During your time on the swimming coaching programme you will be employed as a ‘Learn to Swim’ instructor. Most of the swimming instructors who work in Australia are employed at aquatic centres or private teaching academies located within easy access to public transport. Coaching sessions are undertaken during school hours for school groups or after school hours for private group lessons. There are also opportunities to teach on Saturdays and Sundays. You should get between 5 - 10 hours of coaching work per week. It is then likely you will be assigned more hours once you have demonstrated your coaching ability. There may also be opportunities for paid work as a lifeguard if you are suitably qualified.
Upon arrival in Australia, your mentor will introduce you to your employer where you will receive specific information as to your teaching hours, the age of the swimmers you will be teaching and any other relevant information. We structure the dates of our coaching programmes to ensure that participants have the first week of their programme to get settled in Australia, become familiar with the public transport system and complete tasks such as opening a bank account and applying for a tax file number (see Australia Handbook for instructions). Coaching work usually commences in the second week of the programme. On our longer coaching programmes people usually coach in two school terms. If this is the case, there is likely to be a holiday of a few weeks midway through the programme between the end of the first term and the start of the new term.
Sport Lived undertakes a thorough screening process on all coaching applicants and we only select individuals who we believe are suitable to coach sport in Australia. This document highlights the fact we think you are suitable to teach swimming in Australia and that you will do a good job. Sport Lived cannot however guarantee that you will be employed as an instructor at your aquatic centre. Your employment is subject to you meeting your assigned employer where you might be asked to conduct a sample coaching session. Should you not be employed by your assigned aquatic centre Sport Lived will contact schools, swimming centres and coaching organisations and help to arrange teaching work for you in Australia.
Coaching Qualification
Sport Lived require all swimming coaches to obtain an ASA Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualification before the start of the programme.
Accreditation process in Australia
Upon arrival in Australia, Sport Lived will organise for you to attend an AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety course and a CPR (first aid) course. If you have an ASA Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualification, you will be exempt from certain modules of the AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety course. A number of voluntary hours of coaching are usually required to gain the AUSTSWIM qualification.
After successful completion of the AUSTSWIM and CPR courses, you will be issued with an AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety award which will enable you to obtain paid swimming teaching work in Australia. If you wish to gain additional work as a lifeguard, you will be required to do a one day reaccreditation course at your own cost.