Lifeguard Recruitment Tips

Are you struggling to recruit lifeguards? 
Or are your adverts not getting as many applicants as in previous years?

RLSS UK's Commercial Director, Jo Talbot, and 4Leisure Recruitment's Director, Amy Gilmour, are here to help! They've recorded a webinar discussing the issues that affect lifeguard recruitment and a wealth of hints and strategies you can use to help you recruit lifeguards of all ages.

All resources mentioned in the webinar are listed below the video player, and we've included a summary if you're short of time or want to recap all the helpful hints and tips shared.

Watch the Lifeguard Recruitment Webinar

Lifeguard Recruitment Resources:

• RLSS UK Job Finder (advertise jobs)
• 4Leisure Recruitment Website (advertise employment and recruitment services)
• RLSS UK #IStartedAsALifeguard campaign webpage (share the career development opportunities available)

Lifeguard Survey 2024 Stats you can use in your Recruitment:

• 94% of pool lifeguards said working as a lifeguard is a great way to earn money*
• 91% of pool lifeguards believe it is a good job for their age*
• 92% of pool lifeguards told us they were developing new skills in their role*
• 92% of pool lifeguards say that the job is flexible and can work around other commitments*
• 94% of pool lifeguards said working as a lifeguard is a great way to earn money*
• 91% of pool lifeguards believe it is a good job for their age*
• 92% of pool lifeguards told us they were developing new skills in their role*
• 92% of pool lifeguards say that the job is flexible and can work around other commitments*
• 93% of pool lifeguards are proud of their job*
• 83% of pool lifeguards feel like they're making a difference within their community*
• 80% of lifeguards rated their experience working as a lifeguard 'excellent' or 'good'*
  
  

Webinar Summary/Key Takeaways:

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is a water and swimming pool safety expert and qualifies over 40,000 lifeguards annually.

4Leisure Recruitment is the UK's primary recruitment agency and supplier for lifeguard cover.

This short webinar aims to support leisure operators in recruiting lifeguards. Jo Talbot and I (Amy Gilmour) will break down the potential barriers affecting lifeguard recruitment and provide helpful tips and strategies to help you overcome them.

2025 Lifeguard Recruitment Market:

• There will always be a demand for lifeguards. However, leisure operators need to innovate to address the workforce shortages, particularly for high-volume roles or seasonal positions where they need to ramp up their staffing levels quickly.
• On average, 70% of lifeguards keep their qualification for 2-4 years. Therefore, there is a natural churn in the lifeguard workforce.
• 38% of National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) holders are 16-18 years old, with 80% being under 30. These age-related NPLQ stats help explain the natural churn in the lifeguard workforce—people might stay in the industry but leave the lifeguard role for another role or promotion.
• Therefore, the challenge of recruiting lifeguards will never go away. However, RLSS UK and 4Leisure Recruitment wanted to share hints and tips to help with lifeguard recruitment.
  
  

5 Barriers to Lifeguards Gaining Employment After Qualifying:

40,000+ lifeguards are NPLQ trained every year, but there seems to be a drop-off from those qualifying and entering the market. Here's what the barriers could be:

1. Low wages are related to the responsibilities held.
2. Competitive from other sectors (especially non-qualification needed).
3. Cost of qualifying as a lifeguard.
4. Perception of the role, thus reducing interest.
5. Local candidate pool (e.g. rural and remote communities)

These are all valid barriers and concerns. However, at any time, at least 80,000 qualified lifeguards are looking for work, so let's now share the ideas and strategies you can use to recruit lifeguards.

Lifeguard Recruitment Ideas and Strategies:

1) Review your recruitment processes and adverts.

• Where are you posting your job adverts? Are they easy for candidates to find?
• How are they written? Are they too text-heavy?
• Are you selling the benefits of the job? And why should they work for you? What are the benefits of working for your company?
• Are you sharing where your candidate pool is (e.g. social media)

2) Use the RLSS UK lifeguard survey 2024 stats to help communicate the benefits of being a lifeguard:

• 94% of pool lifeguards said working as a lifeguard is a great way to earn money*
• 91% of pool lifeguards believe it is a good job for their age*

3) Display a poster in all your leisure centre areas.

• Make it an interesting read and use stats (similar to the above) to entice people who use your facilities to become a lifeguard.

4) Market to both young people and their parents.

• Tweak your marketing messaging to address the concerns or interests of the audience (e.g., parents care about the skills development opportunities of a job role).
• 92% of pool lifeguards told us they were developing new skills in their role*
• If you can create a job advertisement/poster that appeals to the parents, they will likely encourage their child to become a lifeguard.

Here's an example of a comment that a parent shared on one of Jo Talbot's LinkedIn posts:

5) Offer flexible working arrangements.

• People's approach to work has changed. There is more focus on work/life balance.
• Young people want to be able to pick and choose around their schedules (e.g., studies), so the more flexible you can be, the greater the chance you have to recruit candidates.
• Don't forget to share that the job offers flexibility in your job advert.
• 92% of pool lifeguards say that the job is flexible and can work around other commitments*

6) Partner with a school, college or university near you.

• Build a relationship with education providers in your area and offer to run a course for their students (e.g. one session a week over 10 weeks).
• Remember that the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) now offers 8 UCAS points, too, which can be attractive to college students applying to university.
• This is also an excellent strategy for rural areas where the candidate pool is more limited.

7) Emphasise the job perks of being a lifeguard and working for a leisure operator.

• Promote the social purpose of being a lifeguard.
• Share any benefits you offer (e.g. free gym membership for staff and their families).
• Communicate any attendance, performance, loyalty or retention bonuses you offer.
• Communicate any staff training opportunities you offer.
• 93% of pool lifeguards are proud of their job*
• 83% of pool lifeguards feel like they're making a difference within their community*
• 80% of lifeguards rated their experience working as a lifeguard 'excellent' or 'good'*

8) Offer an internal referral scheme.

• Your team members should be your biggest ambassadors and will talk about their job to their family and friends. Reward them if someone joins your team based on this.

9) Offer lifeguard positions with structured development (e.g. apprenticeships).

• Young and older people want to see the progression within a job role, which can also help them stay in the industry.

10) Use #IStartedAsALifeguard examples or create your own of how lifeguarding can help you progress your career.

• RLSS UK #IStartedAsALifeguard campaign webpage
• Lifeguarding offers a variety of career development opportunities, especially compared to other sectors.
  
  

*Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) Lifeguard Survey 2024, n= 2,456 RLSS UK qualified lifeguards working in a lifeguard role