Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this depends. Has he had any training? CPR, swim instructor, etc.?

14 is pretty young. You can get lifeguard certified in my state until 15, so I would say that should be the youngest age to start giving swim instruction.

Also, I would only allow this in a pool with a lifeguard on duty or an adult overseeing the instruction and supervising. Our HS swim team works with kids on swim instruction, but there is a lifeguard present plus the adult swim coach there supervising. A 14 yr old solo with a young child in a pool and no lifeguard would be a big no for me.

Usually, states set 15 at the age to lifeguard in a pool and 16-18 for open areas like water parks or beaches, but places vary. I agree on requiring a lifeguard to teach. I have a 14 year old who will teach this summer in a pool with lifeguards. Someone asked him if he can come teach their child in their pool at home and I told him to decline. Too risky.

Your child should be certified and there should be a lifeguard.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the pool. Does he have teammates who teach?

A lot of beginner swim lessons is convincing scared or stubborn kids to try things in the pool. It's a different skill set from just swimming. And he has to be prepared to get them out and comfort/motivate when they get scared.

My son's best swim teacher was a teenager (I think 17 when we started) but she's very very good at motivating young kids and was assistant coach for the starting swimmer team at our pool.

I'd want to see experience with young kids. Shadowing lessons, helping with a younger swim group, etc.

It depends. At our pool, the pool leaders' kids teach. They can barely do a 50, and struggle yet they are the lifeguards, swim coaches and teach. Its kinda scarry. They are all nice good kids but in no way trained well or certified. They charge a lot and are teaching bad skills.

I think the best place to start would be to ask to help put woth the developmental swim team or youngest kids. 1) he'll get relevant experience 2) if he is good it's basically the best marketing he can get, the parents and kids will know him already.

Anonymous wrote:I think this depends. Has he had any training? CPR, swim instructor, etc.?

14 is pretty young. You can get lifeguard certified in my state until 15, so I would say that should be the youngest age to start giving swim instruction.

Also, I would only allow this in a pool with a lifeguard on duty or an adult overseeing the instruction and supervising. Our HS swim team works with kids on swim instruction, but there is a lifeguard present plus the adult swim coach there supervising. A 14 yr old solo with a young child in a pool and no lifeguard would be a big no for me.

Usually, states set 15 at the age to lifeguard in a pool and 16-18 for open areas like water parks or beaches, but places vary. I agree on requiring a lifeguard to teach. I have a 14 year old who will teach this summer in a pool with lifeguards. Someone asked him if he can come teach their child in their pool at home and I told him to decline. Too risky.

I think this depends. Has he had any training? CPR, swim instructor, etc.?

14 is pretty young. You can get lifeguard certified in my state until 15, so I would say that should be the youngest age to start giving swim instruction.

Also, I would only allow this in a pool with a lifeguard on duty or an adult overseeing the instruction and supervising. Our HS swim team works with kids on swim instruction, but there is a lifeguard present plus the adult swim coach there supervising. A 14 yr old solo with a young child in a pool and no lifeguard would be a big no for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He needs both lifeguard and swim instructor certified to do it legally and appropriately. He can volunteer coach on a summer team.

This is so not true. You do not need lifeguard training to be a swim instructor. They are 2 separate things.

Depends on the pool. Any good instructor has both as lifeguard is cpr certified.

At our pool several of the teenagers are Jr. Instructors on the swim team and give lessons to the younger kids during the summer. One of the teenagers had a strong rotation of weekly lessons. He wasn't giving lessons to kids who had never been in the water but was working on technique with them.

You have to be 16 to get WSI certified, but you can be an assistant to a swim instructor at 14. I did — great first job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way. WAaaaaay too much risk and puts him in a terrible position. Kids can totally drown in water that isn't deep.

Oh really? What if he takes a CPR certification course? And what about babysitting then?

I still wouldn't. Babysitting doesn't have to involve the pool at all.

There are so many people here who are constantly motivated to tell you all the things that you and your kids are not allowed to do. It’s crazy. No matter what the topic.

My kids have given swim lessons. They are also lifeguards and assistant swim team coaches. But not necessarily on that order. They’ve worked for the county, for our private swim club, and in neighbors’ backyards.

Your ds can do it of he’s good with kids and knows swimming and knows some of the good ways to teach it. Good luck to him.

Sheesh. This place loves to be negative. I don’t know if it’s jealousy because there kids aren’t motivated, or gatekeeping, or what.

It depends on the pool. Does he have teammates who teach?

A lot of beginner swim lessons is convincing scared or stubborn kids to try things in the pool. It's a different skill set from just swimming. And he has to be prepared to get them out and comfort/motivate when they get scared.

My son's best swim teacher was a teenager (I think 17 when we started) but she's very very good at motivating young kids and was assistant coach for the starting swimmer team at our pool.

I'd want to see experience with young kids. Shadowing lessons, helping with a younger swim group, etc.

Hey, my dc is actually doing this too. He’s trying to get red cross cpr/first aid certified if he needs to and offering lessons to like family friends and maybe a few people at the pool. Anyone have ideas for advertising?

Anonymous wrote:He needs both lifeguard and swim instructor certified to do it legally and appropriately. He can volunteer coach on a summer team.

This is so not true. You do not need lifeguard training to be a swim instructor. They are 2 separate things.

JFC, is he on the swim team and good? Then yes, he can offer lessons at your community pool and probably make good money. Not on the swim team? Is he WSI certified (Water Safety Instructor by the Red Cross)? If yes, he can teach swim lessons if no, it's unlikely

I would think on some level you want a teacher to be strong enough to pull a student to safety if needed. Not sure if a 14 year old could do that.