How to hire a swim coach

How to hire a swim coach, step by step

Here's a step-by-step swim coach hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a swim coach job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new swim coach
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a swim coach do?

Post a swim coach job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your swim coach job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a swim coach for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A swim coach's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, swim coaches from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents swim coach salaries for various positions.

   Type of Swim Coach	Description	Hourly rate
   Swim Coach	Coaches teach amateur or professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players and evaluate their skills and likelihood for success at the college, amateur, or professional level... Show more	$11-22
   Head Basketball Coach	Head Basketball Coaches are responsible for training and guiding athletes in achieving skills, sportsmanship, and discipline in the basketball sport. Their duties include organizing basketball programs, demonstrating individual and team development techniques, communicating team regulations and rules, and conducting basketball tryouts... Show more	$13-32
   Basketball Coach	A basketball coach is responsible for training players for school or basketball tournament leagues. A basketball coach prepares the players by providing them game techniques, developing their maximum potential through a series of practice and games... Show more	$13-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • Customer Service
   • Lifeguard
   • Kids
   • Water Safety
   • Training Programs
   • Private Lessons
   • Role Model
   • Safety Rules
   • Student Athletes
   • Swimming Coaching
   • Championship
   • Line UPS
   • Competitive Events

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
   • Instruct children, in groups and individually, on the specifics of softball skills.
   • Teach and demonstrate use of swimming equipment such as flippers, flotation devices, and kicking boards.
   • Provide a strong focus on improve leadership, discipline and group cohesion as well as a process orient approach to swimming.
   • Assess & instruct students on swimming styles from the basics to technicalities in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
   • Instruct students to swim freestyle independently

   More swim coach duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your swim coach job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A swim coach salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a swim coach in New Mexico may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level swim coach usually earns less than a senior-level swim coach. Additionally, a swim coach with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average swim coach salary

   $16.31hourly

   $33,923 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level swim coach salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average swim coach salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$41,246	$20
   2	New Jersey	$41,150	$20
   3	California	$40,591	$20
   4	Virginia	$37,765	$18
   5	Texas	$37,450	$18
   6	Arizona	$32,739	$16
   7	Maryland	$31,898	$15
   8	Missouri	$30,277	$15
   9	Illinois	$28,021	$13
   10	Florida	$27,779	$13
   11	Georgia	$26,412	$13
   12	Kansas	$25,767	$12

   Average swim coach salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Agnes Irwin School	$48,916	$23.52	3
   2	Dickinson College	$43,199	$20.77
   3	University of Wisconsin System	$41,769	$20.08
   4	City of Austin	$39,801	$19.14
   5	Frederick County	$38,968	$18.73	2
   6	Capital City Club	$38,544	$18.53
   7	Trustmark Insurance Co	$37,142	$17.86	5
   8	Atlanta Academy	$36,401	$17.50	5
   9	Perris Union High School District	$36,136	$17.37
   10	Goldfish Swim School	$34,480	$16.58	194
   11	Shalom Austin JCC	$34,422	$16.55	4
   12	YMCA	$34,220	$16.45	33
   13	Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta	$33,900	$16.30	53
   14	Club	$33,464	$16.09	3
   15	EXOS	$33,310	$16.01	48
   16	Approved Cash	$33,276	$16.00	9
   17	Township High School District 113	$33,197	$15.96	12
   18	HealthFitness	$33,083	$15.91	14
   19	City of Boise	$32,567	$15.66
   20	Village of Lincolnwood	$32,490	$15.62

4. Writing a swim coach job description

   A swim coach job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a swim coach job description:

   Swim coach job description example

   Swim Instructor -Good Shepherd Health & Fitness Center
   
   On-call/As-needed/Substitute
   
   *Schedule- Weekday afternoon/evenings, mornings and weekends as-needed*
   
   Looking to make some extra money? HealthFitness is looking for Swim Instructors to join the Aquatics Team at our client site located in Barrington IL! In this position, you will inspire members through movement, community, and personal attention while leading aquatic classes and ensuring participant safety.
   
   What you'll need to have
   
   + Must be at least 18 years old.
   
   + Adult CPR/AED/first aid certification from American Heart Association, American Red Cross or American Safety & Health Institute required.
   
   + Possess ability to provide multisensory instruction: auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic.
   
   + Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills with the ability to deliver information clearly, concisely, and timely.
   
   + Exhibit patience and are friendly and outgoing.
   
   + Are highly organized, energetic, and can multi-task.
   
   + Flu vaccine required.
   
   + This client site requires full COVID-19 vaccination as an essential job function. HealthFitness adheres to all federal, state and local COVID-19 vaccination regulations as well as all client COVID-19 vaccination requirements and will obtain the necessary information from candidates prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Failure to meet the vaccination requirement may result in rescission of an employment offer or termination of employment.
   
   ABOUT US
   
   HealthFitness, a Trustmark company, is a proven leader in providing fitness solutions that engage and connect people both on-site and online, to create a strong community of health. Our work focuses on creating meaningful connections with each of our participants to help them move forward. We foster each individual's journey by creating communities of health within the organizations we serve - so that everyone is supported. As an employee of HealthFitness you will enjoy a variety of health and financial benefits and receive competitive pay. We provide personal and professional support, training and development and flexible employment opportunities.
   
   HealthFitness is committed to leveraging the talent of a diverse workforce to create great opportunities for our people and our business. EOE/AA. Race/Color/Gender/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Age/Disability/Veteran
   
   Trustmark is pleased to have earned recognition from the Chicago Tribune as a Chicago Top Workplaces 2020 & 2021 Award winner. The award is based exclusively on Trustmark associate responses to an anonymous survey. The survey measured 15 key drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of an organization.
   
   Required SkillsRequired Experience

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find swim coaches for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your swim coach job on Zippia to find and recruit swim coach candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting swim coaches requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new swim coach

   Once you've selected the best swim coach candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a swim coach?