How to hire a water safety instructor

How to hire a water safety instructor, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your water safety instructor 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 water safety instructor 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

   Hiring the perfect water safety 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.

   Here's a comparison of water safety instructor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Water Safety Instructor	Description	Hourly rate
   Water Safety Instructor		$10-16
   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
   Lifeguard/Swim Instructor	The primary job of lifeguards and swimming instructors is to keep an eye and teach swimmers at both private and public beaches, pools, private resorts, public parks, and summer camps. They implement local laws and regulations of the facility and provide help to swimmers who are in need... Show more	$10-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Learn-To-Swim
   • Aquatic Facility
   • Head Lifeguard
   • In-Service Training
   • Safety Regulations
   • Customer Service
   • Emergency Situations
   • Resuscitation
   • Emergency First Aid
   • Private Lessons
   • Course Objectives
   • Swimming Pools
   • Safety Standards
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Examine injure persons and administer first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
   • Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary.
   • Work on-site to cover HUD and OSHA inspector protocol, EPA regulations, and OSHA policies, practice and procedures.
   • Substitute for yoga and water aerobics as needed
   • Assist and maintain associated paperwork and documentation to ensure OSHA compliance.
   • Maintain general appearance and cleanliness of assign area and perform general housekeeping of assign area; maintain water safety equipment.

   More water safety instructor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your water safety instructor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A water safety instructor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, water safety instructors' average salary in indiana is 47% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level water safety instructors 40% less than senior-level water safety instructors.
   • Certifications. A water safety instructor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a water safety instructor's salary.

   Average water safety instructor salary

   $13.18hourly

   $27,408 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level water safety instructor salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average water safety instructor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$37,883	$18
   2	California	$37,476	$18
   3	Washington	$36,351	$17
   4	Massachusetts	$36,233	$17
   5	Idaho	$32,566	$16
   6	Michigan	$31,226	$15
   7	Oregon	$28,667	$14
   8	Virginia	$27,683	$13
   9	Maryland	$27,593	$13
   10	Colorado	$27,347	$13
   11	Minnesota	$26,871	$13
   12	Pennsylvania	$26,727	$13
   13	Florida	$24,804	$12
   14	South Carolina	$24,283	$12
   15	North Carolina	$24,117	$12
   16	Louisiana	$23,003	$11
   17	Texas	$22,422	$11
   18	Oklahoma	$21,224	$10

   Average water safety instructor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pace University	$44,413	$21.35	3
   2	City of Round Rock	$36,340	$17.47	2
   3	City Of Alexandria	$35,144	$16.90	1
   4	City of Austin	$35,138	$16.89	3
   5	City of Dallas Employees	$31,599	$15.19	1
   6	Edina Public Schools	$31,131	$14.97
   7	Mohawk Valley Community College	$30,758	$14.79	11
   8	University of Idaho	$30,646	$14.73	2
   9	Prince William County	$30,454	$14.64	6
   10	Virginia Commonwealth University	$29,975	$14.41	104
   11	Roseville Area Schools	$28,773	$13.83	3
   12	Grandville Public Schools	$28,769	$13.83
   13	92nd Street Y	$28,559	$13.73	2
   14	University of Oklahoma	$28,209	$13.56	5
   15	City Of Miami	$28,191	$13.55	3
   16	Howard County Government	$28,150	$13.53
   17	Rink Management Services	$27,548	$13.24
   18	City of Durham	$27,138	$13.05	4
   19	City of Huntington, WV	$27,115	$13.04	1
   20	City of Charleston	$27,094	$13.03

4. Writing a water safety instructor job description

   A water safety 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 water safety instructor job description:

   Water safety instructor job description example

   Job DescriptionAre you looking for a “job” that’s not really a job at all? Something that brings you real fulfillment, satisfaction and purpose?
   We have one for you!
   
   British Swim School is a nationwide provider of survival and stroke development swim lessons with an enhanced focus on a gentle, fun and progressive aquatics program. We are looking for fun-loving individuals to join our award-winning team of swim instructors in the north Colorado Springs area.
   
   Our mission is to prevent accidental drownings by teaching children and adults, in a fun way, how to swim and enjoy the water safely.
   
   British Swim School has been teaching swim lessons via our signature method for 40 years. We are confident we can train anyone on how to teach our curriculum - as long as they enjoy the water and have a passion for child development and helping children to make progress and succeed.
   
   What else is there to know?
   
   You've got to love working with children, bringing an upbeat attitude. You will receive in-depth online and hands on training that will stay with you the rest of your professional career You will need to have or obtain your lifeguard certification (we will pay certification fees) Part time hours are weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. If you are looking for a position with a real purpose - this, is it! While our mission isn't to develop Olympic-level swimmers, we're all about helping children and adults develop confidence in the water and prevent accidental drownings. Join our team and help us accomplish this mission. Each franchise location is independently owned and operated by a franchisee (franchise owner). Your application will go directly to the franchisee, and all hiring decisions will be made by the management of this franchisee. All inquiries about employment at this franchisee should be made directly to the franchise location, and not to British Swim School Corporate.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find water safety 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 water safety instructors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level water safety 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 water safety instructor job on Zippia to find and recruit water safety instructor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit water safety instructors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 water safety instructor

   Once you've found the water safety instructor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 water safety instructor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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