Swimming careers
Swimming careers
Teach in our VacSwim school holiday and Interm swimming programs and give children vital water safety and survival skills.
If you are a friendly and outgoing person who loves the water, we want you to help us run a successful program and make a difference in the lives of our young people.
Why be a swimming instructor?
A career with us as a swimming instructor or water safety officer is a rewarding, feel-good career, helping to protect our young people by teaching vital swimming and water safety skills, which helps save lives.
Not only that, working with us gives you access to great opportunities and employee benefits, such as:
- a competitive salary
- great hours
- friendly, supportive teams
- leadership opportunities
- over 180 locations across WA.
Swimming careers - How to apply
How to apply
To work with us, you need to be at least 17 years old and be a qualified swimming instructor. Find out more about the how to obtain the qualifications you need.
You’ll then be able to begin applying for a position with us and start your new career journey.
- Clearances for swimming instructors and water safety officers
- How to apply - If you have not worked with us before
- How to apply - Current and previous employees
- Apply for relief work
- Swimming instructor rates of pay
- Employment conditions and forms
New applicants can apply for their Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check at any time. Apply for this early as you cannot start work until you have approval, but note that your screening clearance must be less than six months old when you start new employment or a practicum placement.
To apply for a Working with Children Check we require you to register online and upload a copy of your current AUSTSWIM, ASCTA or Royal Life Saving accreditation or Surf Bronze Medallion or Surf Rescue Certificate and CPR certificate.
Once these have been approved, complete an application for a Working with Children Check card. The Department of Education is required to complete parts 5, 6 and 7 of the original application form. To get this signed:
- mail or hand deliver your completed form to the Swimming and Water Safety team
- in country areas ask public school principals to sign on behalf of the Swimming and Water Safety team.
Copies of all qualifications and clearances must be current, uploaded to the registration system and approved by the Swimming and Water Safety team. All staff will receive an email 30 days before a qualification expires as a reminder and another email when it does expire, failure to keep your qualifications up to date or supply valid documentation will result in appointments being withdrawn.
If you have not worked with us before, you will need to register in our online system, WAIVS. Make sure you are at least 17 years old and have your qualifications ready before you begin your application.
- Register online. Once your registration is complete you will be emailed a username and password to log in.
- Login and follow the prompts to complete your registration. This includes uploading clear copies of your:
-
AUSTSWIM, ASCTA or Royal Life Saving WA card with photo identification and expiry date (for swimming instructors)
or
Statement of Attainment of Surf Bronze Medallion or Surf Rescue Certificate with photo identification (for water safety officers) - CPR certificate.
-
The system will log users out if left inactive; we advise having a photograph or scan of your qualifications ready to upload.
- The Swimming and Water Safety team will review these qualifications, and notify you by email if your qualifications have been approved. If they have not been approved, you will need to log back into the system and go through your to do list on the front page to make any requested changes.
- Once approved, log back into the system and on the to do list will be an action to supply your clearances (please note this will only appear once your qualifications have been approved). Clicking on this will take you to the clearances page where you can upload a copy of your Working with Children Check card and supply details of your National Police History Check from the Department’s screening unit (evidence of this screening is not required).
- The Swimming and Water Safety team will then review your clearances, and you will be notified by email if your clearances have been approved or rejected. If rejected you will need to log back in to WAIVS and go through your to do list on the front page to make any requested changes.
- Once approved you can apply for positions and will be considered for work as long as your qualifications and clearances remain current.
If you have worked with us before and are registered and approved to work, you can apply for positions online.
- Login online in as an existing instructor.
- Select 'Apply for programs' to add your preferences.
- Select the programs you wish to register your interest for and press apply.
- Complete three steps for each program:
- select a position (instructor/supervisor/water safety officer)
- complete your availability (including the separate availability for relief boxes if you are available for relief work)
- choose centres you are available to work at (there is no limit on how many centres you can choose).
- Select 'Submit'.
Relief work is also managed through our online system. When applying for programs or editing preferences make sure to check the boxes to confirm your availability for relief work to show you are interested in working relief shifts.
Swimming instructor rates of pay
Swimming staff are paid as casual employees at the rates established by the School Education Act Employees’ (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2021.
Pay rates are inclusive of a 20 percent casual loading.
Interm pay rates
| Position | Description | Rate per lesson | Rate shown on payslip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12773 | Swimming instructor Level 1 Water safety officer Level 1 | $33.60 | $268.80 |
| 12773 | Swimming instructor Level 2 Water safety officer Level 2 | $34.49 | $275.92 |
| 12773 | Swimming instructor Level 3 Water safety officer Level 3 | $35.99 | $287.92 |
| 12774 | Swimming supervisor (1 to 5 instructors) | $39.07 | $312.56 |
| 12775 | Swimming supervisor (6 to 10 instructors) | $43.31 | $346.48 |
| 25486 | Swimming supervisor (11+ instructors) | $46.52 | $372.16 |
| 25486 | Regional advisor | $46.52 | $372.16 |
VacSwim pay rates
| Position | Description | Rate per hour | Rate shown on payslip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12940 | Swimming instructor Level 1 Water safety officer Level 1 | $36.31 | $290.48 |
| 12940 | Swimming instructor Level 2 Water safety officer Level 2 | $37.29 | $298.32 |
| 12940 | Swimming instructor Level 3 Water safety officer Level 3 | $38.92 | $311.36 |
| 12941 | Swimming supervisor (1 to 5 instructors) | $42.28 | $338.24 |
| 12942 | Swimming supervisor (6 to 10 instructors) | $46.91 | $375.28 |
| 25485 | Swimming supervisor (11+ instructors) | $50.41 | $403.28 |
| 25485 | Regional advisor | $50.41 | $403.28 |
Levels are automatically updated through payroll:
- Level 2: after 360 hours (or 45 days)
- Level 3: after 1500 hours (187.5 days).
Department of Education employee details form
Department of Education Code of Conduct
Swimming staff - information and employment conditions
Physical Contact with Students flyer
Guide to WAIVS Paysheet - Information for Instructors
Guide to WAIVS Paysheet - Information for Centre Supervisors
Guide to WAIVS Paysheet - Information for Regional Advisors
Request for Travel Assistance Form
Working With Children Check Reimbursement Form
Superannuation standard choice form
