Swim instructor vs lifeguard/head lifeguard

The differences between swim instructors and lifeguards/head lifeguards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lifeguard/head lifeguard has an average salary of $28,189, 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 lifeguard/head lifeguard are first-aid, customer service, and water safety.

Swim instructor vs lifeguard/head lifeguard overview

	Swim Instructor	Lifeguard/Head Lifeguard
Yearly salary	$25,815	$28,189
Hourly rate	$12.41	$13.55
Growth rate	19%	-
Number of jobs	24,849	12,052
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	26	26
Years of experience	-	-

Swim instructor vs lifeguard/head lifeguard salary

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

	Swim Instructor	Lifeguard/Head Lifeguard
Average salary	$25,815	$28,189
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $35,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Massachusetts General Hospital	Trustmark Insurance Co
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between swim instructor and lifeguard/head lifeguard education

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

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

Swim instructor vs lifeguard/head lifeguard demographics

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

	Swim Instructor	Lifeguard/Head Lifeguard
Average age	26	26
Gender ratio	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%	Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
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 lifeguard/head 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.

Lifeguard/head lifeguard example responsibilities.

Manage and trained15 lifeguards, which develop leadership skills, provide experience handling administrative issues.
Supervise pool maintenance, CPR, AED-PR, first-aid, record keeping, and customer service
Examine injured persons/administered first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation when necessary.
Obtain and maintain required certifications.
Maintain all first-aid and medical emergency equipment.

Swim instructor vs lifeguard/head lifeguard skills

Common swim instructor skills

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

Common lifeguard/head lifeguard skills

First-Aid, 22%
Customer Service, 14%
Water Safety, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
Aquatic Facility, 6%

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Protective Service Industry
Swim Instructor
Swim Instructor vs Lifeguard/Head Lifeguard

Updated January 8, 2025

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