I started as a lifeguard

A huge number of aquatics professionals started their careers as lifeguards. SwimNation spoke to a wide range of people from all levels of the sector, who reflected on their experiences as National Pool Lifeguard Qualifications (NPLQs) lifeguards – and how the skills and confidence they gained in the formative role have paved the way for successful, diverse careers

ASHLEY GILES

GENERAL MANAGER LINK CENTRE

I became a lifeguard at 18, almost 19 years ago, while studying at college. The flexibility of the shifts around my course was ideal, whether it was evenings, weekends, or half terms. Having a background in sport and playing football throughout my teenage years, the teamwork and opportunity to develop within a leisure environment felt like the perfect fit for me. What I loved most was knowing that every day I was making a difference to someone’s health and wellbeing by lifeguarding the pool. Building relationships with regular swimmers gave me real joy and made coming to work rewarding, especially seeing people improve their fitness over time.

Being a lifeguard taught me important life skills that we refreshed through ongoing monthly training sessions. This included the importance of water safety, educating swimmers and understanding the value of teamwork, particularly in emergencies, where working closely with colleagues is essential.

I’m still a lifeguard after 19 years and continue to renew my qualification every two years. Throughout my career progression, from duty manager to operations manager and assistant manager, being a lifeguard has always been the bedrock of my development. I’m now the general manager at Link Centre in Swindon, and my lifeguarding experience still pays dividends in risk assessments, staff training, and supporting operational safety.

It’s an amazing job and a fantastic way to develop skills in communication, leadership, teamwork, and time management

I would 100% recommend lifeguarding to anyone starting out in their career. It’s an amazing job and a fantastic way to develop skills in communication, leadership, teamwork, and time management. It also opens the door to further qualifications and career opportunities.

CHRIS HEBBLEWHITE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE GLL

I owe my career, in the most unlikely and circuitous way, to the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK). I gained my first Bronze Medallion in 1982, when we were still practising Holger Neilson resuscitation (look it up). I didn’t strictly start as a lifeguard. My entry into the industry began in the basket room at Lincoln’s Yarborough Leisure Centre. For younger readers, the basket room involved handing over all your worldly possessions (clothes, wallet, car keys, dignity) and stuffing them into a brightly coloured wire basket. In exchange, you received a coloured elastic band, an item that doubled as a catapult for firing at schoolmates. How public leisure centres ever functioned without being classified as danger zones remains one of life’s great mysteries, and probably why the HSE invented Risk Assessments.

Among my other vital duties was tending to the foot baths. This meant filling them to the brim and tipping in a hearty slosh of Wescodyne, an iodine- based sanitiser apparently designed for the food industry and, somewhat alarmingly, rabbit cages. Still, no one ever got foot rot under my watch.

By 1985, I extricated myself from the baskets and became a pool attendant. Over the years, the title has shifted from lifeguard to leisure attendant to recreation assistant, and so on.

From there, I moved into the plant room and began a 10-year apprenticeship. In those days, boilers were vast, lumps of iron tended by tattooed men who all seemed to have served in the Navy and consumed tea in industrial quantities. Being young and keen, I mucked in with everything: digging out filters, knocking out gaskets, repacking pump glands.

Forty years on, I’m the national standards and compliance director at GLL, the UK’s largest operator of swimming pools. I’ve travelled the well-worn path: duty manager, general manager, partnership manager, head of operations. I worked across four local authorities before spending the last 27 years with GLL, which is roughly the same amount of time it takes to fully understand breakpoint chlorination.

My role now ranges far beyond pools. This year, for example, I’m helping implement the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act across 300 or so leisure and library facilities and fending off the seemingly ever-increasing pressures on our business, whether they be the price of gas or the creation of a new regulatory authority.

I’ve watched the renaissance of lidos, the birth of trampoline parks and the demise of the squash court

GLL has been a remarkable organisation to grow up with. I’ve watched the renaissance of lidos, the birth of trampoline parks and the demise of the squash court and worked on both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. I had the privilege of influencing industry standards with RLSS UK, ukactive and the British Standards Institution.

And every one of those foundation jobs - lifeguard, trainer assessor, swimming teacher, basket room custodian, and accidental rabbit-cage sanitiser - has proved useful. They’re the small stepping stones that stay with you forever.

Fast forward to 2026, and I’m back with RLSS UK, this time developing the latest industry standards on Assisted Lifeguard Technology and blow-up inflatables, amongst other things.

I’m immensely proud to be back at Yarborough Leisure Centre, where it all began, one of the 65+ partners that GLL work with across the UK. Regrettably, the foot baths have gone.

ALEX GLEESON ADVISOR AND PARAMEDIC RLSS UK

Istarted working as a casual lifeguard in 2006 at a busy leisure centre, where I completed my RLSS UK NPLQ training. At the time, I expected lifeguarding to be a temporary role, but I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed the job and interacting with the public. What began as a short-term opportunity turned into a 12-year career in the leisure industry. As my first real employed role, lifeguarding gave me a wealth of skills and experience that later helped me transition into a career as a paramedic. I learned how to communicate confidently with the public, manage enquiries and complaints professionally, work effectively as part of a team, and respond calmly in high- pressure situations. The role also gave me practical experience in CPR and first aid, building the foundations for my future career in emergency care.

The training and development opportunities available through lifeguarding also enabled me to progress into a variety of management positions in leisure, including duty manager, performance manager, and systems manager. Each role helped further develop my leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.

What began as a short-term opportunity turned into a 12-year career in the leisure industry

Initially, I chose lifeguarding because it was a well-paid role and allowed me to do something meaningful by helping to keep people safe in and around water. However, it ultimately shaped my future far more than I ever expected.

HANNAH SMITH NATIONAL AQUATIC BUSINESS MANAGER FREEDOM LEISURE

You’re trusted to keep people safe, make quick decisions and always stay focused

Ibecame a lifeguard at 16 because I loved being in and around the water and wanted a role that was active, social and meaningful. Having always been a swimmer and having completed my Bronze Medallion, progressing onto the NPLQ felt like a natural next step. It was also the perfect job to fit around school and later university. What I enjoyed most about lifeguarding was the variety and responsibility. No two days were ever the same, and it was rewarding knowing you were there to help keep people safe. I also built strong friendships and became part of a close-knit team, which made the job even more enjoyable.

Lifeguarding taught me a huge amount from a young age. It developed my confidence, communication skills and decision-making under pressure, while also instilling a strong sense of accountability and professionalism. I was a lifeguard for around five years, throughout sixth form and university, before progressing through a variety of roles in the leisure industry. Today, I’m the aquatic business manager at Freedom Leisure, where I lead our aquatic offer, including Learn to Swim and casual swimming programmes. I also support customer experience design and wider commercial activities across the organisation. Lifeguarding is a fantastic starting point for any career. It gives you a level of responsibility that most people don’t experience so early in their careers. You’re trusted to keep people safe, make quick decisions and always stay focused. Those are skills that stay with you for life, and for me, it was the foundation of everything that came after.

MIKE PRICE HEALTH, SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE MANAGER PARKWOOD LEISURE

As a competitive swimmer in my early teens, I thought lifeguarding would suit me. I struggled to learn through books and was much more of a physical learner. The lifeguard course was a good blend of these and suited my learning style. In 2001, aged 16, I became a lifeguard at what is now the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

Although lifeguarding can feel like a solitary position on poolside, there was a real sense of camaraderie among the team. We supported each other, socialised together and I’m still in touch with people I met in that first role. I also enjoyed working with the public, building relationships with regular swimmers and helping people enjoy the water safely.

The role taught me responsibility at a very young age. While still in school, I was suddenly responsible for others’ safety, which shaped my maturity and confidence early on. I worked as a full-time lifeguard for five years before moving into management, while maintaining my qualifications and becoming an RLSS UK trainer assessor.

It builds friendships you will keep for life and memories you will never forget

My career progressed after I approached senior management about development opportunities, which led to a trainee duty manager position. From there, I progressed through to duty manager, centre manager, regional manager and into health and safety roles. I’ve now worked in the leisure industry for 25 years, with 21 of those spent progressing in Parkwood Leisure.

Lifeguarding teaches you so much. It builds friendships you will keep for life and memories you will never forget.

ALEX GODFREY OPERATIONS DIRECTOR PARKWOOD LEISURE

I completed my NPLQ in 2004 at the age of 20, as part of my degree in Sports Development and Management. I was passionate about sport and wanted to gain real industry experience.

Working across wet and dry facilities meant no two days were ever the same. One moment you could be supervising a busy inflatable session in the pool, aware you were likely to end up getting wet, and the next you might be setting up an international table tennis event. I also valued learning practical skills such as first aid and CPR, which I knew would stay with me for life.

As I progressed into more senior positions, my lifeguarding experience gave me a real understanding of the pressures, the shortcuts and what genuinely improves staff experience.

It’s a role that demands a higher level of professionalism than many other jobs typically available to 16 to 18-year-olds

I held my NPLQ for over 10 years before becoming an area manager. My career progressed from assistant regional director to regional director, and I’m now operations director, where I line-manage 10 senior leaders across a diverse portfolio that includes leisure centres, theatres, golf courses, outdoor activity centres, and even a zoo.

I have plenty of amusing stories from my time as a lifeguard, but one of the most unusual was supervising an empty swimming pool from a treehouse during an A-list celebrity’s birthday party. I won’t say who.

I think lifeguarding is a fantastic route into employment, and not just in the leisure industry. It’s a role that demands a higher level of professionalism than many other jobs typically available to 16 to 18-year-olds.