Swim Teachers Praised for Unwavering Efforts

“It is an amazing opportunity to be part of creating a meaningful legacy for Scotland and helping to keep children safe in and around water.”

Brian Lironi
Director of Corporate Affairs, Scottish Water

Teachers playing a vital role to create Scotland's "Generation Swim" are being celebrated across the country as part of a national recruitment drive.

The Learn to Swim framework – a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water which is delivered by 37 aquatic providers across Scotland in more than 160 pools – is shining a light on the inspiring teachers involved in teaching the next generation of youngsters to swim.

Organisers have launched a nationwide drive to recruit a new network of poolside teachers, promising huge job satisfaction as they help children of all ages and abilities to become more confident, safer and competent swimmers.

The picture varies across the country but at least 10% more teachers are required to meet the demand for the numbers of children wanting to take part in lessons. 

Euan Lowe, CEO of Scottish Swimming, said: “Being a swimming teacher is an incredibly rewarding career, teaching an essential life skill to others. So, we’re delighted to be celebrating the individuals which make up the backbone of the programme during the month-long recruitment drive. 

“It takes three months to train a swimming teacher and equip them with the skills they need, so we want to get the recruitment absolutely right depending on the needs of each specific area.

“We are still feeling the aftershocks from the pandemic and one of the biggest issues is the loss of so many teachers over the past two years.

“While this brings a lot of difficulties, it is also a huge opportunity. For anyone looking for a rewarding job, particularly something flexible and part-time, this could be perfect. It’s particularly great work for students who can complete the training after leaving school, then go on to be a swim teacher anywhere in Scotland that college or university studies may take them.

“Likewise, we know huge numbers of people retired earlier than they originally intended to during the pandemic and many of them may be looking for totally new and different challenges. Becoming a swimming teacher could be perfect for many of them.”

The National Learn to Swim Framework already provided lessons to more than 100,000 youngsters, and wants to reach a further 100,000 by 2025.

Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs with Scottish Water, said: “Some of our partners who deliver Learn to Swim have been hit much harder than others by loss of swimming teachers, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

“It is an amazing opportunity to be part of creating a meaningful legacy for Scotland and helping to keep children safe in and around water.”

The Learn to Swim Framework helps to create quality Learn to Swim environments for children from birth upwards where they can become competent swimmers with opportunities to progress through the aquatic pathway and to swim for fun.

Individuals will be put through the Scottish Swimming Teacher Qualification (SSTQ) which is the industry standard for those who wish to teach unsupervised to groups of swimmers with a range of abilities and is essential for seeking employment as a swimming teacher. 

Scottish Swimming support National Framework partners to develop their teachers with regular continued professional development and access to resources to help with their lesson delivery.

The next chapter of Learn to Swim will build a real legacy for Scotland – creating “Generation Swim” by improving water safety, and giving all children a real platform for success to achieve their full potential in the pool and out.

For more information on the Learn to Swim programme, visit https://learntoswim.scot/