demand for qualified swimming teachers. If you have children at full time school and are looking for work during school hours, there is opportunity to work for the Education Department, teaching in-term school swimming lessons.
The pay rates are pretty good too, varying from $30 - $40 per hour, and most swimming teachers really love their job.
To find out more about the AUSTSWIM course and how to get qualified click here: