Wow. As someone who manages a govt pool and has a DS who has a lifeguard and pool ops certification working for a private company for the past 5 years I am very concerned about some of the procedures mentioned here.

First of all, all lifeguards should be receiving Red Cross certification or an equivalent before being allowed to work as a guard. Certification usually involves an online learning portion and a hands on portion which takes usually 2 days or 10-16 hours. Certification is good for 2 years.

No 15 or 16 year old should be the only lifeguard on duty at any pool. Ever.

And all pools should have a certified pool operator on duty at all times who is trained to check and manage the chemical levels in the pool and troubleshoot operational issues that arise.

If your child’s employer does not follow these basics I would strongly encourage them to find employment elsewhere. Lifeguards are in high demand right now - there are many pools they could go to and work in a safe environment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My then-16yo got the certification on his own and then got hired, 6 years ago. Never had additional training. Seems odd (and scary!) to hire someone who may not pass. Hopefully they use an independent instructor and not one working for/with the pool.

This is the problem with private pools and companies. My child works for a government pool, and they have 5-7 mandated trainings over the summer (paid) on tope of licensure. They are very hard core about training.

Is the government pools more popular for life guards? My son applied in late spring and our county pools are all full. I don’t know how he find this private company. I hope it’s not scam.

They private companies hire a lot but they also hire to hold the kids for their needs. They insisted my 15 year old be the sole lifeguard at an apartment building. He said no as that's a safety issue on many levels.

Apply to the county and city pools once he gets his license. Sometimes spots open up in July as some quit/leave for college. That's how mine got the job.

Last summer was my son‘s first year as a lifeguard at a small country club. Normally, they have 2 to 4 lifeguards on duty. At the end of the summer, all of the college kids went back to college creating a lifeguard shortage. I remember driving up to pick up my son, age 15, and he was all alone manning the pool… and his relief didn’t show up either. He stayed on for another two hours and contacted his manager to see about closing the pool early. Luckily the manager agreed with him and he was able to close the pool. I have to tell you, I was not comfortable with him being the only lifeguard on duty.

If your son is not certified as a pool operator (not lifeguard) this is illegal. All pools must have at least one certified pool operator on duty at all times. There can be as many certified lifeguards as needed but someone has to be certified as pool ops in order for the pool to be open.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My then-16yo got the certification on his own and then got hired, 6 years ago. Never had additional training. Seems odd (and scary!) to hire someone who may not pass. Hopefully they use an independent instructor and not one working for/with the pool.

This is the problem with private pools and companies. My child works for a government pool, and they have 5-7 mandated trainings over the summer (paid) on tope of licensure. They are very hard core about training.

Is the government pools more popular for life guards? My son applied in late spring and our county pools are all full. I don’t know how he find this private company. I hope it’s not scam.

They private companies hire a lot but they also hire to hold the kids for their needs. They insisted my 15 year old be the sole lifeguard at an apartment building. He said no as that's a safety issue on many levels.

Apply to the county and city pools once he gets his license. Sometimes spots open up in July as some quit/leave for college. That's how mine got the job.

Last summer was my son‘s first year as a lifeguard at a small country club. Normally, they have 2 to 4 lifeguards on duty. At the end of the summer, all of the college kids went back to college creating a lifeguard shortage. I remember driving up to pick up my son, age 15, and he was all alone manning the pool… and his relief didn’t show up either. He stayed on for another two hours and contacted his manager to see about closing the pool early. Luckily the manager agreed with him and he was able to close the pool. I have to tell you, I was not comfortable with him being the only lifeguard on duty.

My son took the American Cross lifeguard class at the YMCA when he was 15 so he would be eligible the immediate hire. He’s on his second year as lifeguard at a country club. CPR and AED is part of the lifeguard certification

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son applied for a pool we have never been to because the positions in the pools nearby are all full.

I paid for training, certificates and uniforms. They said after he worked for some hours (like 100, I don’t remember), the pool will reimburse these costs. So, it is still called free training. Is this normal?

If he works for another pool next summer, should he do training again?

That’s crazy. My teen was hired by a pool, is doing slide attendant duty until she finishes the lifeguard training, which they provide and pay for, plus her hourly wage. They provided uniforms. No contract required, so she could leave after certification and go to another pool if she wants.
CPR is every 2 yrs so no need to retrain next year.

This only really happens at county/city pools where they have the slide/water fun pools. That's not a big deal to them as there are other jobs she can do and if she doesn't get certified its not a big deal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My then-16yo got the certification on his own and then got hired, 6 years ago. Never had additional training. Seems odd (and scary!) to hire someone who may not pass. Hopefully they use an independent instructor and not one working for/with the pool.

This is the problem with private pools and companies. My child works for a government pool, and they have 5-7 mandated trainings over the summer (paid) on tope of licensure. They are very hard core about training.

Is the government pools more popular for life guards? My son applied in late spring and our county pools are all full. I don’t know how he find this private company. I hope it’s not scam.

They private companies hire a lot but they also hire to hold the kids for their needs. They insisted my 15 year old be the sole lifeguard at an apartment building. He said no as that's a safety issue on many levels.

Apply to the county and city pools once he gets his license. Sometimes spots open up in July as some quit/leave for college. That's how mine got the job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My then-16yo got the certification on his own and then got hired, 6 years ago. Never had additional training. Seems odd (and scary!) to hire someone who may not pass. Hopefully they use an independent instructor and not one working for/with the pool.

This is the problem with private pools and companies. My child works for a government pool, and they have 5-7 mandated trainings over the summer (paid) on tope of licensure. They are very hard core about training.

Is the government pools more popular for life guards? My son applied in late spring and our county pools are all full. I don’t know how he find this private company. I hope it’s not scam.

Anonymous wrote:My son applied for a pool we have never been to because the positions in the pools nearby are all full.

I paid for training, certificates and uniforms. They said after he worked for some hours (like 100, I don’t remember), the pool will reimburse these costs. So, it is still called free training. Is this normal?

If he works for another pool next summer, should he do training again?

That’s crazy. My teen was hired by a pool, is doing slide attendant duty until she finishes the lifeguard training, which they provide and pay for, plus her hourly wage. They provided uniforms. No contract required, so she could leave after certification and go to another pool if she wants.
CPR is every 2 yrs so no need to retrain next year.

Anonymous wrote:My son applied for a pool we have never been to because the positions in the pools nearby are all full.

I paid for training, certificates and uniforms. They said after he worked for some hours (like 100, I don’t remember), the pool will reimburse these costs. So, it is still called free training. Is this normal?

If he works for another pool next summer, should he do training again?

You have to start looking in January-March, and many pools rehire from the previous year.