Lifeguard recruitment is particularly challenging at this time, so to try and help, we have created some tips and ideas for recruiting for roles that you have available.

Free Marketing Resources to Promote Your Courses

To support you with marketing your NPLQ courses for potential lifeguard recruitment - there are FREE #BeALifesaver marketing resources available in your RLSS UK Account. These include digital marketing assets, leaflets, posters, and even a suggested step-by-step marketing plan. It is important to remember to promote the benefits of the role in all your advertising.

Promote Roles on Social Media

Promoting roles on social media can often be dismissed as considered expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. An operator’s or swimming pool’s social media is likely to have its most supportive clients or advocates as followers. These people are most likely to share these opportunities with their followers or tag people they think might be interested.

It is also worth investigating free advertising opportunities on social media - LinkedIn allows you to advertise one role for free, and Facebook often has local 'jobs wanted/available' pages that are free to post roles on. There can be a lot of people within these groups looking for opportunities.

If you do decide that advertising on social media is the best course of action to find new talent, then when you set up your campaign you can select the location, daily budget, and interests - targeting who sees the adverts and setting how much you are willing to spend. You could test the market with a small budget and increase it if it proves successful.

Use Your Venue

Leisure centres, gyms, and swimming pools tend to have high footfall every week, and the flexibility of lifeguarding as a career means that you might find your next lifeguard from anybody over 16-years of age that enters your building. Display posters on communal noticeboards, entrance doors, changing room doors, and staff break-out areas - as they might have friends looking for a similar job to themselves.

Contact Local Educational Establishments

Contact local universities to see if they can advertise the opportunity to students starting their studies. You can also reach out to local sixth forms or colleges, so their students can earn some income alongside their studies. Attending career days or outreach opportunities with educational establishments could also help to ensure that your venues are at the forefront of teachers’ minds, who could then suggest the opportunity to any of their students that show an interest.

Contact Your Local Job Centre

Your local Job Centre is looking for opportunities for people who are presently unemployed and may also have funding available for those out of work to complete the NPLQ.

RLSS UK Job Finder

All RLSS UK Approved Training Centres (ATCs) and Approved Training Providers (ATPs) have free access to add roles to the RLSS UK Job Finder. You can find more information and guidance on using this tool by clicking here.

Inspire People to Want to Become a Lifeguard

You may have followers whose ultimate career dream is working in the emergency services or in medicine - they could also want to be a Lawyer, Social Media Content Creator, MP, Actor or Television Presenter, Prison Officer or even a Director of RLSS UK! But they don’t see how starting their career as a lifeguard can help them with that. Our #IStartedAsALifeguard webpage is full of inspirational stories (about people who started their careers as a lifeguard) that you can share on your social media channels.

Agencies

Recruitment agencies can help, especially if you require lifeguards urgently or on a temporary basis. We work with one of the biggest specialist recruitment agencies for the leisure industry - 4LeisureRecruitment, which has a network of fully qualified lifeguards on its books. LoanALifeguard is another great organisation that can help to provide lifeguards short-term.

Share course testimonials

“Great course and qualification to have, would definitely recommend to others.”

“Amazing course that teaches essential skills.”

“Great course, amazing opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills which will help me improve and further myself in the world of work.”

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What do lifeguards really think of the job?

How to get into Lifeguarding?

Help Us Share Best Practise

If you have used a recruitment technique that has worked and isn’t included on this list, please email [email protected] and we’ll share best practices. Together we can overcome the challenges with lifeguard recruitment and ensure the general public can continue to enjoy water safely.