What is a Life Guard?
What Does a Life Guard Do
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a life guard, we found that a lot of resumes listed 29.7% of life guards included cpr, while 21.7% of resumes included first-aid, and 8.2% of resumes included emergency situations. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
How To Become a Life Guard
If you're interested in becoming a life guard, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 49.7% of life guards have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.5% of life guards have master's degrees. Even though most life guards have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Life Guard Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of waitress you might progress to a role such as teacher eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title general manager.
Average Salary for a Life Guard
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Life Guard
There are several types of life guard, including:
Swim Instructor
Role:
As a rule, they require certain skills such as CPR and first aid and American Safety Instructor and Basic Swim Instructor certifications. They should have sound knowledge of proper swimming techniques and water safety, effective communication skills, and be passionate and enthusiastic.
A high school diploma or GED is enough, plus being an experienced swimmer, for example a retired professional swimmer. On average, they earn $24,852 per year, which translates to $11.95 per hour. Though generally, they earn anywhere between $18,000 and $35,000 a year.
- Average Salary: $25,815
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Ocean Lifeguard
Role:
These professionals need to be ready to move at a moment's notice; therefore, they are in great physical shape. Ocean lifeguards also require concentration to watch all the shimmers in the area all the time.
The daily routine of a lifeguard is highly variable. They may experience days with no emergencies and others in which a significant number of individuals need to be rescued. It's a critical job that requires focus and concentration. While it can be challenging, it's also rewarding.
To become an ocean lifeguard, you'll need excellent swimming skills, CPR knowledge, and a practical approach to life. There are no educational requirements to become an ocean lifeguard.
- Average Salary: $29,909
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Life Guard Jobs
Number Of Life Guard Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 735 | $37,224 |
| 2 | Texas | 337 | $25,137 |
| 3 | Florida | 279 | $28,606 |
| 4 | New York | 246 | $32,868 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 205 | $35,186 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 185 | $26,685 |
| 7 | Illinois | 176 | $26,288 |
| 8 | Ohio | 136 | $21,447 |
| 9 | Arizona | 128 | $28,385 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 121 | $29,736 |
| 11 | Colorado | 116 | $27,920 |
| 12 | Maryland | 112 | $29,318 |
| 13 | Missouri | 109 | $23,467 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 107 | $27,882 |
| 15 | Virginia | 107 | $26,204 |
| 16 | Michigan | 103 | $27,558 |
| 17 | Georgia | 97 | $25,790 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 90 | $33,246 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 88 | $24,550 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 87 | $31,338 |
| 21 | Alabama | 80 | $23,628 |
| 22 | Washington | 70 | $39,419 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 68 | $28,160 |
| 24 | Iowa | 65 | $21,958 |
| 25 | Indiana | 63 | $20,151 |
| 26 | Kansas | 61 | $24,038 |
| 27 | Tennessee | 58 | $23,366 |
| 28 | Nevada | 57 | $27,696 |
| 29 | South Carolina | 55 | $25,368 |
| 30 | Utah | 54 | $26,744 |
| 31 | Idaho | 51 | $33,931 |
| 32 | Mississippi | 41 | $24,915 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 39 | $24,376 |
| 34 | Oregon | 36 | $34,321 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 34 | $29,135 |
| 36 | Arkansas | 31 | $25,783 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 28 | $21,806 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 25 | $26,952 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 24 | $25,726 |
| 40 | West Virginia | 22 | $29,161 |
| 41 | Maine | 20 | $35,456 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | 18 | $32,447 |
| 43 | Montana | 18 | $25,837 |
| 44 | Alaska | 14 | $31,155 |
| 45 | Delaware | 14 | $27,312 |
| 46 | Wyoming | 13 | $26,757 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 12 | $34,212 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 10 | $30,090 |
| 49 | Vermont | 9 | $33,468 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 8 | $25,365 |
Choose From 10+ Customizable Life Guard Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Life Guard templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Life Guard resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Life Guard Demographics
Life Guard Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among life guards, 36.9% of them are women, while 63.1% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among life guards is White, which makes up 67.9% of all life guards.
- The most common foreign language among life guards is Spanish at 58.1%.
Online Courses For Life Guard That You May Like
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Top Life Guard Employers
Most Common Employers For Life Guard
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City | $34,892 | $16.77 | 13 |
| 2 | Adventure Island | $32,138 | $15.45 | 12 |
| 3 | The Walt Disney Company | $31,461 | $15.13 | 18 |
| 4 | Great Wolf Resorts | $30,817 | $14.82 | 64 |
| 5 | Hawaiian Airlines | $29,267 | $14.07 | 8 |
| 6 | Aquatic Bath | $28,821 | $13.86 | 12 |
| 7 | American Pool | $28,631 | $13.76 | 40 |
| 8 | American Red Cross | $28,035 | $13.48 | 8 |
| 9 | Continental Pools | $28,002 | $13.46 | 20 |
| 10 | Schlitterbahn Waterparks | $27,957 | $13.44 | 17 |