How to become a swimming teacher

Being a swimming teacher is wonderfully rewarding, working with children, helping them progress and watching them discover the joy of swimming is special.

Swimming teachers, measure their days in smiles but the benefits go much further. As a swimming teacher you can:

  • Enjoy flexible hours to fit your family or study commitments.
  • Work as a casual, permanent part-time or full-time employee.
  • Build a career in the swimming industry, as a teacher, supervisor, coordinator, manager or swim school owner.
  • Obtain a qualification you can use to work all over Australia and internationally.
  • Learn transferable skills in many areas including time management, customer service and risk management.
  • Help keep children safe and give them a skill which will stay with them forever.

Most of all, you will work in a fun positive environment. However, becoming a swimming teacher isn’t as simple as just turning up at your local swim school. Although, Carlile Swimming makes it as easy as possible.

To work as a swimming teacher in Australia you must be 16 years or over and obtain:

  • A nationally recognised accreditation.
  • A Working with children check.
  • A current CPR accreditation
  • A rescue swim qualification

To become an accredited teacher normally involves attending a course with both online and face-to-face instruction, plus doing 30 hours of on-the-job training at a swim school. These courses can cost more than $400.

Carlile Swimming opened Sydney’s first indoor teaching pool and pioneered teaching babies to swim. If you do your training with Carlile, you will:

  • Save as the cost is only $180
  • Do your 30 hours of on-the-job training as part of Carlile’s onboarding process
  • Do your rescue swim with Carlile
  • Obtain an accreditation recognised Australia wide and internationally
  • Receive an Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association Graduate Membership which includes Teacher’s insurance for three years

Today Carlile provides more than a million lessons a year with teachers working in a world-renowned program that caters to babies through to Olympians. In fact, Tokyo Olympian See-Bom Lee started with Carlile as a three-year-old.

Trainee teachers are given the support they need to develop great teaching skills. All you need is to be enthusiastic and to love children. You will work with supervisors and spare teachers to assist in maintaining lesson quality.

The program you will work within, is considered one of the world’s best. It has been refined over the years and is designed to help children learn the skills they need to confidently progress to the next level.

Carlile teachers can learn skills teaching baby’s, pre-school and at school learn to swim, stroke development and coaching squads.

The competitive program is the most successful in Australian swimming history. Founded by International Swimming Hall of Fame coaches Forbes and Ursula Carlile, it is now led by international coach Chris Nesbit who has placed swimmers on Olympic teams 28 times.

Forbes at Palm Beach rock pool

Forbes Carlile, Australia’s first Olympic Swimming coach, was an innovator and his passion for continuous improvement is a legacy which still guides Carlile today. Carlile recently picked up a prestigious international award in partnership with skills development platform Xapify.

Battling against providers across a range of international industries, Carlile Swimming and Xapify took out the award for Use of Technology in Learning, at the LearnXSummitt.

It’s another example of the industry leading support you will receive if you choose to join Carlile Swimming.

Find A Swim School

We have 26 swimming schools across NSW, QLD, VIC & the ACT.

Find Your Level

Unsure of your child’s swimming level? Take our short quiz and find out.

Why Choose Carlile?

Book Your Lesson

You Might Also Be Interested In...

Carlile Matriarch Ursula Carlile passes away

Two years ago today Australian Swimming lost a national treasure, with the peaceful passing of Ursula Carlile aged 86.

Splash into Summer Campaign

Your ultimate summer adventure begins in the water ☀️🏊‍♂️ Learning to swim isn’t just a lesson—it’s the key to a summer of fun and adventure. Be ready for a season of fun and confidence at the pool, at the beach, snorkelling, learning to surf, on the boat! Be enrolled or

Carlile’s Richard Cahalan joins the Hall of Fame.

Carlile Foundation Director Richard Cahalan has been inducted into the Australian Swim Schools Association Hall of Fame. Richard, inducted in the legend’s category is the fifth Carlile representative to join this elite group. Naturally, founders Forbes and Ursula Carlile were the first, followed by Carlile head of curriculum Dave Dubois,

"To Swim Well Is An Asset For Life"

— Forbes Carlile

We make every swimmer safe, strong, and comfortable in the water, whether they’re taking their first splash as babies or refining competitive strokes. With a proven approach that combines world-class expertise and a caring environment, Carlile helps swimmers reach their full potential so they can swim with confidence for life.

Welcome To Carlile Swim