How is the career growth?

When thinking about career options with high salaries, life guarding is one of the best jobs that come to mind.

If you are looking for a career as a pool lifeguard, then you may start at a local park district. The best part of local pools is that they offer the fundamental classes in pool lifeguard by which a candidate can get a good job as a beginner. As the jobs in the career of lifeguard are seasonal; they can give opportunity to the students in summers. Job seekers interested to start their career as a lifeguard can also contact the lifesaving associations to recruit them for the jobs.

Since due to irregular environment of the job, opportunities are somewhat limited however lifeguards can endorse them throughout the position by modernizing their ability and talent. They can start from swim instructor and reach to levels of chief lifeguard, bathe trainer, marine subordinate up to the position of marine executive. The job profile of beach lifeguard is more specialized having advanced opportunities. The career ladder of the lifeguard can go like as follows:

• Ocean lifeguard
• Senior ocean lifeguard
• Rescue boat lieutenant
• Captain ocean lifeguard
• Lieutenant ocean lifeguard
• Chief lifeguard operations division

In language of, profession development together NaRS and NPLQ get a hold towards a point 2 NVQ in games and leisure. A person can then upgrade a career as a special trainer, health instructor and a lot others.

The career opportunities for lifeguards are increasing day by day and it has grown by 10% in the few years. The demand of the lifeguard is constant as the permanent jobs are always filled by the experienced persons in the field. Basically, it is only one season job so; these people are only hired in summer. The only full time permanent job in the career of lifeguard is the post of aquatic manager.

1) Salary and benefits

What is the salary of a professional life guard?

The profile of lifeguard is not that easy as it seems to be. They get with lot of troubles and dangers while their work. So, it is quite obvious that they will get high salary and other benefits for their work. It is very amazing to see that the fulltime lifeguards earn a well total compensation of $100,000 in a year including salary, overtime, benefits etc.

Ever since the majority of outside community and confidential swimming pool are open merely all through the season of summer so the fringe benefits are minimal. Permanent beach lifeguards employed on full time basis receive sick leave, retirements and insurance benefits. Starting wages for pool lifeguard is $13.63 an hour whereas, the shore lifeguards are capable of earning in range of $7.50 to $12.80 an hour but permanent full time beach lifeguard can start at $13.25 an hour.

Base salaries of seashore lifeguards vary as of $59,100 to the low grade official to $110,498 to the peak most battalion chief. Greater than partially of lifeguards earn more than $100,000 including overtime and rest made only among $59,610 to $98,610. Combining up the pension, therapeutic profit, life assurance, other pay battalion chiefs earn more than $300,000 in a year with a lowest salaried executive with more than $99,110. All the lifeguards receive $400 as allowance for sunglasses. Two got $28,000 pay overtime and night duty pay.  The permanent protectors instruct greater than 250 seasonal lifeguards and make between pay of $17 to $25 per hour. They also open a subordinate lifeguard course that brings them $2 million in a year.

Lifeguards are the people who are expert swimmers. For them to become expertise in their field; they require a lot of knowledge and skills which can help them to become good professionals. Lifeguards must have excellent physical conditions and must be able to react quickly in emergency situations. One of the main requirements for guarding is a reliable and mature person with positive attitude and good skills. But besides this there are lots of other requirements for a person to become lifeguard. Let us list them one by one;

First thing is the age; person should be above the age of 18 years of get the working license. Next, you must be physically fit and strong. A to become lifeguard person must needs to clear the pre employment test by red cross of America which necessitate to dip 310 backyard devoid of stopping, opening with 110 backyard of the creep stroke. You will also need to swim 100 yards breast stroke with 100 yards of crawl or breast stroke. It also demands to swim 20 yards, retrieve a weighted object 15 feet beneath the surface and come back with the same, nearly 30 backyard to the begin within a time bound.

It’s not only to clear the test but the person also needs the special skills which will help him in becoming a good lifeguard. The skills that will be taught in the lifeguard training classes which can be divided as follows:

• Personal safety and survival skills

Before helping others in danger, it is very important to take care of yourself also. Means food fitness, aquatic and swimming survival skills.

• Surveillance skills

These skills are another key to effective guarding. Person must recognize the behavior of swimmers, proper use of lifeguard stations, best scanning techniques.

• First aid training

The training of this includes the things such as CPR, treating the soft tissue injury, treat skeletal injuries, some sudden illness. People are also taught regarding how to treat bites and stings, exposure to heat and cold.

• Rescue skills

This is not as simple as it seems to be; the people are taught about entering in water, approach a victim, assist multiple victims, rescue flotation device and submerged victims, to remove a victim from the water etc.

• Interacting with public

One the most important skill among the above is interacting with the public. A person must interact with people in a positive guide them on every issue related to safety in a beach and help them in making swimming easy and safer and more enjoyable everyday.

What is the role of a lifeguard?

The lifeguards are aimed to protect the people from water i.e. wellbeing of citizens in stream and the region right away adjoining or next to it for e.g. Coastline next to a sea or water. Their priority is to ensure that no harm occurs to the abuser of the vicinity designed for what they work. They can also take this task as a service or as a volunteer.

Sitting around the beach in sunglasses, lifeguard seems to enjoy a life of leisure and pleasure, nut in reality they are far from enjoyment. They have gone rigorous training and certification to become expertise. They have a wide range of responsibilities in keeping the swimmers safe like to enforce the rules in order to anticipate the accidents, to maintain a constant observation of duty area and to identify emergency quickly, carrying out rescue and other emergency action when necessary, and give first aid in case of injury.

Lifeguards are also need to need perform other duties as well beside the safety of the swimmers such as checking the chlorine and pH level of the pool, cleaning, filling paperwork. It is very essential that lifeguards never mix their secondary and primary responsibilities which allow them to be a good professional in their field.

In a nutshell, we can summarize the duties and responsibilities of lifeguards as follows:-

• Rescue work

They perform wide variety of rescue work which all depends on the situation they are facing like they can save swimmers who struggle a lot, with all the physical techniques. The can also provide first aid to the swimmers in case of cuts, fractures, heat strokes etc. these people need to maintain a records of all the incidents in a file.

• Specialized jobs

Some of them are meant for special jobs. Those who are certified in this field are eligible to teach swimming. The lifeguards at the beach can work on rescue boats, drive emergency gear vehicles and underwater recoveries.

• Keeping clean

Lifeguards find one of the main responsibilities to keep the swimming area clean, tidy and well maintained. They can check the pH, chlorine level of the water in the pool including vacuuming and skimming and washing tables and deck chairs.

• Drowning Chain

The lifeguards are maintaining a good knowledge of the drowning chain to prevent the swimmers from drowning. The drowning chain provides a clear basis for preventing drowning like training, supervision, warnings etc.

• Surveillance

The main role of the lifeguard is to observe and predict situations that are not safe. Their most of time is spent in warning the children against slippery surfaces, roughhousing. They also need to keep in mind the threatening conditions of the oceans as well as an eye on the weak swimmers from getting over their hands.

Lifeguards are the expertise swimmers, who by their expertise make sure to keep the protection of new swimmers. They toil about in every location like open to public; including the pools, schools, recreational spots, hotels, swim clubs, youth associations etc. these are the people who are skilled in water safety. They are also taught on how to make the first move to rescue and get a distresses swimmer out of water. They don’t allow rough play and dangerous objects near the water surrounding area.  In attempt to guarantee swimmers security, they also look at conditions that could direct to misfortune. Lifeguards usually sit under the umbrella with an elevated seat near the water to guard them from the sun. Some guards stay in boats near the water. They use binoculars to view the swimming area and look for situations. Job of the lifeguard is not a relaxing job but it demands a lot of tough work on the beach. Pool lifeguards works at public and private swimming areas supervise the pool and adjacent areas. They also keep records of the pool. Certified lifeguards can also give training classes for swimming to adults and children.  Some specialized lifeguards work as rescue boat crew members responding to the reports of tired swimmers, damaged and sinking boats or crashed airports.

Pool lifeguards also perform other functions like maintaining the pool and surrounding areas. They remove the objects, dispatch the waste from the pool, and pick up the lost articles, putting the chlorine in the water of the pool. They are a part of emergency services to incidents. These people are given training in the specific field to make them professionals in their job. Before becoming the lifeguard, they are also required to get the certifications from American Red Cross society by clearing the employment test. Since, it is a very tough and hectic job but it offers people with a lot of career options and high salary and remunerations. Employment options for a lifeguard is a one season job of summers but still but still it offers them a salary higher than that of doctor in a year only due to dangers and threats in a job.