swim instructor

lifeguard

guest service agent

operations manager

front desk agent

Emler Swim School

I worked for nearly two years at this establishment. I regret nearly every minute of that time due to the upswing of work responsibilities and multiple major disagreements with the incompetent management team. 

Respectfully a blind person could start fresh and by day three they would clearly see the abundant favoritism between management and front desk personnel. 

They prioritize incoming staff as opposed to loyal consistent workers. After 11 months, and a massive employee leave wave I was finally granted a promotion. At one year I was given a 25cent raise which to me felt like a slap in the face after months of back breaking work ensuring the rest of the personnel didn't run around like headless chickens because the management neglects to communicate with them. 

Just know if you take this job, its not only your position you will be doing the work for. Expect to do your job, and the job of everyone else who slacks off just enough to still be employed. 
The management does not communicate with the team leads nor the base level employees and it amounts to massive miscommunication between the Lead and parents. This results in very uncomfortable and confusing interactions with incompetent management that offer little to no support. After those interactions the lead gets blamed for acting on their own accord because the managers have a superiority and seniority complex and are unable to offer any actual support aside from criticism. I was able to immediately switch career choices and make the same if not more money starting out at a completely different place in a different industry. (it took 17 months to get bumped to my final pay rate.) They claim the lack of advancement is because of lack of a new or open position, when in actuality they make the avid decision to keep employees from being trained in other areas in order to keep current positions filled. 
The fact that it required 60% of the staff to quit in bulk to genuinely see some change is enough to keep any self respecting individual away from this place. 

On a positive note I will say this is the perfect job for someone in school or fresh out of school. The schedule is annoying but manageable and somewhat flexible. As a base pay rate there really isn't another place that will hire for the same amount with zero experience so I considered myself lucky for a while until the problems began to shine. To someone with little to no experience this would be a great first job. 
Keep in mind it will be easily noticeable that this environment is not meant to be a long term employment opportunity. 

The remorse for missing work due to a personal emergency even something as significant as a dying relative is just laughable, they truly act as though they could care less. Most managers here wont even bother than to reply with "I hope it gets better." and then follow it up with "You need to come in on this day etc." 

The management claims to be transparent about all benefits or inhibitors for each position and yet until you've spent countless tireless hours they wont make a single effort to inform you what you may or may not qualify for. 

The kids are the most redeeming part of the job, they love you regardless of the confusion, regardless of the manager interventions. They are so appreciative of being taught the essence and safety of swim. As such they are almost always excited to see you, happy to be there, happy to be taught by the person they share a bond with. 


Most shifts are 2-4 hours long, so not very long. However, there are little to no breaks in between. 
Whether Lifeguard or Swim Instructor you'd arrive at least 10 minutes early to do a pre-shift meeting. Afterward, if you are a lifeguard you'd grab your tube and sit at the edge of the stairs while the swim instructors would warm up or review their schedule for the day. The first class would come into the pool, the lifeguard will review the names and levels of each child. Then the lifeguard will tell the child who their there teacher is and vice-versa. Throughout the class (Which is 30 minutes long) the teacher will have 1-3 kids with different skill levels and the teacher should be able to adapt their methods based on learning style. 
There is a set of guidelines and curriculum that the teacher is taught and reviewed before teaching. There is a set of guidelines given to the teacher and lifeguard (which are both completely different) in the digital system, and completion is followed by shadowing until given the okay to continue on their own. 
For teachers, they will go in order of each kid working on and improving their skills until the end of class where every kid in the group would go with the teacher into the deep end to work on jumps and dives. After jumps and dives, the swimmers leave and your next class immediately starts.

For lifeguards, their jobs are less physically demanding but much more important and mentally draining (but we all have to do it so be proud of how hard you work). Throughout the class, you are working with 1-9 (sometimes even 12) kids. You are watching over them while they wait for their teacher. Being a lifeguard is definitely very hard but it can be rewarding from time to time. My best advice is to look after kids that are prone to falling/jumping in and watch them very closely.
 Older and more experienced kids can stand at the wall while younger kids sit on the first or second step depending on height. If a kid refuses to behave you can sit them out of the pool or for the youngest, on your lap. Toward the end of class, you will go with whatever group has the most kids or least-experienced kids during jumps and dives. 
At the end, you will have to clean up after the shift and sometimes you will turn on the shower for the teachers 10 minutes before the end of the shift. And yes, sometimes you do have to save a kid from the water so pay attention (especially during jumps and dives). If you feel what you did is right then believe that, sometimes when calling a teacher out they can get defensive (usually they are fine though). Just take the high road.

I've learned a lot working at Njswim, it is definitely an enjoyable job and they are grateful to have you on their team and they will make sure you know that. They are usually organized and have a diverse community of people. The hardest part of the job I would say is the parents and if they give you a hard time just send them to the MOD or go to the MOD yourself to let them know. The most enjoyable part is the difference you make in these kids' lives and your relationship with the kids is beautiful. 

A typical day at work entails a lot of communication with parents, children, and staff. During the school year, when I run the After School Bounce Program, I would come in after my morning classes and do office work. Office work is combined with orders, reviewing accounts receivables and payables, scheduling staff members, and making copies, along with other phone calls, etc. When school get out, I pick up the kids from the surrounding schools whom are enrolled in this program. After returning, I sit down with 30+ children and help them with homework. As the children are picked up, I speak to parents about what homework their child was struggling with, their behavior, and other work related discussions. During the summer, my work schedule differs. I make a staff schedule for the summer, assign groups, assign prices and hours, communicate with parents, children and staff(including after hours of work), make flyers, assign tasks, and plan field trips for our theme based weeks to attend. I communicate with other businesses when making our field trips and place prices based on what needs to be covered for our program (gas, paying for staff to attend, lunches, etc.)

My learning experience here, over the past 6 years, has been wonderful. From starting out as just a camp counselor and advancing to a manager and director position, I have learned the ins and outs of running a business. From communicating with little children and teaching them new things to the accountability of running the programs.

Management plays a major role in my everyday experience at Planet Gymnastics. Managing time, schedules, staff, prices, children, parents, and paper work are a few of these roles.

I could not have asked for better co-workers at Planet Gymnastics. They were and still are great at what they do and helping anyone who may have needed it. We all appeared as the Planet Gymnastics family we are. Growing friendships and work ethics made this job fun.

My hardest part of the job would be dealing with unhappy cutomers. As they say "the customer is always right" is a motto when I speak with an unhappy customer. We can't always make them 100% happy, but helping them realize and breaking down thing to them of why something happened, or why our prices are set a certain way, help them understand. 

The most enjoyable part of this job was the kids, parents, customers, and staff. I bonded with many of the kids helping them with homework and everyday problems, giving me a sense of pride and dedication. The parents and cutomers whom I saw everyday have helped me with many opportunities and the new ones, helped me with my communications skills. With customers and employees I can say my experience here has made me who I am today and I wouldn't change it for the world!



I worked as a manager at Emler Swim School and had a mixed experience.

Pros:
The most rewarding aspect of the job was working with the kids. The company culture was generally positive, and I enjoyed working with my coworkers, who were supportive and dedicated. Upper management was well-organized and placed a strong emphasis on training, which helped maintain consistency across locations. The organization has the right goal in mind—prioritizing kids and teaching them to swim—but unfortunately, its execution falls short due to a very flawed curriculum. 

Cons:
Despite having 15 years of experience in the industry, there were no real opportunities for advancement, and pay raises simply didn’t happen.  Even though I was considered full-time, I rarely received full-time hours, which made financial stability difficult. Management often made promises that were never fulfilled, which led to frustration and a lack of trust among staff.

A major issue was the curriculum itself. It relied too heavily on a scripted approach rather than adapting to individual swimmers’ needs, and it did not prioritize critical safety skills or self-saving techniques. This was concerning, as the main goal of a swim school should be to ensure that children can save themselves in an emergency. Additionally, many in management had minimal experience in aquatics, which made it difficult to create an environment truly focused on effective swim instruction.

Overall, while I loved working with the kids and appreciated my coworkers, the lack of fair compensation, advancement opportunities, and a strong safety-focused curriculum made this a challenging place to build a long-term career. I would have loved to have been utilized for my skills and experience in aquatics, as I believe it would have been an asset to the company as I’ve dedicated my entire professional career to aquatics and have a passion for teaching a life saving skill. Unfortunately, my skills and experience were not utilized and it became a miserable place for me to work. 

Customer satisfaction and teaching kids to swim is really what Emler boils down to. All managers are concerned with ensuring the customer leaves happy, and if someone is unhappy they go above and beyond to fix it. The kids are great to work with, and they really love being able to see the same teachers every week. Overall, Emler has a great philosophy for teaching kids and making sure parents are happy. Coworkers are great, and most of the time everyone has a really positive attitude about their job.

The hours at Emler are very difficult, and certainly not for everyone. If you are a manager you are expected to close at least 3 if not 4 nights a week, and to be there for most of the day Saturday, if not all of it. The schedule isn't exactly conducive for a family or social life. Sunday's the facility is closed for lessons, but you might be the Manager on Duty, meaning you need to go up to the facility to check on the party if there is one, or check in on the facility. Taking time off can be a hassle if nobody is available to take a shift. Even as a manager you need a sub for your shift vs a standard job where you submit your time off and that's that. Emler is open for every holiday with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. As an hourly employee you have a bit more freedom to take time off, and the facility is typically great about working around your schedule if you're in school or have another part time job, but finding a sub can still be hard.

If the corporate team would remember to take care of managers who aren't Site Directors, I feel things like the schedule would become more bearable. So much time is spent talking about how we can make the lives of hourly employees better that it can make your other managers feel like they don't matter. Site Directors are taken on retreats, given higher bonuses, and have much better hours, so unless you're an hourly employee or Site Director, the glamour of the position is underwhelming.

Overall, Emler has been a good place to work. The managers are amazing and very receptive to feedback; they also work with busy school schedules, which is great since a lot of the employees are high schoolers. The staff room almost always has snacks, drinks and little things (candy, encouraging notes) to start our shifts on a good note. The managers keep the staff room stocked with Vaseline, moisturizer and hair product in order to protect our skin and hair from the pool water. Regardless of differing backgrounds, everyone there is committed to working with and helping children. I have made really good friends working at Emler, and it's a place that I feel very comfortable in. 

That being said, there are certain aspects of the job that make it hard to balance if you have a full plate. The points system - in which you get a point every time you violate a rule, and accumulating points can prevent you from getting raises or even get you fired - is hard to navigate. Rules such as not missing the same day more than twice in a semester, not being out more than twice in a week, etc. feel stifling when, for most of the employees, Emler is a part-time job that school and extracurriculars take precedence over. There are also meetings/trainings that are from 8-8:15 or 8:30-9:30 pm, which is fine if you're already at work, but inconvenient to come in for if you're not. 

If you're going to be out, you need to find a substitute to cover your shift. On the one hand, it's very challenging to find people who are available to sub. On the other hand, however, the managers are wonderful and work very hard to make sure your classes are up and running even if you aren't able to find a sub. 

Overall, Emler is a good place to work. There are just certain aspects that make it challenging to balance if you're looking for a part-time job on top of school/something equally time-consuming.

When you begin here there is a lot of positive reinforcement, communication, and very hands on training. After you begin to settle in, you begin to notice the disconnect in the workplace. They're always short staffed, management always stressed and making it the employees problems, passive agressive remarks and no communication, the list is endless.

The kids and families are the only thing that make the job worth it and after a while it isn't enough. The management manages to make their problems the employees over and over and then get upset when they don't spread themselves thin and become a magic "fix-all".

They recently raised their pay range after fighting with corporate for months, and then the long term employees were boosted to the minimum, told not to tell the others because "theyre not all receiving it [the raise]", which means new hires with 0 experience were potentially making more than their seasoned and trained employees!

Beyond this, what begins as positive reinforcement turns into negative remarks, passive agression, and gossip in the workplace. The "family" atmosphere management puts on display with employees is purely that. There is no room for error, as after some time, they expect you to perform perfectly every time. This includes having off days from everyday stressors. 

Employees MUST find someone to cover shift, regardless of if there's an emergency, death in the family, or other urgent matter at hand. I witnessed emplyees come in with teary eyes that just had to "buck up and deal with it" because it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to find a substitute in this community.

Overall, the family and kids are precious and the only aspect of the job that's enjoyable. The management makes the employees miserable, the disconnect, cliques, and gossip among staff are unbearable, and the pay isn't enough if you've got bills to pay.

I had just moved to Austin with my husband when I started looking for a job. I interviewed at several different places, and even though I received different offers, my heart was telling me I should go with Emler. From my first in person interview, there was something different about them. I remember walking in and seeing the Customer Service Manager greet every child walking in by their first and last name! Everyone seemed to happy to be there. To this day, I do not regret my decision to have gone with Emler, it was like I was part of a family! I've never worked at a company with a better workplace culture than theirs. Everyone who works there truly love kids, and therefore it makes up for such a fun environment. As a Manager in Training you get support from higher managers, who strongly encourage you to grow professionally. Emler is definitely a company that will promote from within, so there is so much room to grow. I think most people don't realize you can make a great career out of water safety. So many of my fellow MITs are now Site Directors. The schedule is a little different, you might get a morning off or an afternoon off but then work the evening until close. I enjoyed that, because I could make appointments or run errands during the week without having to take time off. You do have to find a sub within the company when you want to go on vacation but your team is usually really helpful in covering your shifts. Another good thing is that the office always have snacks and candies, it makes your days sweeter. Also, every end of semester is celebrated, but my favorite was always the Christmas parties. Emler goes all out for their employees! The reason I left was because my first child was born and I decided I wanted to stay home with her for a while. She is now taking swim lessons there and being around my co-workers make it so tempting to go back!

A typical day consists of reviewing the roster, as new students can enroll at any time. Set up the work station with what's needed, like fins, goggles, etc. A teaching shift will usually last at most (from what I personally have experienced) about four and a half hours of back-to-back classes. 

    I was also "office trained" which means I have experience in customer service and taking care of problems quickly and on-the-spot. I learned a lot about the child psyche and that being calm and underrstanding is the best way to get around a problem. 

   The managers are very honest, easy to approach, give great feedback and constructive criticism. They do an amazing job as keeping customers happy and getting them what they want, even if it means bending over backwards. 
However, there is also some lack in communication between managers when it comes to office/in-water details; some things get lost in translation which causes staff frustration. It is up to the teacher to find a substitute if they are sick or want a vacation day/s rather than the employer. 

   The hardest part of the job is that I'm not always able to use the restroom whenever I need to due to the back-to-back classes. Adding children to water can create very high stress sitations, as one has to be on guard 100% of the time and making sure everyone is safe. Working with children is difficult, but is also the best and hardest part of the job simultaneously.  

Easily, working with children and making a difference in their lives is the best part of the job. Knowing that they have the skills to get themselves out of a bad situation or being safe is the most valuable part of the job.

Working as a Swim instructor for Emler Swim School was a great experience that I would genuinely recommend to anyone interested in working with children or teaching swim. I started off making about $13 an hour but was able to make my way up to $16 is the span of about 6 - 8 months through various online and in-person trainings that were provided to me by my management. These included training to work the front desk, training to become a baby swim instructor, becoming a trainer, and becoming Lifeguard certified through the American Red Cross which was provided to me for free by Emler (Although these trainings can be difficult to receive because of the limited spots and high demand) The job itself consists of teaching 30 minute classes at various student skill levels with up to 4 children at a time using a curriculum that you are trained incredibly in-depth to understand and teach. No experience is necessary for this job as the training is incredibly comprehensive as you shadow a trainer during classes and progressively become more hands-on. The other staff is largely great to work with, especially the managers who are incredibly supportive and check in with you every shift to help develop and encourage you. The biggest downside is that the nature of the classes can be very fast-paced and working with certain children can be very stressful and draining. Some children will struggle to learn to swim and be incredibly anxious or defiant, and teaching them can be challenging and require a lot of mental and emotional energy. Although the majority of the children you teach are a pleasure to work with.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Swim instructor 693 salaries reported	$16.51 per hour
Lifeguard 164 salaries reported	$17.15 per hour
Guest service agent 112 salaries reported	$16.02 per hour
Operations manager 84 salaries reported	$26.28 per hour
Front desk agent 70 salaries reported	$16.70 per hour

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