STA Level 2 Award in Teaching Swimming

Introduction

Swimming teachers are able to seek employment in a wide variety of leisure facilities including private health clubs and school swimming pools through to large local authority leisure centres. As a swimming teacher, you would be responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating a series of progressive and fun swimming lessons teaching non-swimmer, beginner and improver participants. You will be able to teach a range of aquatic and safety skills such as floating, rotation, water confidence and swimming strokes. You would be responsible for ensuring the lesson area and appropriate equipment is safe and promoted good teaching and learning.

Qualification Objective

The STA Level 2 Award in Teaching Swimming aims to produce teachers that can teach up to 12 non-swimmers through to improver participants and deliver the STAnley Series of awards up to the Octopus and Goldfish Series of STA’s International Learn to Swim Programme.

Target Learners

This qualification is for learners who wish to work with children and adults, helping them to develop, both as swimmers and individuals in the aquatic environment. No experience of working with children or teaching swimming lessons is required prior to undertaking this qualification. This qualification could appeal to parents looking for a career that fits in around their childcare commitments and / or those interested in pursuing a career in the leisure industry. It could also appeal to those already employed within a leisure environment who are looking to progress their career or those who are already working as a baby and pre-school swimming teacher who wish to offer lessons to beginner participants alongside their current baby and pre-school classes.

Progression

Once qualified learners may wish to develop their knowledge and skills further, by gaining the STA Level 2 Certificate in Teaching Swimming, which enables the learner to teach advanced participants and advanced swimming skills. The STA Certificate in Teaching Swimming meets the CIMSPA employer-led Swimming Teacher Professional Standard. Alternatively, learners may wish to expand their teaching portfolio to teaching those with disabilities and baby and pre-school participants.

Experienced teachers are often employed as mentors for newly qualified swimming teachers, or take on the role of swimming co-ordinators within swim schools.

Industry Standards

The STA Level 2 Award in Teaching Swimming references the following industry guidance documentation:

• PAS 81:2011 Specification for the management of a swimming school
• HSG179 Managing Health and Safety in Swimming Pools
• STA Swimming Teaching Code of Practice.