Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, yet another example of how immigration policy is really only in place to help businesses keep costs down. Whether it's illegal immigration or programs like this.

Many don't go back to their home countries once the summer ends. I loosely know of a few who have been here for years since coming here for this same job. They try to find other companies that will sponsor them through work but if they don't they stay anyway.

Actually, the J-1 program has a very low overstay rate.

These are middle class college or grad school kids. They come here for three months, work, and then travel around for another month. Their parents are heavily subsidizing this experience. They go home because they have to go back to school. When they graduate, they are very employable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These jobs should be going to local teens . It's appalling that in our neighborhood pool not one local teen is working as a lifeguard.

Let's be honest. Many middle and upper-class kids would rather not work if they don't have to or do internships, SSL hours, etc. I teach the lifeguarding course for many local pool companies and they go out of their way to try and recruit local teenagers. They go to many MCPS high schools and set up job fairs but kids just aren't flocking to the job like they were even ten years ago. Heck, even when I was a pool guard back in the late 90's the companies would comment how fewer and fewer kids were applying for lifeguarding jobs. It also doesn't help that our couch potato tendencies make it a challenge for some of the teens taking the course to pass the pre-requisite swim tests given the first night of class.

Our HHI is over $700k/yr. Both of our teens have jobs. I don't think our kids know how much we make--at any rate, we usually tell them that's what we make. It's not their money, and they need to figure out how to earn their own. (That said, we do pay pay for their outrageous private school tuition among other things)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These jobs should be going to local teens . It's appalling that in our neighborhood pool not one local teen is working as a lifeguard.

Let's be honest. Many middle and upper-class kids would rather not work if they don't have to or do internships, SSL hours, etc. I teach the lifeguarding course for many local pool companies and they go out of their way to try and recruit local teenagers. They go to many MCPS high schools and set up job fairs but kids just aren't flocking to the job like they were even ten years ago. Heck, even when I was a pool guard back in the late 90's the companies would comment how fewer and fewer kids were applying for lifeguarding jobs. It also doesn't help that our couch potato tendencies make it a challenge for some of the teens taking the course to pass the pre-requisite swim tests given the first night of class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, yet another example of how immigration policy is really only in place to help businesses keep costs down. Whether it's illegal immigration or programs like this.

+ a million. People ask why teenagers aren't lifeguards anymore. I get that its because there aren't enough teenagers available to work in the summer, but I also think their wages haven't changed at all since I was probably a lifeguard, it was very good money when I was a teen, enough to support all the fun things I wanted to do during the year. Now, I bet you could $2000 even if you worked all summer. It's not worth it for teens!

My teen is a lifeguard. They pay minimum wage, and are expected to do a lot more than just sit on the side of the pool--they clean it, obviously, but also have to do some amount of landscaping/mowing.

I know, but what I was a lifeguard we made more than minimum wage ($12 an hour or so in 2000) It was worth it to get certified and stay in shape and all that. You could also make more money by doing lessons and things.

What? You know my kid makes minimum wage? How does that make sense? Where were you making $12/hr 17 years ago?! He stays in shape anyway, he's a mulit-sport athlete including swimming. I've told him NOT to mow lawns--it's a private club, and he's definitely not been hired to do that. It's insane to watch these teens mowing in flipflops. I'm horrifiied that one of them is going to have an accident. So stupid. SMH.

Being a Lifeguard was THE summer job to have back when I was in HS from 1996-2000. Even after passing certification, we had to come in periodically to make sure were still in shape and able to rescue. I know the last summer I was a lifeguard in 2000, I was making $15/hr after doing it for 4 summers. That was crazy good money back then for a 17/18 year old! Especially when my friends were making $5-something/hr doing retail or fast food. Those that got jobs as waiters/waitresses (which was hard because of the whole alcohol thing) were the only ones who usually made more than us lifeguards when you factored in the tips.

My neighbor's son is a lifeguard at our local rec center (indoor pool; no outdoor pool). He's been unable to find any summer lifeguarding work at an outside pool the past 2 summers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These jobs should be going to local teens . It's appalling that in our neighborhood pool not one local teen is working as a lifeguard.

Let's be honest. Many middle and upper-class kids would rather not work if they don't have to or do internships, SSL hours, etc. I teach the lifeguarding course for many local pool companies and they go out of their way to try and recruit local teenagers. They go to many MCPS high schools and set up job fairs but kids just aren't flocking to the job like they were even ten years ago. Heck, even when I was a pool guard back in the late 90's the companies would comment how fewer and fewer kids were applying for lifeguarding jobs. It also doesn't help that our couch potato tendencies make it a challenge for some of the teens taking the course to pass the pre-requisite swim tests given the first night of class.

Because the pay is crappy! If they were paying more (as they should be!) they would get more teens to do it. Same with all the other jobs that get taken by illegal immigrants or other low paid foreign workers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, yet another example of how immigration policy is really only in place to help businesses keep costs down. Whether it's illegal immigration or programs like this.

+ a million. People ask why teenagers aren't lifeguards anymore. I get that its because there aren't enough teenagers available to work in the summer, but I also think their wages haven't changed at all since I was probably a lifeguard, it was very good money when I was a teen, enough to support all the fun things I wanted to do during the year. Now, I bet you could $2000 even if you worked all summer. It's not worth it for teens!

I'm surprised. At our community pool in Bethesda, we have no foreign nationals as lifeguards. The pool workers tend to be children of members.

Anonymous wrote:What countries are they mostly from?
Who pays their rent?
There is a apartment complex near my house where the rents start out at $2,000 a month and they are living there.
I know this because I always see them walking to and from the shopping center across the street carrying bags of groceries.
Summer lifeguarding must pay really well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These jobs should be going to local teens . It's appalling that in our neighborhood pool not one local teen is working as a lifeguard.

Let's be honest. Many middle and upper-class kids would rather not work if they don't have to or do internships, SSL hours, etc. I teach the lifeguarding course for many local pool companies and they go out of their way to try and recruit local teenagers. They go to many MCPS high schools and set up job fairs but kids just aren't flocking to the job like they were even ten years ago. Heck, even when I was a pool guard back in the late 90's the companies would comment how fewer and fewer kids were applying for lifeguarding jobs. It also doesn't help that our couch potato tendencies make it a challenge for some of the teens taking the course to pass the pre-requisite swim tests given the first night of class.

Anonymous wrote:Our lifeguards are both from the Ukraine. This is the 4th year we've had Ukrainian lifeguards.

One speaks very good English and the other's is good enough to get by, but he uses the translate app on his phone most of the time.

They are both in university in the Ukraine and come from small towns with little employment opportunities. This is a "work study abroad" program at their university. So they are getting paid and university credits to be here.

My neighbor is Ukrainian and likes to get their life stories each year. The one lifeguard from last year was actually able to remain in the US and is in the process of joining the USAF.

From what they've told her, the pool management company rents the apartments and charges them a weekly fee to live there. The fee is deducted from their paychecks. Their apartment is a 3 room apartment that 8 people share. They have a mixture of blow up mattresses and used mattresses (no bed frames). Their apartment has a couch and some beanbag chairs, but their friend's apartment has the cheapo lawn chairs from Walmart as their furniture. They don't have a table, dressers, or TVs, but cable & WiFi are provided. They have some miss-matched dishes and a few pots and pans. The random furniture pieces, pots & pans, and dishes are all kept in storage by the pool management company after the season. I thought they gave them the bicycles, but apparently they either rent them from the pool management company or are responsible for purchasing their own, which the pool management company will graciously buy from them a the end of the season.

It sounds like just godawful conditions to me, but they are loving it here. They love how we build out in the suburbs rather than up like they do where they're from. They always comment on how large our lawn areas are.

Anonymous wrote:These jobs should be going to local teens . It's appalling that in our neighborhood pool not one local teen is working as a lifeguard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, yet another example of how immigration policy is really only in place to help businesses keep costs down. Whether it's illegal immigration or programs like this.

+ a million. People ask why teenagers aren't lifeguards anymore. I get that its because there aren't enough teenagers available to work in the summer, but I also think their wages haven't changed at all since I was probably a lifeguard, it was very good money when I was a teen, enough to support all the fun things I wanted to do during the year. Now, I bet you could $2000 even if you worked all summer. It's not worth it for teens!

Anonymous wrote:Our lifeguards are both from the Ukraine. This is the 4th year we've had Ukrainian lifeguards.

One speaks very good English and the other's is good enough to get by, but he uses the translate app on his phone most of the time.

They are both in university in the Ukraine and come from small towns with little employment opportunities. This is a "work study abroad" program at their university. So they are getting paid and university credits to be here.

My neighbor is Ukrainian and likes to get their life stories each year. The one lifeguard from last year was actually able to remain in the US and is in the process of joining the USAF.

From what they've told her, the pool management company rents the apartments and charges them a weekly fee to live there. The fee is deducted from their paychecks. Their apartment is a 3 room apartment that 8 people share. They have a mixture of blow up mattresses and used mattresses (no bed frames). Their apartment has a couch and some beanbag chairs, but their friend's apartment has the cheapo lawn chairs from Walmart as their furniture. They don't have a table, dressers, or TVs, but cable & WiFi are provided. They have some miss-matched dishes and a few pots and pans. The random furniture pieces, pots & pans, and dishes are all kept in storage by the pool management company after the season. I thought they gave them the bicycles, but apparently they either rent them from the pool management company or are responsible for purchasing their own, which the pool management company will graciously buy from them a the end of the season.

It sounds like just godawful conditions to me, but they are loving it here. They love how we build out in the suburbs rather than up like they do where they're from. They always comment on how large our lawn areas are.