Pacific Flow Swim Instructors LOVE kids and LOVE the water!  We are passionate about teaching, water safety, building community, and playing.  We mostly teach infants (and their parents), pre-schoolers, and grade school children, but we offer lessons for teens and adults as well.  Swim Instructors may work part time or full time and are eligible for other opportunities (leadership, lifeguard, customer service desk)

 

·         Have a SAFETY-FIRST-AND-ALWAYS mindset.  We have line-of-sight of our students at all times.  We anticipate potential risk.  We are constantly analyzing and adapting based on student behavior, student skill set, depth of water, environmental conditions, and our own abilities.

·         LOVE children.  We love watching them laugh, play, learn, pretend, and be silly.  We lean in to challenges like nervousness, crying, going under water for the first time, and even pouting and talking back.

·         Speak to children at eye-level with age relevant conversations.

·         Embrace FEEDBACK.  We are constantly learning, training, and just like our students, making progress.  We seek feedback from our leaders, our students, each other, parents…then we work to incorporate that feedback into our lessons.

·         Thrive being ON STAGE.  We are and appear to be calm, collected, friendly, playful, and above all…professional.

·         Practice extreme patience.

·         Work mornings, nights, and weekends—we work when our swimmers swim.

·         Have consistent schedules.  Our students book specific and consistent times, and look forward to seeing their instructor at that time.

·         Are at home in the water.  We know how to take care of our bodies so that we can comfortably spend hours in chlorinated water, in a swimsuit, in various weather, safely enter and exit a pool, support kids of all sizes in various depths, and maintain a teaching voice.

·         Are able to earn a Lifeguard/CPR/AED/First Aid certificate.

·         Are able to pass a background check and clear California’s child-care registry.

 

·         Prior to work we mentally and physically prepare.  We stay hydrated, well-rested, fueled, and ready to be alert.  We take measures to protect our skin, hair, eyes, and voice.  We envision how we’re going to positively affect our students today.

·         At work we clock in, check our employee apps on our phones/tablets for assignments, employee training progress, announcements, and other updates.

·         With help from our leaders we check our student rosters for the day and lesson plan accordingly.  Then, we set up our teaching cove with toys, tools, tablet, water bottle…whatever we need.

·         Then we teach!  Most classes are 30 minutes long with a 1:4 ratio instructor : student.  They consist of safety procedures, songs, games, skill drills and more…all with safety, play, and progress in mind.

·         During our lessons we might have a floater (helper) helping us and/or giving feedback in class, we will have support from the pool deck from Aids and Leaders, and we might have newer instructors watching and learning from us.

·         We record our students’ progress, update parents/guardians, take feedback from the Deck Leader, then on to the next class!

·         After the shift we’ll do a 15 minute debrief, ask questions, deliver announcements, talk about the next staff meeting/training—then we’re done!

 

·         Earn a Red Cross Lifeguard/CPR/AED/First Aid Certificate

·         Use appropriate communication skills with children and adults

·         Perform the physical duties of teaching swim lessons including safely entering and exiting the pool, working in chlorinated water for periods of up to 4 hours, bending, reaching, stooping, supporting multiple children in the water, and maneuvering up to 50 lbs.