Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will preface this by saying we no longer live in the DMV.

DD16 wants to work this summer as a lifeguard at our neighborhood pool. She is a strong athlete but not a swim team kid. Her friends who worked there last summer told her that all she needs is a certification that she can get online.

This is a red flag about working there, right? Isn't the Red Cross certification the standard at most pools? We were members of this pool years ago and always kept a close eye on our kids because the lifeguards seemed lax compared to those at YMCA or public pools and now I know why. It seems like a huge liability to have lifeguards who aren't properly certified.

My teen just did the Red Cross certification this weekend. It was several hours of online pre-work/testing, then 12 hours on Sat and 12 hours on Sun of in in person instruction both in water and dryland CPR. They got a job with High Sierra Pools, which is one of the companies that operates a ton of pools in NoVA and they only accept Red Cross certification. It really depends on who is managing the pool. I would find out the name of the pool management company that manages your neighborhood pool and go from there.

Be careful with them. They offered my kid a job, did all the paperwork and got ghosted.

Anonymous wrote:I will preface this by saying we no longer live in the DMV.

DD16 wants to work this summer as a lifeguard at our neighborhood pool. She is a strong athlete but not a swim team kid. Her friends who worked there last summer told her that all she needs is a certification that she can get online.

This is a red flag about working there, right? Isn't the Red Cross certification the standard at most pools? We were members of this pool years ago and always kept a close eye on our kids because the lifeguards seemed lax compared to those at YMCA or public pools and now I know why. It seems like a huge liability to have lifeguards who aren't properly certified.

My teen just did the Red Cross certification this weekend. It was several hours of online pre-work/testing, then 12 hours on Sat and 12 hours on Sun of in in person instruction both in water and dryland CPR. They got a job with High Sierra Pools, which is one of the companies that operates a ton of pools in NoVA and they only accept Red Cross certification. It really depends on who is managing the pool. I would find out the name of the pool management company that manages your neighborhood pool and go from there.

My 15 year old was just Red Cross certified. It involved many hours of online training followed by many hours of in person training at a pool, which took place over a couple of days.

There is such a thing as “shallow water” certification which has fewer requirements but I would not want my teen working at a pool that did not require full deep water certification.
The shallow water certification is cheaper, quicker, and less safe. Places like apartment complex pools hire this type of lifeguard and I have seen IRL some of them are not well prepared at all. I watched a “rescue” of a child not being minded by his grandmother who had taken him there and it was not properly done at all, the girl lifeguard (this was a few years ago when they would hire foreign kids on visas for this type of thing) couldn’t swim well and she literally just awkwardly walked/pushed though the water to get to him.
No pool is 100% safe but at least the lifeguards at our club pool are real swimmers and athletes who would be capable of a rescue in deep water if it was needed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there even an online only lifeguard certification?

Are you sure her friend got it right? I would talk to the hiring manager at the pool vs taking the word of some random teen.

There is. Look at the American Lifeguard Association (www.americanlifeguard.com). I know they offer at least recertification online with a note that the employer should be conducting a skills assessment, and it is accepted by pools in the area.

I'm a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor. The "American Lifeguard Association" is a scam and is not accepted by most health departments in the DMV. They're happy to offer you online training but it will leave you unemployed. The Red Cross or YMCA lifeguard training courses are generally the only ones accepted. For the Red Cross blended learning course, there is an online component that participants complete prior to coming to their in-person training. The in-person training is usually two very long full days of in-water skills practice and testing. Some places still offer the traditional course where it's almost 27 hours and a mix of lecture and in-water skills.

You absolutely do not want your child buying a certification where they haven't been in the water practicing and been tested. A lot of kids who come to take these courses cannot even pass the required pre-requisite swim test so make sure you read the refund policy.

Tell her to do the full certification, and apply to work at a rec center year round. She’ll make better money by a lot.

My kids class was 21 hours of online modules + 21 hours in person training (or something close to that). Search for Red Cross classes in your area and get her a legit certification. That pool sounds sketchy and I’d worry about their liability insurance!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there even an online only lifeguard certification?

Are you sure her friend got it right? I would talk to the hiring manager at the pool vs taking the word of some random teen.

There is. Look at the American Lifeguard Association (www.americanlifeguard.com). I know they offer at least recertification online with a note that the employer should be conducting a skills assessment, and it is accepted by pools in the area.

Online recertification or online pre-work (as another PP mentioned) are not the same things as an online only lifeguard certification for new guards. Again, I cannot imagine that’s a thing and really hope it is not. Agree that the OP’s DC should reach out to clarify.

I was a lifeguard at a pool at a condo complex as a teen. Small pool, but there was only one lifeguard on at a time or even on site so no way to go the bathroom without leaving things unattended. Adults were drinking alcohol on deck. Other things that I have long forgotten, but I felt unequipped to handle. I quit after about a week. Later that summer there was a teen found on the bottom of that pool. He’d been down there for a while before he was pulled out. Can’t remember if he died or had a severe brain injury. Op, if this pool situation is giving you pause I would go with your gut.

Anonymous wrote:Is there even an online only lifeguard certification?

Are you sure her friend got it right? I would talk to the hiring manager at the pool vs taking the word of some random teen.

There is. Look at the American Lifeguard Association (www.americanlifeguard.com). I know they offer at least recertification online with a note that the employer should be conducting a skills assessment, and it is accepted by pools in the area.