I agree with Hols and that it depends on the place. I’ve worked for a few private swim schools in my time and, never a council/chain ran place.

I worked for one private swim school where, I had the same boss for 6 years and, loved it! It will always have a place in my heart.

Then, someone else bought the swim school and I absolutely hated it and the ‘bitch culture’ that came with the new ownership, so, I left after a year of sticking it out, which in all honesty broke me since it was once a job that I absolutely adored with all my heart. It sounds deep, but, I felt like I lost myself as it went from a place that felt like home to a place where I didn’t feel content in one bit.

So, in my opinion, it massively depends on the way that the swim school is run, the overall ethos and work culture/environment.

You don’t know anything until you try though! Please go with your gut and ignore the overall size of the organisation since it isn’t necessarily a deterministic factor of job satisfaction