What Sets a Career in Infant Aquatics® Apart? Find Out Now!
Infant Aquatics Retreat, 2021
The Path to Becoming an Infant Aquatics® Instructor
Are you passionate about water safety and working with children?
The Infant Aquatics® Instructor Certification program could be the ideal career path for you!
This internationally recognized program equips individuals with the skills to teach vital survival swim skills to infants and young children. If you’ve done your research and compared Infant Aquatics® with other survival swim programs and realized that you actually could become an Infant Aquatics® instructor, you might have just a few more questions holding you back from taking the plunge…
“Where am I going to teach?”
“Can I teach lessons in my backyard pool?”
“If I don’t have a pool at my house, what are my options?”
These are perfectly valid questions! People come to Infant Aquatics from all kinds of backgrounds and experience levels. Not everyone has a pool in their yard; many have never even taught lessons before.
Regardless of their background or previous water experience, our instructors have created unique businesses that perfectly match their lifestyles and dreams!
This post will show you the potential teaching scenarios you could implement as an Infant Aquatics® instructor!
Let’s dive in!
Teaching in Your Own Backyard
If you’ve got a pool at home, this is the perfect work-from-home setup!
Many swim instructors start with this option because it’s an easy way to get your foot in the door when you first start your business. You’ll save time and money commuting, and you’ll be able to build a genuine connection with your swim families!
Nicole is still able to enjoy her life as a stay-at-home mom while teaching life-saving skills to children in her community!
Of course, there are zoning requirements, and you’ll have to check your local regulations to ensure you’re allowed to run your business from your pool, but during your training, you’ll receive support and guidance on the best way to do this!
Teaching in Someone Else’s Pool
You may not have a pool in your backyard, but you may know someone who does!
It’s quite common for people to find out you teach private lessons and ask if you’d be willing to come to their private pool and teach their kids or grandkids.
How can you make the most of this opportunity? Collaborate!
Just like carpooling, you can network with a group of parents with kids similar in age and coordinate a swim session. Not only will this help boost your enrollment through word of mouth, but it will foster connections and encourage community members to band together and do their part in preventing childhood drowning.
Margie Herman began her career as an Infant Aquatics® instructor renting space in someone else’s pool so she could bring lessons to her community. Now, she’s expanded her teaching locations and has even gone on to become an Infant Aquatics® Certifying Instructor!
“My first 3 years of teaching, I was in a small 15×30 residential pool, outside in the elements, renting space from a lady who let me swim in her backyard. And that’s where it all began! If you’d asked me two years into doing this if I’d be where I am today, I would’ve said, ‘Absolutely not!’”
-Margie Herman, Creme de La Swim Infant Aquatics
Teaching at a Local Rec Center or Community Pool
If backyard pools aren’t an option for you, you can always ask local centers in your community!
There are many options to teach private lessons, from hotels to gyms and community pools.
With the demand for survival swim lessons rising, many organizations will happily work out an agreement and allow you to utilize some pool time.
Liza Albreada is a great example when it comes to making connections with local facilities!
This is also a fantastic opportunity to spread awareness about Infant Aquatics® lessons in your business! There’s nothing like the look of astonishment from lap swimmers when one of your students jumps into the water in their winter clothes and rocks their clothing checkout!
Can I Really Become an Infant Aquatics® Instructor?
Work at Another Survival Swim School
Working at another Infant Aquatics® swim school is a great way to gain confidence, establish yourself as an instructor, and collaborate with like-minded individuals in your community!
Over the years, several trainees have come to Infant Aquatics after their own children have taken lessons. They’ve watched the process and realized what a rewarding career they’ve stumbled upon!
Cassandra DiYorio tells her story about her journey to working for SoCal Water Babies!
“Judy’s training program is intensive with academic work in areas of child development, behavioral psychology, anatomy and physiology, and water safety. Judy was fantastic at breaking down how to utilize the various techniques in the float and SWIM-float-SWIM programs. After completing my training, I can now teach survival swim lessons at SoCal Water Babies with the confidence I have gained from completing this program. Thank you, Judy, for your wisdom and patience during training!”
Read the Rest of Cassandra’s Story
One of the incredible aspects of the Infant Aquatics instructor community is that collaboration is the name of the game! Even if you decide to branch off independently after working with other IA instructors, you’ll do so with respect and support from the instructor community.
Traveling and Teaching!
Infant Aquatics® is an internationally recognized program, meaning you can teach lessons wherever the wind takes you if you have the travel bug.
Do you enjoy spending your winters in a warmer part of the country? You can plan your swim calendar around your travel calendar to make the most of your travels!
Imagine spending a few months in one state with a fully booked roster, then jettisoning off to another state (or even another country) for a few more months to another fully booked roster!
Without burdensome requirements, you can take your skills anywhere!
“When you have this skill set as an instructor, you’re able to take this to any pool around the world!”
-Keri Tom, Fin 2 Swim Infant Aquatics
Learn How Infant Aquatics® Supports Your Goals
Opening Your Own Swim School
You can open your own swim school!
Regular maintenance lessons are essential for strengthening your students’ skills and helping them develop into lifelong swimmers!
As the demand for continuing lessons grows, many instructors eventually want to take on staff for maintenance and stroke lessons. While you won’t be able to train other instructors to teach survival sessions, these group classes are an incredible way to scale your income and keep your swim families returning month after month!
This is also the ultimate way to establish your professional reputation in your community. Not only will you be able to serve more families, but you will also have a booming business!
Libby McFarland started her business because she saw a need in her area. Now she’s opened her own facility and hired staff to keep her students swimming strong!
Hear More About Libby’s Story!
Libby McFarland, Little Squirts Infant Aquatics®
Things to Consider
As you embark on this exciting journey, there are some factors you may want to keep in mind:
- Legal Considerations: Familiarize yourself with local regulations concerning teaching swimming lessons, especially if you plan to teach in a home pool.
- Insurance and Safety: Consider liability insurance for your business!
- Marketing and Promotion: Consider how you’ll promote your services, attract new clients, and keep your roster booked.
The great news is that you will be guided through all of these steps during your training!
Conclusion
By now, you’ve seen that you truly can take this career as far as you want!
You may start small in a backyard pool or local rec center and eventually go on to run your very own swim school!
You’ve also seen that within the Infant Aquatics® community, you will find so many instructors willing to share their stories and tips for success in whichever scenario you start with!
As an Infant Aquatics® instructor, you can create a thriving career while achieving the time and financial freedom that so many of us crave!
So what are you waiting for?
Infant Aquatics® Founder, Judy Heumann With Trainees In Pool
