1. Home: Explore careers
  2. Swimming teacher

Swimming teacher

Alternative titles for this job include Swimming coach, swimming instructor

Swimming teachers help people learn how to swim, improve their swimming skills and exercise in water.

Average salary (a year)

£18,000 Starter

to

£30,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

18 to 37 variable

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays as customers demand

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become Swimming teacher

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • training with a professional body

Apprenticeship

You can get into this job by doing a Leisure Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

As part of this apprenticeship you will be able to gain one of the following qualifications:

  • Swim England Level 2 in Teaching Swimming
  • Swimming Teachers' Association Level 2 Certificate in Teaching Swimming

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

Other Routes

You can qualify as a swimming teacher by doing Level 1 and Level 2 teaching qualifications awarded by Swim England or the Swimming Teachers' Association (STA).

These qualifications will allow you to teach non-swimmers, improvers and people looking to learn advanced swimming skills.

You may be able to train on the job and become qualified while you work. This would depend on your employer.

Courses are often flexible so you can fit them around other commitments you may have.

More Information

Career tips

Swimming teachers often work part time and are paid by the hour. Rates can vary between £14 and £22 an hour.

Further information

You can find out more about teaching swimming from Swim England and the Swimming Teachers' Association.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • leadership skills
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
  • the ability to work on your own
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a swimming teacher, you'll:

  • plan lessons for beginners, improvers and advanced swimmers
  • teach or coach one-to-one or in groups
  • make sure safety standards are followed
  • check life-saving equipment is in working order
  • identify ways to improve swimmers' performance
  • give first aid for minor injuries or accidents

Working environment

You could work at a fitness centre or at a school.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and humid.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could be a swim co-ordinator or lead swimming teacher for a region, checking the quality of other swimming teachers.

With further training, you could widen your skills to work with:

  • babies and pre-schoolers
  • people with disabilities
  • open water swimmers

You could work as the head coach of a swimming club, or senior coach with a regional or national team. You might also wish to move into elite sports coaching, sports development or fitness training.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Leisure Team Member Apprentice

  • Wage: £11,721 a year Annually
  • Location: , ,

Leisure Team Member Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £10,816 a year Annually
  • Location: , ,
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Are you interested in becoming a Swimming teacher?

Search for training courses near you.

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

Related careers

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Speak to an adviser

You can call 0800 100 900 or use webchat to speak to an adviser.

We're open:

  • 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 5pm Saturdays and bank holidays

We're closed on Sundays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.