Coach
Some think teaching people to swim is very difficult
It’s not. Patience and understanding are actually much more important than having a swimming stroke to match Michael Phelps. Splash’s success relies on the dedication of our 200+ volunteer swimming coaches to deliver our life-changing youth and adult swimming programmes. But we’re always looking for more!
Our coaches come from diverse backgrounds with varying degrees of experience: some are professional, but most are swimming enthusiasts who are committed to our vision and values. And don’t worry, we provide all the necessary training geared towards the specific needs of our swimmers. We also structure our classes so that new coaches are always paired up with experienced 'lead' coaches, so you won’t be on your own. That said, there is some criteria you need to fulfil. Interested? Please read on.
Minimum Criteria
- Aged 15 or above
- Able to complete the following sequence:
- Enter the water with an appropriate feet-first entry
- Float, scull or tread water for 2 minutes with feet off the bottom of the pool
- Fully submerge and swim underwater for 2-5 meters and re-surface
- Swim 100 meters on front with face in water (displaying comfortable breathing technique)
- Rotate or roll onto back
- Swim 50 meters on back
Training
Before coaching with Splash, all new volunteers, regardless of expertise, must observe a class out of the water and attend an in-water training session. This gives you the time and hands-on experience necessary to learn our programme and practise the coaching skills required. It also ensures the safety and comfort of our participants, the majority of whom are completely new to the water. Please also be aware that our swimmers may have additional language and cultural needs that you will need to take into consideration, but you will be well trained to manage this.
Locations and Time Commitment
After completing your training and observation class, you are then welcome to volunteer in any of our locations. Most opportunities are on a Sunday, but we also have some weekday classes for both kids and adults. Commitments are flexible and coaches sign up for the slots they can attend (although we do ask for you to be prepared to commit to at least 60% of sessions in a term.)