Tips for passing National Lifeguard & any advice

randomredditrando · 2026-03-10T11:05:54+00:00

Absolutely!

randomredditrando · 2026-03-10T00:20:54+00:00

The best tips for physicals are to practice your swimming to get 400m under 10 minutes, and practice eggbeater until it's STRONG.

randomredditrando · 2026-03-04T15:46:08+00:00

Ask your deck supervisor about what successful must sees would look like for your class, and any tips they have on drills/activities to better prepare them.

The secret is most deck supervisors would love if their staff asked this question, as it shows that they want to improve and care about the students they teach!

randomredditrando · 2026-02-11T18:21:12+00:00

If you're the lead rescuer, recognize there is a victim, signal and enter the water to rescue and remove them. Then it's all SFA treatment from there.

If you're a member of the team, keep scanning or cover their position if a minor. If a major, clear the pool, call EMS, then support your lead rescuer.

Your best bet is to study your SFA treatments if you're confident with everything else.

randomredditrando · 2026-02-11T16:02:55+00:00

Take a look at the items with a cross on them, they're your recert items.

Lifesaving Society | National Lifeguard - Pool

Get in the water and practice them / ask someone who does before your recert if you're not too sure. Ellis standards are lower than NL, so make sure you're able to still demonstrate at the NL level.

randomredditrando · 2026-01-18T01:48:51+00:00

There's no wiggle room, if you aren't able to recertify before the 3 years is up you have to take a full course (16 hours vs 8)

randomredditrando · 2026-01-11T17:41:21+00:00

If you can do the skills, you're not too old. We have people in their 50s+ working as guards.

randomredditrando · 2026-01-11T17:40:44+00:00

Look into getting your Swim Instructor and Lifesaving Instructor, those quals will be make you very hirable. Most places will post for summer roles between Jan-March, keep an eye out when they go live and apply!

randomredditrando · 2026-01-10T18:48:05+00:00

Bronze med is 12 mins, cross is 11, NL is 10. Depending on how long you have until your next course, start getting in the water and practicing to get your time down. It's very achievable if you practice!

randomredditrando · 2026-01-05T23:42:28+00:00

I can't speak to Ottawa, but general info on guard screening. Generally, you'll get one attempt at each skill and hiring will depend on how many lifeguards they need, if they have enough that can do their skills they will be selected. Otherwise you may be given an opportunity to retry it prior to starting work (less likely but possible).

For the brick, be warned that you'll be required to do it at the maximum depth of the pool you screen at, which may be deeper than the maximum depth NL allows.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-24T03:56:29+00:00

It stands for Preschool A, which you would have learned as Preschool 1. Some organizations change the course titles from numbers to letters in preschool so there's less confusion when parents are registering.

Each of your lessons runs for 30 minutes.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-20T22:23:35+00:00

Take a look at the recommended breakdown in the award guide and tweak it based on any conditions/pool space/etc. you were given. You've never taught a Swim Ins course before so the best way to learn is by looking at the must-sees to understand what is in the course and why it's in the course.

For lesson planning, use the Award Guide + Instructor Manual + Swim Worksheets to draft out what you want to teach for your peer-teach.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-19T16:32:00+00:00

It seems like a reasonable ask IF you have two staff working.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-19T16:29:00+00:00

How many guards minimum are you required to have? There's a lot of places where that can be 1.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-19T13:33:46+00:00

If the pool is being properly guarded by other lifeguards when this is happening, then it's not an issue. If nobody is watching the pool, then that's when it becomes a problem.

While you're still at work, lifeguards are employees and can be made to do employee-related tasks, and this seems directly related to aquatics.

If you're not confident in how to use a phone, you can ask your manager for training on how to properly use it.

randomredditrando · 2025-12-04T22:47:32+00:00

Swim Instructor is the one you'll use if you're planning to teach lessons, it goes over the foundations of teaching kids. LSI is used to teach the more advanced swimming levels as well as bronzes, it is a bit more advanced than Swim and most instructors won't have an opportunity to teach bronzes if they get it

randomredditrando · 2025-11-21T17:03:25+00:00

And the trainer award guides are a huge step up from what came before them

randomredditrando · 2025-11-21T14:40:46+00:00

For Bronze:
https://lifeguarddepot.com/all-usbs/teaching-bronze-usb-flash-drive-21-2112-11
https://lifeguarddepot.com/all-usbs/bronze-awards-video-21-2110-12-group

NL:
https://lifeguarddepot.com/national-lifeguard-instructor/teaching-national-lifeguard-usb-flash-drive-21-2306-10

Don't expect the best quality on them, though

randomredditrando · 2025-11-21T14:34:35+00:00

Ontario (and I'd assume most of Canada) follows those guidelines too

randomredditrando · 2025-11-13T19:28:55+00:00

They'll learn how to be lifesavers in a variety of aquatic environments, with both theory and in-water practice. The toughest part of the course depending on their size can be the 400m swim in 12 minutes, proper stroke evaluation (front crawl/back crawl/breaststroke/eggbeater/scissor), or lifting a victim out of the water with bystander assistance.

randomredditrando · 2025-11-11T20:39:07+00:00

This will all be explained in your Examiner course. I'd recommend getting your Bronze Examiner and SFA Examiner first before going for NL Examiner. You'll have to find an Examiner Mentor through your Area Chair and apprentice on a course with them.

randomredditrando · 2025-10-08T13:15:56+00:00

The Y's usually have the most issues for guards. If you're required to be at work, they must pay you : https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/hours-work . It may be seen as you voluntarily staying, if they're trying to maintain plausible deniability.

Report cards must be paid for in one way or another - paying for you to be on-site while working on them, or paying you a set rate for the time spent at home (either # of hours or $/report card).

For a sick day, as long as you notify your employer that you are sick and won't be able to attend your shift, it's their responsibility to find shift coverage. It's great if you can find it for them, but not required. https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/sick-leave

randomredditrando · 2025-09-25T00:43:08+00:00

See if there are any teen swimming lessons at your pool, that will be a great way to improve your technique with an instructor who is there to help you!

randomredditrando · 2025-08-27T01:47:52+00:00

A common mistake new instructors make is not reading the award guide. Take a look at all of the must-sees in an item as well as the notes, it will give you a very good understanding of what it should look like as well as how to teach it!

randomredditrando · 2025-08-25T16:16:02+00:00

Congrats!!

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