What Does a Pool Lifeguard Do?

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Pool Lifeguard Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real pool lifeguard resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage and trained15 lifeguards, which develop leadership skills, provide experience handling administrative issues.
Order parts from various vendors, work with HVAC service company.
Learned life saving skills with certifications in both first aid and CPR.
Maintain optimal pool and facility cleanliness.
Provide exemplary cleanliness and monitor safe chemical levels.
Examine injured persons, administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation or contact emergency medical personnel in case of serious injury.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Certify in CPR and use of a (automatic electronic defibrillator )
Operate and maintain ATV's and work vehicles.
Patrol swimming area and examine injured persons and administer first aid if need.

Pool Lifeguard Job Description

On average, the pool lifeguard annual salary is $28,274 per year, which translates to $13.59 an hour. Generally speaking, pool lifeguards earn anywhere from $22,000 to $35,000 a year, which means that the top-earning pool lifeguards make $12,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

Once you've become a pool lifeguard, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include an aquatics specialist, swim instructor, rescue boat operator, and ski patrol.

Learn More About Pool Lifeguard Job Descriptions

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Pool Lifeguard Jobs You Might Like

5 Pool Lifeguard Resume Examples

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Brian Bell Pool Lifeguard Contact Information Indianapolis, IN (230) 555-2158 bbell@example.com Skills WSI First-Aid CPR Lifeguard AGE Groups Professional Attitude Daily Activities Aquatic Facility Lesson Plans Lesson Program Employment History Pool Lifeguard 2020 - Present YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Worked with Waterfront Director to manage and train staff of 12 to ensure safety of park patrons and enforce town policies. Demonstrated excellence in performing various rescues, responses to emergency scenarios, and examinations of CPR and First Aid Administration Test and maintain pool chemical levels throughout the day. Maintained CPR and First Aid certification throughout employment Successfully performed one rescue on an active drowning victim Lifeguard/Swim Instructor 2019 - 2020 YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Managed and scheduled other lifeguard employees. Water Safety Instructor experience: Instruct children from 1 to 12 years of age in the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Program. Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment. Learned to recognize an emergency situation and deal effectively and calmly. Pool Lifeguard 2016 - 2019 YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Fishers, IN Provide top-notch customer service by maintaining a professional presence at all time. Supervised lifeguard teams and managed several pool facilities. Education High School Diploma 2016 - 2016


Zachary Dunn Pool Lifeguard Contact Info Decatur, IL (440) 555-9357 zdunn@example.com Skills Daily ActivitiesAccurate Program RecordsWeather ConditionsCPRAGE GroupsPublic SafetyPersonal CareConflict ResolutionPositive RelationshipsFirst-Aid Employment History Pool Lifeguard 2020 - Present Decatur Parks & Recreation Decatur, IL Obtained CPR and first aid certifications. Provided CPR and First-aid if needed. Learned work ethic & customer service Pool Lifeguard 2018 - 2020 Woodbridge New York, NY Managed lifeguard station to ensure clean and safe facilities; maintained pool chemicals and chlorine tanks. Camp Counselor 2017 - 2018 The Salvation Army New York, NY Supervised 5 to 7 year olds Assisted with planning daily activities Resolved conflicts between children Planned and supervised daily activities of the guests. Created daily activities and engaged the kids in different types of crafts. Education Some College Courses Psychology 2017 - 2017 New York University New York, NY


Zachary Dunn Pool Lifeguard Decatur, IL (440) 555-9357 zdunn@example.com Experience Pool Lifeguard2020 - Present Decatur Parks & Recreation•Decatur, IL Obtained CPR and first aid certifications. Provided CPR and First-aid if needed. Learned work ethic & customer service Pool Lifeguard2018 - 2020 Woodbridge•New York, NY Managed lifeguard station to ensure clean and safe facilities; maintained pool chemicals and chlorine tanks. Camp Counselor2017 - 2018 The Salvation Army•New York, NY Supervised 5 to 7 year olds Assisted with planning daily activities Resolved conflicts between children Planned and supervised daily activities of the guests. Created daily activities and engaged the kids in different types of crafts. Skills Daily ActivitiesAccurate Program RecordsWeather ConditionsCPRAGE GroupsPublic SafetyPersonal CareConflict ResolutionPositive RelationshipsFirst-Aid Education Some College Courses Psychology2017 - 2017 New York University•New York, NY

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Pool Lifeguard Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 25% of Pool Lifeguards are proficient in CPR, First-Aid, and Water Safety.

We break down the percentage of Pool Lifeguards that have these skills listed on their resume here:

CPR, 25%
Completed lifeguard training and received certification in CPR.
First-Aid, 21%
Managed 23 Lifeguards Maintained mechanical, chemical, and administrative operations Administered first-aid Instructed swimming lessons and water safety courses
Water Safety, 7%
Red Cross Certified Water Safety Instructor
Cleanliness, 6%
Maintained optimal pool and facility cleanliness.
Emergency Situations, 4%
Deployed emergency rescue drills to prepare lifeguards for unexpected emergency situations.
Pool Deck, 4%
Supervised pool members, cleaned and maintained pool deck and restrooms, maintained water quality in pool, and gave lessons.

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"cpr," "first-aid," and "water safety" aren't the only skills we found pool lifeguards list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of pool lifeguard responsibilities that we found, including:

See the full list of pool lifeguard skills.

After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming a pool lifeguard. We found that 65.3% of pool lifeguards have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 3.6% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most pool lifeguards have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every seven pool lifeguards were not college graduates.

Those pool lifeguards who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or psychology degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for pool lifeguards include kinesiology degrees or criminal justice degrees.

Once you're ready to become a pool lifeguard, you should explore the companies that typically hire pool lifeguards. According to pool lifeguard resumes that we searched through, pool lifeguards are hired the most by Ymca Of Greater Seattle, Approved Cash, and MGM Resorts International. Currently, Ymca Of Greater Seattle has 17 pool lifeguard job openings, while there are 7 at Approved Cash and 4 at MGM Resorts International.

If you're interested in companies where pool lifeguards make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Mt. Hood Community College, State of Connecticut, and Town of Davie, FL. We found that at Mt. Hood Community College, the average pool lifeguard salary is $34,405. Whereas at State of Connecticut, pool lifeguards earn roughly $33,849. And at Town of Davie, FL, they make an average salary of $32,245.

View more details on pool lifeguard salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire pool lifeguards from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Ymca, CampCo, and American Pool.

In general, pool lifeguards fulfill roles in the hospitality and government industries. While employment numbers are high in those industries, the pool lifeguard annual salary is the highest in the education industry with $29,478 as the average salary. Meanwhile, the government and health care industries pay $28,985 and $27,831 respectively. This means that pool lifeguards who are employed in the education industry make 4.2% more than pool lifeguards who work in the hospitality Industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious pool lifeguards are:

Ymca Of Greater Seattle17 Pool Lifeguards Jobs
Approved Cash7 Pool Lifeguards Jobs
MGM Resorts International4 Pool Lifeguards Jobs

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What Aquatics Specialists Do

The duties of an aquatics specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. With their expertise in aquatic environments, an aquatics specialist may work at government agencies, laboratories, learning institutions, and private companies. Typically, their responsibilities include conducting studies and observations, gathering and analyzing data through scientific procedures, coordinating with fellow experts, managing aquatics programs and projects, and developing strategies to resolve issues and concerns. Furthermore, as an aquatics specialist, it is essential to lead the efforts of different projects, all while adhering to the organization's vision and mission.

In this section, we compare the average pool lifeguard annual salary with that of an aquatics specialist. Typically, aquatics specialists earn a $8,726 higher salary than pool lifeguards earn annually.

Even though pool lifeguards and aquatics specialists have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require cpr, water safety, and resuscitation in the day-to-day roles.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A pool lifeguard responsibility is more likely to require skills like "first-aid," "cleanliness," "emergency situations," and "pool deck." Whereas a aquatics specialist requires skills like "husbandry," "primary resource," "animal welfare," and "retail sales." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Aquatics specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than pool lifeguards. In fact, aquatics specialists are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Swim Instructor?

As the name entails, swim instructors teach both children and adults how to swim. They help people develop their swimming ability through proper swimming techniques. Their responsibilities include ensuring that all swimming equipment is in good condition, evaluating student performance and providing feedback, and preparing reports on attendance and accidents. They are also responsible for preventing injuries and accidents through monitoring. There are several requirements to become a successful swim instructor that may include previous experience as a swim instructor, certifications on CPR and first aid, and swimming abilities.

Next up, we have the swim instructor profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a pool lifeguard annual salary. In fact, swim instructors salary difference is $2,459 lower than the salary of pool lifeguards per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both pool lifeguards and swim instructors are known to have skills such as "water safety," "cleanliness," and "emergency situations. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that pool lifeguard responsibilities requires skills like "cpr," "first-aid," "pool deck," and "facility rules." But a swim instructor might use skills, such as, "lifeguard," "customer service," "kids," and "work ethic."

Swim instructors may earn a lower salary than pool lifeguards, but swim instructors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $28,059. On the other side of things, pool lifeguards receive higher paychecks in the education industry where they earn an average of $29,478.

In general, swim instructors study at similar levels of education than pool lifeguards. They're 0.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Rescue Boat Operator Compares

The rescue boat operator profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of pool lifeguards. The difference in salaries is rescue boat operators making $15,930 higher than pool lifeguards.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a pool lifeguard is likely to be skilled in "first-aid," "water safety," "cleanliness," and "pool deck," while a typical rescue boat operator is skilled in "emt," "rescue operations," "boats," and "responder."

Rescue boat operators typically study at similar levels compared with pool lifeguards. For example, they're 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Ski Patrol

The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than pool lifeguards. On average, ski patrols earn a difference of $4,500 higher per year.

According to resumes from both pool lifeguards and ski patrols, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "cpr," "first-aid," and "emergency situations. "

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "water safety," "cleanliness," "pool deck," and "safety rules" are skills that have shown up on pool lifeguards resumes. Additionally, ski patrol uses skills like patrol, trail maintenance, guest service, and medical care on their resumes.

In general, ski patrols reach similar levels of education when compared to pool lifeguards resumes. Ski patrols are 2.9% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020