Becoming a swimming teacher in the UK

Becoming a swimming teacher in the UK means you can look forward to an active and challenging role with excellent chances of employment as many pools are always on the lookout for new staff.

It’s a great job for parents and guardians as the hours are very flexible and so you can work around your family commitments. It is also a brilliant job for a student as it can fit around studies and improve skills such as public speaking.

First steps

Before you commit to doing any qualifications, it might be worth doing some research about the job. You could visit your local swim school or pool and chat with a swimming teacher about their job, or you could request to volunteer your time and shadow a lesson to see if you enjoy it. Find your nearest pool with Poolfinder here.

You could also read some stories that teachers have shared with us about how they started their swimming teacher journey and why they love their job.

Minreet shares her experience of being a swimming teacher, and the Institute of Swimming,  a leading provider of Swim England Qualifications, have a teaching blog section where teachers have shared their stories.

Qualifications

The first qualification you will need is the SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant (Teaching) qualification. You must be 16 years of age or older on the first day of the course. Once you have received your certificate, you can support a qualified Level 2 Swimming Teacher.

The next step is to take your SEQ Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualification. You must be 16 years of age or older on the first day of the course. Once you have qualified, you’ll be able to plan and deliver swimming lessons independently.

If you want to start gaining experience before you turn 16, you can become a swimming lesson helper.

Search for training courses:

1. Swim England Qualifications is an awarding organisation. On their website they have a list of all approved training providers, offering qualifications for teaching swimming. Use our calendar to access all the training courses across the country.
2. You can also search for courses on the Institute of Swimming website – they are the training arm of Swim England.

Costs

Typically, initial qualifications cost around £375 for an SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant (Teaching) qualification) and £680 for an SEQ Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualification.

There are also funded training opportunities out there. For example, the Institute of Swimming run recruitment academies which give aspiring swimming teachers the chance to receive high-quality training and be matched up with an employer for a fraction of the price.

Pay

Pay starts at £11 – £16 per hour. But for a full breakdown of average hourly rate check out our Salary Checker here.

You can find lots of jobs in our jobs section here.