Being a lifeguard has got to be the BEST summer job you could have as a teenager or young adult. You are basically paid to sit in the sun, watch a pool, and work with some of your best friends.
But as great as it can be, there are always some downsides.
1. When people come to the pool while it is raining.
This is probably the best way to get an entire staff to dislike you. Yes, it is our job to sit in the chair if it rains, except when there is lightning or a storm in the area, but that doesn't mean we actually want to. Public service announcement: DO NOT GO TO THE POOL WHEN IT RAINS.
2. Campers.
Ahhh summer camp, this may be one of your fondest memories as a child, but for lifeguards, it is not the case. For the girl who is trying to decide whether you die or not when you have a contest of who can hold their breath longer, it can be a little nerve-racking. To all the campers- be kind to your pool's lifeguards, they really aren't that bad.
3. When adults ask if when they jump you will save them.
It is my job to save you if you are in fact drowning, but clearly, you are old enough to realize if you can swim or not. So, let's cut the crap and if you can swim, jump in if you can't, there is room in the baby pool.
4. Morning swim lessons.
Yes, it is so cute that they can blow bubbles and splash and put their face under the water. But getting to work at 8 a.m. when you don't open until 12 is not the most ideal situation. Although some lessons are less brutal than others, it is still not what you want to do on a Wednesday morning.
5. Disrespectful children.
This is the absolute worst part of my job, not so much the things they do and say, but the fact that they weren't taught at home how to act in public and how to treat figures of authority. It ultimately comes down to the parents, you have to inform your children that the pool staff is in fact in charge of you while you are at the pool.
6. Absent parents.
Unless your child is there being supervised by another adult or a camp counselor, YOU need to be there. Lifeguards are not your personal form of babysitting. This may seem very obvious, but you would be surprised at how many children get dropped off when the pool opens and are picked up when it closes. Not only is this irresponsible, but it is also dangerous.
Being a lifeguard has been one of the best parts of my summers for the last several years. Through the good, the bad, and the rain, I wouldn't change a thing about it. If you are looking to make some great friends and have a job that you love- become a lifeguard.
