Most commonly reported Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Performing General Physical Activities Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Documenting/Recording Information Entering, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events Identifying information by categorising, estimating, recognising differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

The Work

The main job of a Lifeguard is to supervise popular swimming areas such as swimming pools and beaches and try to prevent drowning.  
 
Lifeguards advise people when and where to swim and make rescues when necessary.  
 
They are highly skilled and have the ability to:

• Prevent accidents
• Evaluate the patrol area and implement appropriate safety rules
• Protect the public
• educate the public in water safety

Most commonly reported Work Tasks

• Patrol or monitor recreational areas, such as trails, slopes, or swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.
• Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment.
• Contact emergency medical personnel in case of serious injury.
• Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
• Warn recreational participants of inclement weather, unsafe areas, or illegal conduct.
• Maintain quality of pool water by testing chemical levels.
• Complete and maintain records of weather and beach conditions, emergency medical treatments performed, and other relevant incident information.
• Instruct participants in skiing, swimming, or other recreational activities and provide safety precaution information.
• Inspect recreational equipment, such as rope tows, T-bars, J-bars, or chair lifts, for safety hasards and damage or wear.
• Inspect recreational facilities for cleanliness.

Further Information

• Lifeguard - from: N.C.S. [UK]
• Lifeguard - from: YouTube [UK]

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Realist

Realists are usually interested in 'things' - such as buildings, mechanics, equipment, tools, electronics etc. Their primary focus is dealing with these - as in building, fixing, operating or designing them. Involvement in these areas leads to high manual skills, or a fine aptitude for practical design - as found in the various forms of engineering.

Realists like to find practical solutions to problems using tools, technology and skilled work. Realists usually prefer to be active in their work environment, often do most of their work alone, and enjoy taking decisive action with a minimum amount of discussion and paperwork.

Social

The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.

Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.

Advertisements by the 31 local authorities for seasonal Lifeguards generally appear in national or local Media each year in the spring.  
 
Candidates for a position as a local authority Lifeguard, for appointment to a beach, are required to undergo an examination following approval of their application by the local authority.  
 
Irish Water Safety Lifeguard Examinations are usually conducted in April and May bat the request of the local authority.  
 

• The National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ) is a brilliant qualification for anyone seeking employment on Beaches across the Island of Ireland.

NVBLQ Course Pre-Requisites Swimireland & RNLI

Every candidate attending a NVBLQ course must:

* Be 16-years-old or over at the time of the assessment

* Have a good level of fitness

* Surface dive to a depth of 1.5 metres

* Tread water for two minutes

* Climb out of deep water unaided and without steps

* Be competent at swimming in the sea

* Before the course, candidates must be able to swim at least 200 metres in a pool (of recommended length 25 metres, but no less than 20 metres) in five minutes or less

* For the assessment, candidates must be able to swim 400 metres in a pool (recommended 25 metres, but no less than 20 metres) in eight minutes or less using a continuous front stroke and showing urgency

For a full list of details contact the Lifeguards of Ireland Association & Irish Water Safety Association.  

Training & Development 

Some Lifeguards consider giving Swimming lessons. There are guidelines for character / Vetting, for becoming a swim teacher in indoor, outdoor, and beach swimming coaching Swim Ireland 

Training for Lifeguards includes improving swimming ability (fast freestyle/distance swims); swimming rescue (approaches and carries, releases from drowning grips, release from double drowning situation and underwater search).  
 
Lifeguards need a good practical and theoretical knowledge of resuscitation, and having a good knowledge of a Lifeguard's duties and responsibilities, communication, equipment, hazards, basic first-aid and hypothermia.

Some employers provide health & safety or first aid training to new employees, but some employers require that you have completed such training prior to employment. Health & safety and first aid courses are often provided in local Training Centres Search our FET Coursefinder 

Last Updated: March, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €27k - €36k

Salaries vary depending on employer type public or private. Salaries also vary based on role & duties, location, qualification, and experience.

Data Source(s):
Indeed/ Forsa/ LGMA/ PAS

Last Updated: February, 2024

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

Although employment levels grew between 2021 and 2022 for this occupation, numbers employed remained below pre-COVID-19 levels. The numbers employed across the various roles in this occupation are too small in the Labour Force Survey for further analysis but the CSO Census data shows that approximately half of those in this occupation worked as air travel assistants or travel agents, with 2022 levels for these roles well below their 2016 levels.

Approximately a third of persons employed in this occupation work part-time, higher than the national average. The extent to which employment in these occupations will recover to their prepandemic levels is uncertain as affordability and attractiveness for air travel services in particular remains vulnerable to increased energy costs, and consumer demand and preferences given the green agenda and cost of living pressures.

• Irish Water Safety

  • The Long Walk, Galway
  • (091) 564400 / Lo-Call: 1890 420 202
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Lifeguards Ireland

  • PO Box 9, Donegal, Co. Donegal
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Waterways Ireland

  • 2 Sligo Road, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, BT74 7JY
  • +44 (0) 28 66 323 004
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here