11 Tips on Becoming a Lifeguard

A lifeguard’s job is exciting and will help advance a career in self-development. This type of career is rewarding and makes you feel important as you can save lives.

Becoming a lifeguard is not all about getting a tan and behaving like a Baywatch wannabe. Lifeguards play an important role as they can save a person’s life by keeping an eye on people in swimming pools, water parks and beaches and helping them in case they run into any kind of problems.  This can be an interesting career for people in the leisure industry and with experience and training it is possible to become a pool manager or a Red Cross Instructor. Become a head guard or an aquatics coordinator once you complete the training.

You can also earn pocket money if you plan to work as a lifeguard during your summer vacation. Anyone looking to earn wages as a physical therapy assistant can benefit with this training. As a lifeguard you can earn extra money by becoming a personal fitness trainer or conducting aqua-exercise classes in pools.

1. The minimum age for training to be a lifeguard is 15. The basic requirement is that you should be fit and able to swim at least 300 yards continuously. You will also have to purchase materials in advance.
2. The Red Cross or YMCA offers lifeguard training classes. Find one in your area or look for other certified courses where you will get trained in water surveillance.  Some of the recognized institutes are NASCO, Starfish Aquatics Institute and Ellis and Associates.
3.  If you have some programs offered in High School, you can try to attend swimming programs with CPR training. The entire duration of these classes are around six weeks. Find out if there are any training opportunities in your area. If you contact the local pool you may be able to get them to pay the costs for training.
4.  Some of the training courses offered by Red Cross are Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Preventing Disease Transmission, Administering Emergency Oxygen and Automated External Defibrillation.
5. You will have to complete three main courses which include basic lifeguard training, AED/CPR for the Professional Rescuer and First Aid. If you enroll with the American Red Cross you will get certification in all the 3 courses which are normally valid for 2 years. You must join a gym and weight-train to ensure that you are in good shape.
6. You may be required to pass a swim test and it is in your best interests to be a strong swimmer. You should excel in breaststroke and front crawl and learn to retrieve weights from the bottom of the pool within a specified time. You will be asked to surface dive and try to rescue weights from below the surface of the water.
7. The requirements for certification for a Waterfront” Lifeguard for rivers, lakes and non-surf beaches is more rigorous.
8. Eat healthy and nutritious foods and get sufficient hours of rest. You will have to pass tests and perform CPR on dummies before you “rescue” a live person who will act the part of a person that requires help.
9. Lifeguards should be able to interact skillfully with children as well as adult swimmers. Your job is to be pleasant, patient and exhibit self-control especially when you are faced with emergencies.
10. Look for advanced training session if you wish to pursue this career as a head lifeguard.
11. When you undergo training you also learn to spot and make rescues, enforce city ordinance which includes patrolling the area and looking for missing children, people indulging in alcohol and learning to administer First Aid.