How to become a lifeguard in Australia ?

How to become a beach lifeguard in Australia ?

That is exactly the question I asked myself  3 years ago. I am now working as a  lifeguard and supervisor in a swimming pool and a few months ago I was working as a beach lifeguard during the peak season. I wrote this article to share my experience and knowledge about this job and hopefully make it easier for you to understand how it works and maybe how to become one !



 First  I would like you to know that Australia has different states. Each state might have its own certificates and processes. I am living in Perth,WA.

 Which type of lifeguard would you like to become ?

There are three different types of lifeguards that I can think of:

- Pool lifeguard

- Beach lifesaver

- Beach lifeguard





The first one means you will be working in a swimming pool as a lifeguard. You will be making sure people are swimming  safely and you will help with the cleaning of the facility and the pool. It is a paid job . You are not allowed to teach people how to swim. That is the job of the swimming teachers and swimming coaches.

The second one is  lifesaver. You will be working as an unpaid volunteer in a team to maintain the beach users safe. You will be patrolling the beach some days during the weekend + public holiday and perform aquatic rescue and first aid when need be. You will also do prevention work to make sure people don`t get in trouble in the first place. It is very rewarding and you can meet great people and make friends. It is a very Australian thing to do so if you want to taste the Australian culture it is what you want.

And the last beach lifeguard. It is very similar to beach lifesaver the main difference is that you get paid for it and its every day. The dream job.



BUT lets answer the most important question !
How to become one ?

From my experience there are two major lifeguard organisations.
-Royal Life Saving Society of Australia  (RLSSA)
-Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA)

Both of these organisations are more than 100 years old and they decided about 80 years ago to share the task of providing training and lifeguards for water safety.
To make it short Surf Life Saving is looking after beaches and Royal Life Saving  is looking after the rest but especially swimming pools.


If you want to become a pool lifeguard you will have to contact Royal Life Saving and
if you want to be a beach lifeguard or lifesaver you will have to go though Surf Life Saving

To become a pool lifeguard 

You need three qualifications.

- Senior First Aid about 170 $ two day course.
- Bronze medallion about 180 $ two day course.
- Pool Lifeguard Course about 250 $ two day course.

If you don`t already have any of these qualifications you can usually choose a package with all three included. It is a good option because it allows you to do the whole course in one week ( instead of three weekends ) and you are saving a bit of money as well.
So in only six days and with 600 $ you will become a pool lifeguard and have the opportunities to work in one of the numerous swimming pools of the city you will be at the time. I encourage you to go on the Royal life Saving website to get information about the physical tests just click on my link ;) but I have to warn you ! If you are a bit of a swimmer it will be VERY easy.

To become a lifesaver

 

Becoming a life saver will give you a nice taste of the Australian culture !
It is very easy. To start you have to join a surf life saving club. To find a surf lifesaving club you only have to walk on the beach and look for a huge Surf Life Saving sign. If you are in a major city you will find one very easily.
If you want to use the internet just write the name of the city you are living in + surf lifesaving and you will have a map with all the surf clubs of your city. Join the one you prefer, usually the closest to your house. If you choose one and realise later that there is another one closer to your house they can transfer you record for free to another surf club.
Before joining a club you should have a look on their internet page to see when they run their course. Some of them don't run as many courses as others. 
 Once you find the surf club which suits your needs you will have to pay an annual membership fee. Usually around 300 dollars. From there you are in  !! You can train for free with them and do the Bronze Medallion.
The Bronze Medallion is the only certificate needed to become a lifesaver ? /!\ Be careful because it is a different Bronze Medallion than the one to become a pool lifeguard !

This Bronze Medallion takes usually between 6 and 8 weeks with 3 sessions of two hours each week. These sessions will be theory and practical. You will also have to complete homework via the internet. And at the end of the 8 weeks of training you will have a day of tests where your Surf Life Saving club will run the finals tests ( usually a few clubs join for the day ).

  This is what you will have to demonstrate during the final assessment:

Rescue board ready

• 200m run - 200m swim - 200 run in under 8:00 minutes total

• Demonstrate radio operations

• Demonstrate basic First Aid

• Demonstrate 10 signals

• Demonstrate lifts and carries

• Demonstrate board and tube rescues

• Demonstrate spinal management

• Demonstrate resuscitation and defibrillation

 

 

To become a beach Lifeguard 

 

It is easier to become a beach lifeguard if you already volunteer as a Lifesaver, for three main reasons.

- First you will have the experience to work on the beach and you will already have the certificate
- Secondly you will already have a foot in the door by knowing people involved with Surf Life Saving
- By being part of a club you can do specific lifesaver training and competitions like the run-swim-run-paddle ("The Mission") which is the main test you will have to complete to become a lifeguard

You have to apply online through  Australian Lifeguards Service  which is the part of Surf life Saving which deal with paid beach lifeguards.
Okay lets talk about the tests. The tests to become a beach lifeguard in Australia are quite difficult because even if you pass the tests in the time frame required you have to know that there is usually more candidates than places on the beach and it is highly competitive. So the candidates are not just trying to beat the time but also the other lifeguards. And don`t forget that the candidates we are speaking about are mainly Australians which are in a surf club since very young and also train since very young. A lot of them are doing Lifeguard competitions and some of them are the best you can find in the state.
 Also the test in the ocean can easily become tricky when the surf conditions are big .
The tests are:
In a 25m or bigger pool, swim 800m in <14 minutes
Perform complex patient rescue and support, aided and unaided by equipment:

• Select appropriate rescue equipment

• Assess and manage the patient's levels of distress

• Support and return patients to shore

• Perform a one-person drag technique and patient lay

Perform surf skill and fitness test:

• Complete a 400m swim, 800m run, 400m board paddle and 800m run in 25 minutes

• Complete tube rescue of a patient 100m out at sea and return (with flippers optional)

• Complete board rescue of patient 200m out at sea and return

 If you are successful with the test and are one of the chosen candidates you will likely have an interview with the Lifeguard operation officer for your state. You will discuss which beaches need lifeguards, which beaches you prefer and how many hours are available.

 If you are from UK, USA, Greece, Asia Pacific region, Denmark or New Zealand you can directly apply for International Exchange. Enquire with the Surf Life Saving equivalent in your country to know more about it.

If you have any question feel free to ask :) 

I have done my best to ensure the information above is correct and current (April 2015) as per my personal experience, research and knowledge. I welcome you to look further into this and inform yourself of the accurate and current information at the time of reading this, as I will not be liable for decisions or costs incurred based on the information above. Please share if you find additional information or wish to suggest corrections. Thank you for visiting.