Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13726)           
UK only International

Lack of qualified teachers "creating widespread problems" for pools and swim schools

By Tom Walker    28 Aug 2018
The study shows 68 per cent of swim schools have been impacted by the shortage, limiting their opportunities to offer lessons to children / Shutterstock

Difficulties in recruiting trained swimming teachers are creating "widespread problems" for many swim schools and pools across the UK.

According to a survey by the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA), 68 per cent of swim schools have been impacted by the shortage, limiting their opportunities to offer lessons to children.

STA's 2018 Industry Swimming Teachers Recruitment Survey also found that more than two-thirds of UK swim schools have a waiting list for lesson spaces, while 78 per cent said they could not find appropriately qualified swimming teaching staff to meet this demand.

Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) said difficulty in finding appropriate staff was affecting their business growth plans.

Swim schools operating in the North, South East, East Midlands and Wales were revealed to be the biggest problem areas for recruitment.

This study was designed to understand how widespread of an issue swimming teacher recruitment is in the UK.

It follows a similar study undertaken by STA in 2015. By comparing like-for-like statistics from the two studies, STA hopes to chart whether recruitment has improved over the last three years.

“Recruitment is a widespread problem and causes many operational issues for swim schools," said Dave Candler, STA CEO.

"These range from schools not being able to cope with demand, being forced to cancel swimming lessons and having longer waiting lists, which all impact on their future growth.

"While the research shows some pockets of improvement as compared to the 2015 survey, the issue of recruitment and how it’s impacting on the opportunity for children to learn how to swim remains a major concern.

"Especially when you consider that less and less children are actively participating in primary school swimming programmes as this is pushing even more demand onto swim schools.

“Unfortunately the issue is also being further compounded in the private sector by the fact that many swim schools already find it difficult to cope with the increased demand for lessons because of pool time availability and a limited number of swimming pools.

To view all Swimming Teacher roles live on Leisure Opportunities, click here.

Swimming Teachers’ Association  STA 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news
Related features

Company profile

Company profile: Serco Leisure
Serco Leisure Operating Limited is one of the UK’s leading national operators of leisure centres, destination venues and elite sporting facilities.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Panatta to showcase innovation at major fitness and bodybuilding events in 2024
Panatta will consolidate its global presence throughout 2024 by attending a host of major industry events around the globe.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

11-14 Apr 2024
Exhibition Centre , Cologne, Germany
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
More diary dates