Why children’s sports coaches make such good swim teachers

Perhaps you coach your kid’s football team on a Saturday morning? Or you used to  help out with the mini-rugby at your local club? Or you’ve taken charge of your daughter’s softball side because no one else was willing to step up to the plate?

It really doesn’t matter what sport we’re talking about, the fact is, anyone who’s had experience of coaching kids is also likely to make a good swimming teacher. For anyone who enjoys sport, this is a fantastic way of transforming a part-time passion into a full-time job.

You will already have many of the skills we’re looking for

So, if you’ve reached a crossroads in your career, and you’re looking for something that’s a bit more personally rewarding, we’d invite you to come and take the plunge with us.

So why is it that we’re so convinced your experience as a children’s sports coach will make you so well-suited to a job with us? Well, for a start you’ll need the skills to teach and the patience to help kids who are struggling to get things right.  Your coaching role proves you’ve probably got that in your locker.

You’re an experienced diplomat

You’ll also need good customer service skills and dealing diplomatically with the parents of children who start matches on the side-lines will certainly have given you plenty of practice with that.

You’ll need to have excellent verbal skills to convey to the children in the pool what they need to do to get from one end of the pool to the other. All those half-time team talks when you convinced your team to keep trying and never give up, however bad the score, will stand you in good stead there.

You’ve had to work independently before

You’ll also need to be able to work on your own. We expect your life as a weekend sports coach meant you needed to develop that skill too. While there may have been times when other parents were willing to help out, that was no doubt the exception rather than the rule.  

Then you’ll need organisational skills and be able to use a computer or a tablet or a mobile. All those Friday evenings spent making calls to try and replace late player withdrawals so the team didn’t start the weekend’s match short-handed suggests that wouldn’t be a problem for you.

On a practical note, your role as the coach of a children’s sports team will no doubt mean you’ve already undergone a CBS Enhanced Criminal Record check. That’s something that you’ll also need to do as a swim teacher.

What does a swimming teacher do?

As well as being a personally rewarding job, being a swim teacher is much more varied than you might imagine. Before you can teach a class or a one-to-one lesson, first you’ll need to work out a lesson plan to ensure the session has a robust structure.

You’ll also need to have done your homework so you can demonstrate the correct techniques for all the different strokes. That might take a short while to master but, a bit like riding a bicycle, once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.

Safety is hugely important for us at Swimtime, and you’ll need to be proficient in life-saving techniques in the water. You’ll also need to be able to provide first aid for minor injuries or accidents, but that’s something you’re likely be familiar with already as a children’s sports coach.

What other skills are Swimtime looking for?

As the world’s largest independent swim school in the UK, our standards are higher than most. We’re looking for individuals who are passionate about teaching swimming and are able to inspire both children and adults. (Yes, it’s not just youngsters who’ll need the benefit of your teaching skills in the pool.)

But, beyond that, you should be eager to acquire new skills and motivated enough to provide the highest level of service to your customers.

We can help you with your swimming qualifications

We expect our teachers to have Level 2, or equivalent, qualification in teaching swimming, but that’s something you’re unlikely to have right now. Don’t worry, we can definitely help you with that.

Funding is available (subject to status) for you to achieve the necessary qualification through the Swimtime Academy. Once completed and you begin teaching, we recoup the money over a temporary period while you’re earning. Alternatively, you might choose to pay for the qualification yourself, so you can hit the ground (or, should we say, water) running.

If you’re interested in finding out more about a job as a teacher with Swimtime, you’ll find all the details here. In the meantime, we hope the team you coach does the business for you this weekend!