While it's always great to do a job that you love, passion for your work isn't always enough and it's fine to think about how much you'll earn and where you get to work.
With so many different kinds of swimming instructors working in different places, with different clients, and at different levels, there are a lot of factors that go into working out how much they typically get paid.
Whether you're already a swimming instructor or thinking about being one, here's how much you can expect to earn across Australia and the kinds of places where you could find work.
Average National Salary for Swimming Teachers and Instructors
To give you a better idea of how much you could expect to earn as a swimming teacher or instructor, we'll start with the reported national average hourly wages for swimming instructors across Australia.
Since there are a range of different roles, levels, and locations where swimming instructors and teachers can work, remember that the reported salaries can vary quite wildly.
These should, however, give you a better idea of the general range of salary to be expected. In most cases, this isn't the exact amount you should get but your salary should be close to these figures.
Glassdoor reports an average hourly wage of $28, with a range between $24 and $33. Payscale suggested that swimming teachers earn less, just $23.72 an hour.
Indeed and Talent gave more favourable average hourly wages reporting $33.79 and $30.70 respectively.
All things considered, your typical swimming teacher or instructor in Australia should be looking for at least $30 an hour.
an hour!
Salary by State
You'll see that as we look at the average salaries paid by each state, no two places are alike. Within states, you'll tend to command higher salaries in larger cities, but you'll still see a difference depending on the role, level, and employer.
New South Wales (NSW)
For swimming instructors and teachers in New South Wales, the average hourly wage was above $30 an hour.
Jooble reports $32.57 whilst Indeed listed $35.97. This averages to around $34 an hour.
Sydney
In Sydney, however, Indeed listed the average hourly wage for a swimming instructor or teacher at $45.90, significantly higher than the statewide average they also reported.
However, having seen the averages for other cities, this is likely an outlier and real hourly wages are closer to between $30 and $40 an hour.
Victoria (VIC)
None of our usual sources reported average swimming instructor salaries for the State of Victoria, but they all reported the average hourly wages in Melbourne.
While we can't necessarily assume the difference between Melbourne and Regional Victoria would be the same as between Sydney and New South Wales, it would be fair to assume that higher wages are being paid within the city than outside of it, especially once you see the hourly wages versus the national averages.
Melbourne
The lowest reported hourly wage for a swimming instructor was on Payscale, which stated $25.80. Seek was more optimistic with a range between $29.50 and $33.
Salary Expert and Indeed quote even higher averages, with hourly swimming instructor wages at $38 and $40.23 respectively.
This is an average of closer to $35 an hour all sources considered.
Queensland (QLD)
For Queensland, it was difficult to find a statewide average for swimming teachers, with most sources reporting city by city.
The one source we found, Jooble, reported an average hourly wage of $180, but we doubt that this is accurate, especially given job postings for similar roles across Queensland are offering between $28 and $35 an hour, more in line with the averages we've seen.
Brisbane
In Brisbane, the reported wages were far more similar to what we've seen so far. Indeed quoting $34.56 and Payscale reporting lower at $25.52. An average hourly wage of $30 seems to be the going rate, though.
If you're looking for swimming lessons near me, you can find your perfect swim instructor on Superprof.
Additional training, completing extension courses, and providing an excellent service are all great ways to earn more money as a swim teacher.
Western Australia (WA)
Western Australia's Department of Education proved quite helpful with a comprehensive guide to the hourly rates paid for swimming instructors and water safety officers during both their “interm” and “VacSwim” programs.
The rates go from $29.90 an hour for a swimming instructor assistant to over $50 an hour for a regional advisor.
Interm swimming program pay rates
| Classification | Interm Rate per Lesson | VacSwim Rate per Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming instructor level 1 Water safety officer level 1 | $33.60 | $36.31 |
| Swimming instructor level 2 Water safety officer level 2 | $34.49 | $37.29 |
| Swimming instructor level 3 Water safety officer level 3 | $35.99 | $38.92 |
| Swimming supervisor (supervision of 1 to 5 instructors) | $39.07 | $42.28 |
| Swimming supervisor (supervision of 6 to 10 instructors) | $43.31 | $46.91 |
| Swimming supervisor (supervision of 11 or more instructors) | $46.52 | $50.41 |
| Regional advisor | $46.52 | $50.41 |
Adelaide
Outside of the SA DoE, we also found salaries reported for swimming instructors in Adelaide from Indeed and Payscale.
If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed a trend whereby Indeed tends to report much higher than Payscale and there's no difference here, with the former at $44.71 an hour and the latter at $23.88.
The average between the two is $34.30 an hour.
Tasmania
Last but not least, we have Tasmania. There weren't any state-wide averages from our usual sources, but you can find average hourly swimming instructor wages for cities including Hobart.
Hobart
Seek provided an average hourly wage range between $35 and $40 and Glassdoor reported $29 an hour. The average is $33.25 an hour.
Where to Find Work as a Swimming Teacher
While location definitely affects the going rates for swimming teachers and instructors, where you work and the kind of job you do will also dictate the hourly wage you get.
Here are just a few of the places you can look for work as a swimming teacher or instructor.
Swim Schools and SWIM Schools Australia
To further confuse matters, there are swim schools, where you can go to learn to swim or work as a swimming instructor or teacher, and SWIM Schools Australia.
SWIM Schools Australia is a nationally-recognised organisation that provides training for swimming instructors, a network of swim schools, and guidelines, professional development programs, and business support for instructors and pools.
Not only can swimming instructors and teachers train with SWIM schools, but they can also work in one of the pools in their network.
AUSTSWIM
Much like SWIM Schools Australia, AUSTSWIM is another nationally and internationally recognised provider of swimming instructor training and a swim school network. You can also look to their pools for work as a swimming instructor or teacher.
Don't forget that you'll need a CPR certification as part of your swimming instructor training, too.
Public Pools and Leisure Centres
Public swimming pools and leisure centres equipped with pools will very often offer swimming lessons to different levels, ages, and abilities.
Naturally, to offer these, they need a qualified (and sometimes experienced) swimming instructor or teacher.
Fitness Centres and Gyms
Certain fitness centres and gyms are also equipped with swimming pools. These are owned by private companies rather than local governments so while you'll still be teaching students how to swim, everything else about your role might be a little different to your local swimming baths.
Resorts and Hotels
Holiday resorts and hotels with swimming pools may offer swimming lessons to guests. As the time spent with students in these lessons will likely be short-term (a week or two), your lesson planning will be completely different to those working in a Department of Education role with term-long swimming lessons.
Private Coaching
Swimming teachers and instructors can also teach individuals one-on-one how to swim or how to improve their swimming.
You might work for a pool, leisure centre, or gym that offers private swimming lessons or in a freelance capacity.
In either case, you'll work directly with individuals or small groups on their swimming with a focus on tailoring each session to the individual.
Once qualified, you could sign up to Superprof as a tutor and offer private swimming lessons to individuals and groups. Remember to carefully work on your profile as you'll need it to attract potential customers. Show off your experience, qualifications, and anything else that could help.
These are just examples of where you could ply your trade as a swimming instructor. Remember that the average salaries paid will also be affected by your employer, your own qualifications and experience, and the time of year.
As you gain experience, your earning potential will increase and if you're working independently, word of mouth is an excellent way to find new clients, too.
For private swimming teachers and coaches, supply and demand will also play a big part in your hourly rates and choosing what to charge is an important part of becoming a successful swimming instructor.
Searching for a swimming instructor? Find swimming lessons on Superprof!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
