Swim instructor vs beach lifeguard

The differences between swim instructors and beach lifeguards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a beach lifeguard has an average salary of $29,050, which is higher than the $25,815 average annual salary of a swim instructor.

The top three skills for a swim instructor include lifeguard, cleanliness and customer service. The most important skills for a beach lifeguard are CPR, emergency situations, and patrol.

Swim instructor vs beach lifeguard overview

	Swim Instructor	Beach Lifeguard
Yearly salary	$25,815	$29,050
Hourly rate	$12.41	$13.97
Growth rate	19%	-
Number of jobs	24,849	3,304
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	26	26
Years of experience	-	-

Swim instructor vs beach lifeguard salary

Swim instructors and beach lifeguards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Swim Instructor	Beach Lifeguard
Average salary	$25,815	$29,050
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $35,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Manteca, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	California
Best paying company	Massachusetts General Hospital	Bay Head Yacht Club
Best paying industry	Education	Hospitality

Differences between swim instructor and beach lifeguard education

There are a few differences between a swim instructor and a beach lifeguard in terms of educational background:

	Swim Instructor	Beach Lifeguard
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Swim instructor vs beach lifeguard demographics

Here are the differences between swim instructors' and beach lifeguards' demographics:

	Swim Instructor	Beach Lifeguard
Average age	26	26
Gender ratio	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%	Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 7.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 4.3% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between swim instructor and beach lifeguard duties and responsibilities

Swim instructor example responsibilities.

Manage all subjects of TOEFL.
Manage, facilitate and coordinate competitive swimming events using HY-TEK system.
Manage social media accounts while promoting camper interaction and sharing of the UCA brand experience.
Maintain continual first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification, while ensuring the members' requests are meet and exceed their expectations.
Care for and assist children with severe food allergies.
Certify in water aerobics, as well as CPR.

Beach lifeguard example responsibilities.

Used ATV's for various beach duties.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Examine injured individuals, administer first aid.

Swim instructor vs beach lifeguard skills

Common swim instructor skills

Lifeguard, 21%
Cleanliness, 20%
Customer Service, 15%
Kids, 12%
Emergency Situations, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%

Common beach lifeguard skills

CPR, 34%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Patrol, 8%
Water Safety, 6%
Lifeguard Training, 6%
Public Safety, 4%