Leisure and Sports - Lifeguard
Leisure and Sports - Lifeguard
Amber
Lifeguards look after swimming areas, help swimmers to stay safe and carry out rescues in emergencies.
As a pool or beach lifeguard you'll supervise swimming areas and help people in trouble.
For your main tasks you will:
- make sure swimmers follow safety rules
- make sure people stay in safe areas
- rescue swimmers in danger
- give first aid
As a pool lifeguard, you’ll also:
- advise swimmers on how to use diving boards and slides
- check pool water temperature and chemicals
- clean the pool area and set up equipment
As a beach lifeguard you'll also:
- monitor sea conditions and set up safety flags
- be a point of contact for people on the beach
As a Lifeguard you could work at a fitness centre.
Your working environment may be humid and outdoors some of the time.
Lifeguards tend to work between 35 to 40 hours a week. You could work evenings, weekends and bank holidays on a rota.
Starting: £15,000
Experienced: £22,000
You can get into this job through working towards this role, training with professional bodies.
You may be able to work as a pool attendant or assistant, for example in a leisure centre, and take lifeguard qualifications on the job. If you want to work as a pool lifeguard you'll need one of the following qualifications:
- National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ)
- Level 2 Award for Pool Lifeguard
To be a beach lifeguard, you'll need to complete the National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ).
You can complete the qualifications by joining a local club as a volunteer and training with them or training with a professional body.