How to hire a swim lesson instructor

How to hire a swim lesson instructor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step swim lesson instructor 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 lesson instructor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new swim lesson instructor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the swim lesson instructor you need to hire. Certain swim lesson instructor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect swim lesson instructor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of swim lesson instructors.

   Type of Swim Lesson Instructor	Description	Hourly rate
   Swim Lesson Instructor		$8-16
   Ocean Lifeguard	An Ocean Lifeguard maintains continuous surveillance of people in the area of a beach. They supervise swimmers to ensure that they are swimming in accordance with safety protocols.	$11-17
   Swim Coach	A swim coach is someone who teaches and trains people how to swim. A swim coach provides tips and techniques for people to follow if they want to learn how to swim... Show more	$11-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cleanliness
   • Emergency Situations
   • Emergency Oxygen
   • Flotation
   • Lesson Program
   • Head Lifeguard
   • Safety Rules
   • WSI
   • Learn-To-Swim
   • Aquatic Facility
   • Resuscitation
   • Learning Environment
   • Report Cards
   • Safety Education

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage, facilitate and coordinate competitive swimming events using HY-TEK system.
   • Provide direct leadership, instruction and motivation for students in swimming classes.
   • Acquire leadership skills while mentoring and encouraging new lifeguards with swim lesson skills and pool upkeep.
   • Monitor recreational swimming areas and facilities for safety and cleanliness.
   • Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation if necessary.
   • Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.

   More swim lesson instructor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the swim lesson instructor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A swim lesson instructor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a swim lesson instructor in Tennessee may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level swim lesson instructor. Additionally, a swim lesson instructor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average swim lesson instructor salary

   $12.35hourly

   $25,697 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level swim lesson instructor salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average swim lesson instructor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$35,371	$17
   2	California	$34,125	$16
   3	Washington	$34,014	$16
   4	Connecticut	$32,690	$16
   5	Colorado	$28,440	$14
   6	Wisconsin	$25,878	$12
   7	Oregon	$25,861	$12
   8	Delaware	$25,318	$12
   9	Minnesota	$24,655	$12
   10	North Dakota	$24,610	$12
   11	Illinois	$23,704	$11
   12	Utah	$23,562	$11
   13	South Carolina	$23,327	$11
   14	Nebraska	$23,211	$11
   15	South Dakota	$22,800	$11
   16	Missouri	$22,697	$11
   17	Kansas	$22,202	$11
   18	Iowa	$20,207	$10
   19	Ohio	$18,808	$9
   20	Indiana	$18,132	$9

   Average swim lesson instructor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$46,859	$22.53
   2	Family Wellness L L C	$30,920	$14.87	4
   3	Brenau University	$30,801	$14.81
   4	Augusta Health	$29,798	$14.33	2
   5	University of Iowa Center for Advancement	$27,862	$13.40
   6	Sanford Health	$27,563	$13.25	8
   7	Johnston Memorial Hospital Corporation	$27,496	$13.22
   8	West Coast Limousine	$27,283	$13.12	2
   9	Goldfish Swim School	$26,797	$12.88	193
   10	WTS International	$26,754	$12.86
   11	Vacasa	$26,672	$12.82
   12	Village of Lincolnwood	$26,651	$12.81
   13	YMCA	$26,638	$12.81	98
   14	Drake University	$26,609	$12.79	22
   15	City of Mesa	$25,967	$12.48
   16	YMCA of Greater Indianapolis	$25,738	$12.37
   17	Hoffman Estates	$25,634	$12.32	3
   18	Club	$24,949	$11.99	13
   19	Great Parks of Hamilton County	$24,884	$11.96
   20	City of Eden Prairie	$24,874	$11.96	3

4. Writing a swim lesson instructor job description

   A swim lesson instructor 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a swim lesson instructor job description:

   Swim lesson instructor job description example

   Teach swimming at Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness! We have eager students waiting for you to show them how to swim all year long in our aquatics center. Are you feeling like a fish out of water? Dive back in to a job you love and pass on the love you have for swimming to others of all ages. The primary responsibility of our certified Swim Instructor is to teach both group and private swimming lessons. Classes are small to ensure plenty of individual attention and practice time. All levels will include basic water skills and stroke technique as well as introducing a wide range of personal safety skills while making time together fun. Does this sum up what you bring to your students:

   • Experience teaching beginner-level child or adult to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.
   • Good instincts assessing each person's comfort-level with the water.
   • Patience in teaching a fearful individual and instilling confidence in them.
   • Able to adapt lessons to each student's readiness to progress.
   • Ability to create and follow lesson plans including swimming drills and verbal cues to prevent boredom and increase learning.
   • Positive communication skills to both the student and, or guardian including knowing each student by name.
   • Adheres to Center and Department Standard Operating Procedures.
   • Never ever would leave any student alone in the Aquatics area nor in the water.

   Requirements: Current certifications in water safety, instruction, CPR/AED. Minimum of 1 year teaching.We value our employees and education to be best in class in fitness. Benefit from our educational partnerships including 40% discounts with NASM/AFAA and Post University , reduced tuition/ for you and your immediate household. Plus we pay for subscription and enroll you in a respected online fitness education portal to stay current in the industry and keep all of your fitness certifications in one convenient place.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find swim lesson instructors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any swim lesson instructors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level swim lesson instructors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting swim lesson instructors 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 lesson instructor

   Once you've decided on a perfect swim lesson instructor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new swim lesson instructor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

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