Swimming teachers wanted as ‘massive shortage’ forces kids onto waitlists

Steve Ironside has had a good day at work.

Four-year-old Oliver Rainford has put his face under water and blown bubbles for the first time.

As a swimming teacher in suburban Melbourne, moments like that make the early starts worthwhile.

“The look on a child’s face when they learn a new skill is just lovely,” Mr Ironside said.

At 67, and a semi-retired builder, Mr Ironside is not your traditional swimming teacher.

He wants other older Australians to consider taking up swimming teaching, to fill what the industry is calling a “massive shortfall”.

“The pay is fine, the hours are really good because you can do other things if you want to and work in the evenings,” he said.

“You don’t have to be a champion swimmer, you just have to love what you’re doing.”

‘Massive shortage’ of swim teachers across Australia

Swim Australia chief executive Brendan Ward said more people like Mr Ironside should consider jumping in the pool.

“We’ve got a massive shortage of teachers across the country,” he said.

“We estimate 2,000 jobs are available right now.”

The shortage of teachers is worst in Queensland, with 640 more needed.

Another 600 teachers are needed in NSW, 400 in Victoria, 200 in WA, 50 in the ACT, 40 in Tasmania and 30 in the Northern Territory.

Mr Ward said the problem was partly due to the pandemic.

“Swim teachers, generally casuals, were not eligible for JobKeeper, so they had to go and find alternative employment,” he said.

“And so once the pools reopened we had that shortage.”

Swim Australia estimates waiting lists for classes are up 20 per cent on last year.

“That’s primarily because we haven’t got the teacher levels to support the student numbers,” Mr Ward said.

He said it was a good job, paying between $22 and $33 an hour, depending on qualifications. A basic qualification takes about six weeks.

“Lots of options and lots of flexibility,” he said.

Potential drowning risk with kids on waitlists

The swimming teacher shortage has come as drownings are up 23 per cent compared with last summer, Mr Ward said.

“What we’re seeing is kids are on wait lists, they’re not getting in to swim schools, they’re not getting that experience,” he said.

“If we’ve got kids missing out, that’s a cohort of kids missing out on learning to swim, and it’s a potential risk of drowning later in life.”

For Oliver Rainford and his two brothers, eight-year-old Aidan and five-year-old Lucas, getting an ice-cream after class is a crucial part of the lesson.

But for their mother, Gina Rainford, it’s all about safety. 

“So many people have got pools in the backyard, especially in summer, it’s what we spend most of our afternoons doing,” she said.

“Knowing that they can swim is really important.”