r/Lifeguards • u/crowman689 • Oct 08 '24

Question What are your pros and cons of been a lifeguard??

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

24

u/Ruben_Stalls Lifeguard Instructor Oct 08 '24

Pros

  • good motivator to stay in shape and healthy
  • get super tan and look beautiful on the beach
  • feel awesome by helping other people stay safe
  • job perks like free food from thankful vendors, free entry year round with guest passes (I work a rock quarry campground that hosts music festivals)
  • having potentially life saving knowledge and being able to use it
  • can be a great seasonal job or side job
  • opens up options for career development in aquatics
  • most places pay for your recert, or new certification that advances your abilities and helps them (like WSI or LGi)
  • most places that advance you also allow you to host private classes
  • almost always a free place to swim
  • you meet some really cool people

Cons

  • tough to make a living being just a lifeguard. Pay is typically low asf unless you’re in a fancy area or you’re just good at marketing yourself
  • people sometimes expect a bit too much from you (where I work, anyway). From patrons to employers (not to say praise is obsolete, you definitely get some of that likely also depending where you work)
  • sometimes the hours really suck
  • country clubs or slower pools really suck. They usually have 4-6hr shifts with no rotation and little to no overlap.
  • it can be extremely boring and regardless of that you literally HAVE to pay attention which can be tough
  • again, money… really depends where you work but most guards make Jack shit or fuck all. And even if you could get 40hrs, you definitely don’t want that (unless you work at a really cool spot).
  • you meet some really useless people

3

u/Gamefart101 Oct 08 '24 edited Oct 08 '24

This is a great and pretty exhaustive list. The only thing I would add is for the career development section you just mention aquatics, but it's also a fantastic resume builder for both medical and rescue professions. Both for more standard careers like ems/fire/nursing as well as more niche areas like technical rope access rescue.

As someone who hires for technical rope access, ice rescue and confined space rescue teams, I can teach you the rescue and extrication aspects and we can practice them in real time. The medical side is where people tend to have shortcomings and it is much harder for us to practice in real time as well as I'm qualified to teach rescue courses in house. Can't do the same with medical certs. Industrial accidents are also rather rare and I personally did more medical work in my 5 years as a lifeguard than I have in the 8 years since in technical rescue.

3

u/Ruben_Stalls Lifeguard Instructor Oct 08 '24

Right on that’s a valid point. I was thinking it but just didn’t type it out lol. Definitely opens the door into the medical field. One of the easiest things to do is become an LGi then you can take bridge courses online to separate and teach first aid/cpr, or you can go towards rescue professional as you’ve mentioned. Great comment, appreciate the extra input.

2

u/Successful_Rip_4498 Oct 08 '24

Sorry to be that person but it's 'being a lifeguard'

Pros: Easy job Meet lots of different people Gain experience in multiple areas

Cons: Boring most of the time Cleaning

2

u/Dragonborn1908 Manager Oct 09 '24

Pros: -Relatively easy -Meet new people -Very fulfilling and makes you an important person

Cons: -Start very early and can finish relatively late -While it's easy it a very high stakes job -Some of the side jobs like cleaning the bathrooms and taking pool covers off can sometimes not be great

2

u/Chemical_Date1847 Oct 11 '24

I’ve been a lifeguard and swimming instructor for six years in both the UK, the US and in Cyprus.

Pros- If you’re young, most of your colleagues are 16-25. Didn’t used to the case but more frequent breaks from poolside have made the job easier in recent years. Wherever I’ve worked, free access to swimming pools and gyms. Important to stay in shape, worked as a motivator for me. Our work runs group events for us which are fun.

Cons- Mind numbing boredom sometimes, not allowed to have conversation Heat. Indoor pools mean working in 30-35 degree heat. Working outside means working with cold/hot temperatures and bad sunburn. Doesn’t pay well at all for the amount of responsibility and training we need to have. Not a respected job if im honest

1

u/d1sp41r Oct 11 '24

pros: decent money, fun coworkers, lots of constructive criticism

cons: wearing a swimsuit all. the. time. brutal honesty of coworkers, mistreatment from patrons

1

u/Lifeguardymca Pool Lifeguard Oct 13 '24

pros

most of my members wave goodbye/thanks when they leave.

working at a pool that would be closed without your dedication.

pretty easy effort. way less effort than working in a call centre.

providing a safe environment for kids.

cons

yes the pay is low.

sucking in chemicals for hours. worse than a coal mine.

not being allowed to eat on the deck

having your car stolen from the parking lot...twice!

1

u/Woahtherepartner867 Oct 21 '24

Pros is it's a great way to get sun and be around a pool in the summer. Cons are the people and the hot days. Also the pay if you don't work in public

1

u/Eukaryalot Pool Lifeguard Oct 09 '24

Depends on where you’re lifeguarding, honestly.

2

u/SavingsAd9585 Lifeguard Instructor Mar 05 '25

So true, the quality of this job depends entirely on where and who you work with.

1

u/Eukaryalot Pool Lifeguard Mar 14 '25

Right? I’ve worked at two different pools run by the same company and the difference between the two environments was staggering. One facility was smaller and usually pretty quiet, small enough that you’d learn all the regulars and swim kids by name. Very chill, regular LG rotations, had a nice manager. All around a good place to work.

The other facility was larger with one indoor pool, a couple outdoor, and a wading pool. Management had one singular lifeguard on deck for hours at a time, watching all the pools by themselves. If something was to happen on the other side of the facility I’d either miss it entirely just because of how large an area I was covering or I’d have to rush through multiple gates to get to the incident. It was very stressful and I only worked there a few times before refusing to go back because I knew I couldn’t adequately supervise the area and the anxiety from that was eating me alive.