What does a water safety instructor do?
Water safety instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real water safety instructor resumes:
- 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.
- Patrol swimming area and examine injured persons and administer first aid if need.
Water safety instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Water Safety Instructors are proficient in Learn-To-Swim, Aquatic Facility, and Head Lifeguard. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Motivational skills.
We break down the percentage of Water Safety Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Learn-To-Swim, 13%
Water Safety Instructor- taught Learn-To-Swim program and pool safety
- Aquatic Facility, 11%
Maintained the safety of the patrons in the aquatic facility by enforcing all rules and regulations.
- Head Lifeguard, 11%
Teach all classes according to American Red Cross guidelines, worked under the supervision of the Head Lifeguard, Aquatics Supervisor.
- In-Service Training, 7%
Delegated small tasks to other team members and scheduled, lead, and managed in-service training sessions for other lifeguards.
- Safety Regulations, 5%
Facilitated health and safety regulations to ensure materials and equipment met organization standards.
- Customer Service, 5%
Provided excellent customer service while delivering class information, course offerings and participant progress.
Common skills that a water safety instructor uses to do their job include "learn-to-swim," "aquatic facility," and "head lifeguard." You can find details on the most important water safety instructor responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a water safety instructor to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "many fitness trainers and instructors sell their services, motivating clients to hire them as personal trainers or to sign up for the classes they lead." Additionally, a water safety instructor resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "maintained logs documenting members and guest attendance and activities and performed rescue techniques. "
Listening skills. Many water safety instructor duties rely on listening skills. "fitness trainers and instructors must listen carefully to what clients tell them in order to determine the clients’ fitness levels and desired fitness goals.," so a water safety instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways water safety instructor responsibilities rely on listening skills: "overlooked the pool during open night swims throughout the year and communicated the safety rules during a violation. "
Motivational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of water safety instructors is motivational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday water safety instructor duties, as "to keep clients coming back for more classes or to continue personal training, fitness trainers and instructors must keep their clients motivated." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed positive relationships with participants and provided motivational support and guidance while increasing participant water safety. "
Physical fitness. For certain water safety instructor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical fitness." The day-to-day duties of a water safety instructor rely on this skill, as "fitness trainers and instructors must be able to lead classes and to demonstrate exercises to participants or their clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what water safety instructors do: "developed water aerobics routines for all fitness levels. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a water safety instructor to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what water safety instructors relies on this skill, since "fitness trainers and instructors must be able to clearly explain exercises that they demonstrate to clients." How this skill relates to water safety instructor duties can be seen in an example from a water safety instructor resume snippet: "exhibit strong communication and organization skills by teaching public and private lessons.01/2017 to current"
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on water safety instructor job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in water safety instructor duties, since "fitness trainers and instructors must evaluate members’ or client’s fitness levels and create appropriate fitness plans to meet their needs." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day water safety instructor responsibilities: "strengthened organization, teamwork, problem-solving, and planning skills public service & leadership"
The three companies that hire the most water safety instructors are:
- City of Dallas Employees2 water safety instructors jobs
- Rink Management Services
1 water safety instructors jobs
- Oakland Public Library1 water safety instructors jobs
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Compare different water safety instructors
Water safety instructor vs. Lifeguard/head lifeguard
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between water safety instructors and lifeguard/head lifeguard. For instance, water safety instructor responsibilities require skills such as "learn-to-swim," "head lifeguard," "private lessons," and "course objectives." Whereas a lifeguard/head lifeguard is skilled in "first-aid," "cleanliness," "pool maintenance," and "lifeguard training." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Lifeguards/head lifeguards really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $29,741. Comparatively, water safety instructors tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $29,015.lifeguards/head lifeguards tend to reach similar levels of education than water safety instructors. In fact, lifeguards/head lifeguards are 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Water safety instructor vs. Pool lifeguard
Each career also uses different skills, according to real water safety instructor resumes. While water safety instructor responsibilities can utilize skills like "learn-to-swim," "customer service," "private lessons," and "course objectives," pool lifeguards use skills like "cpr," "first-aid," "cleanliness," and "pool deck."
Pool lifeguards may earn a higher salary than water safety instructors, but pool lifeguards earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $29,478. On the other hand, water safety instructors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,015.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Pool lifeguards tend to reach similar levels of education than water safety instructors. In fact, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Water safety instructor vs. Beach patrol lieutenant
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from water safety instructor resumes include skills like "learn-to-swim," "aquatic facility," "head lifeguard," and "in-service training," whereas a beach patrol lieutenant is more likely to list skills in "patrol," "aed," "law enforcement," and "safety guidelines. "
Most beach patrol lieutenants achieve a similar degree level compared to water safety instructors. For example, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Water safety instructor vs. Ocean rescue lieutenant
Types of water safety instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
