Swimming teacher

A swimming teacher plans the sport training programme, runs the sessions and corrects technique in the water. They teach one stroke after another, front crawl, breaststroke and butterfly among them, demonstrating the movement on the poolside and then breaking it into drills. Teaching methods are adapted to the target group, because a class of children getting used to water is run differently from an adult who wants to cover a distance without stopping. Programmes are also adapted to individual needs where someone works at a different pace or has restricted movement.

Safety at the pool belongs to the role. The teacher follows the pool's safety guidelines and applies risk management methods in sport: identifying what could go wrong and removing the cause before it does.

Swimming instructor qualifications differ from country to country and are set by national rules and by whoever runs the sessions. What every teacher needs first is the ability to swim the strokes being taught and knowledge of pool safety. Teaching itself calls for its own skills: choosing words and drills that fit the age and level of the group, and giving sport instruction so that a swimmer understands what to change in the movement.