Swimming & Lifeguarding - Swimming staff on Summer Camp USA usually combine the responsibilities of lifeguarding and/or teaching swim with being a cabin counsellor. It’s a fun and rewarding, yet challenging opportunity to enhance your skills, develop your personal experience and have a great summer. Working on the waterfront is one of the best places to be at camp!

As a swimming instructor, you will be teaching skills and giving lessons for four or more hours each day, normally in hour-long periods. In addition, if your camp organises a swim team, campers will try out to represent their camp in inter-camp tournaments and swim meets throughout the summer. You may be asked to coach the teams. On other camps, swimming may be a purely recreational, fun activity.

As a lifeguard, your responsibilities will be to carry out lifeguarding duties as necessary to maintain a safe swimming environment for campers and staff.

Swimming at Camps

American summer camps generally operate a swim programme in line with the American Red Cross (ARC) courses and awards. This is a similar swimming scheme to that found in the UK and elsewhere, although there are some differences in strokes, for instance. Children are grouped according to their ability or age and the instructor works with them to develop their skills.

Depending on the camp, the campers may aim to achieve the next ARC qualification during the summer. You would therefore be working within the curriculum outlined by the American Red Cross and will be trained accordingly before camp begins.

What are the facilities and accommodation like?

Swimming is one of the main activities at camp. Facilities vary from camp to camp, ranging from a heated outdoor pool, to a cordoned-off swimming area in a lake. This may take a bit of getting used to initially if you’re used to swimming indoors!

Living accommodation is most probably in a cabin (bunk) with children and other staff members. You will be responsible for looking out for the wellbeing of the children as well as being a positive role model., in addition to teaching swimming, or lifeguarding. It is therefore essential that you have good previous experience of working with children generally, as well as in swimming.

What are camps looking for?

Camps are looking for staff that will be positive and constructive additions to the camp community. Swim staff are expected to be hard-working, safety conscious and confident when teaching swimming or lifeguarding. Swimming Instructors should have a fun and enthusiastic approach to their sport and to working with children, while at the same time being able to balance the fundamentals of teaching skills and safety.

What experience or qualifications are required?

Applicants who want to work on the waterfront need to have a current RLSS Pool Lifeguard award, or similar lifesaving qualification. For swim teaching, previous experience of teaching swimming and ASA teaching awards are helpful.

Many camps run Red Cross lifeguard and teaching courses prior to camp to ensure that staff have valid US certifications.

What next?