Questions to Ask in a Lifeguard Interview
Questions to ask during a lifeguard interview, for a first-time or returning guard applying at a pool, waterpark, beach or camp who wants something ready when the aquatics manager says, 'Any questions for me?' The list opens with certification and who pays for it, moves through training, a shift on the stand, emergencies and backup, and hours and pay, and closes with the season's dates and next steps. The notes describe a solid answer and a shaky one, and where rules change with the state, country or employer they say to ask how it is done at this site.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Certification
Do I need to be certified before I start, or do you run a lifeguard course for new hires?
Why ask it
Some employers only take guards who already hold a current certificate, and others train you themselves in the weeks before opening. If they run a course, get the dates and ask what happens to the job offer if you do not pass it.
Who pays for the certification course, and would I owe anything back if I left before the season ended?
Why ask it
Answers run from free, to refunded after a set number of shifts, to entirely on you. A payback condition is not a bad sign in itself, but get it on paper so you know what leaving in July would cost.
Which lifeguard certification do you accept, and does the one I hold count here?
Why ask it
Many facilities work with a single training organization, and a certificate from a different one may or may not carry over. Bring yours, or a photo of it, and ask whether you would need a crossover class before your first shift.
Is there a swim test or skills check before I am hired, and what exactly is in it?
Why ask it
Get the details: the distance, any timed retrieval from the deep end, how long you tread water, and whether goggles are allowed. A manager who hands you the list and a date is giving you time to practice, so ask if you can use the pool beforehand.
Am I paid for the hours I spend in orientation and training?
Why ask it
Three things can each be treated differently: the certification course, orientation before opening day, and in-service once the season is running. Ask about each one, at what rate, and when the first paycheck arrives. Pay rules for training time depend on where you are, so go by this employer's answer and not a friend's pool.
If my certification expires during the season, do you run the renewal class or do I find one myself?
Why ask it
Look at the date on your card before the interview and say it out loud. The helpful answer is a renewal class on site with a date attached. If it is left to you, ask what happens to your shifts in the gap.
Does this job need anything beyond the basic certificate, such as waterfront, waterpark or first aid training?
Why ask it
Open water, slides and wave pools often call for an extra module, and which one depends on the site and the training provider. Find out who schedules it, who pays, and whether it has to be finished before you work a shift.
Training
How many shifts would I shadow before I am on a stand by myself?
Why ask it
The answer to hope for comes in steps: a walk around the facility, shifts beside an experienced guard, then a stand with someone watching you. 'You are certified, so you start Saturday' means learning this pool's quirks with swimmers already in the water.
How often do you hold in-service training, and what did the last session cover?
Why ask it
In-service is the practice that keeps rescue skills usable between your course and the day you need them. A manager who runs it regularly can name the last topic without thinking, whether that was backboarding or CPR with two rescuers. If nobody can recall it, treat that as your answer.
What happens when a guard misses an in-service or cannot perform a skill at one?
Why ask it
The middle answer is the healthy one: the guard is retrained and retested before going back on a stand. No consequence at all is a worry, and so is instant dismissal, because guards who fear the test stop admitting what they have forgotten.
Do you run surprise drills or audits while guards are on duty?
Why ask it
Some places slip a mannequin into a zone or send in a staff member acting as a swimmer in trouble, and some bring in outside auditors. It sounds nerve-racking, but it shows that management checks whether scanning works. Ask what follows a missed drill.
Is there a fitness standard I have to keep up through the season, such as a timed swim?
Why ask it
Find out what the standard is, how often it is retested and what happens after a miss. Then ask whether guards may swim before or after shifts to keep it up, which is a perk worth having either way.
Which parts of the water here are hardest to watch, and where do rescues tend to happen?
Why ask it
Every pool and beach has them: glare at a certain hour, a sudden drop-off, the catch pool under a slide. A manager who names two or three without pausing has spent time watching the water. Write them down if you get the job.
On the stand
What would a normal shift look like for me, hour by hour?
Why ask it
A clear answer has a shape: sign in, check the equipment, rotate through the stands, a break, some chores, a handover. Ask how a rainy Tuesday differs from a hot Saturday, because those are close to being two different jobs. A manager who struggles to describe a shift may be making each one up as it goes.
How long does a guard stay on one stand before rotating?
Why ask it
The answer should be a number of minutes and a pattern, such as a set stretch at each position and then a move. Long spells in one chair make it harder to stay sharp. If you hear 'until someone relieves you', ask how long that was last Saturday.
When do guards get a break from watching the water, and where do they take it?
Why ask it
The reassuring version is a break built into the rotation and spent somewhere shaded with water to drink. 'When it is quiet' is the worrying one, because on a hot weekend it never is.
How many guards are on duty on a normal day and on your busiest, and for about how many swimmers?
Why ask it
Compare the two sets of numbers. What is required varies by place and by facility, so there is no figure to hold them against; what matters is that the guard count grows with the crowd. If the busy-day count is barely above the normal one, ask who covers a zone when a guard is tied up with first aid.
How are the zones drawn, and is every zone covered the whole time the water is open?
Why ask it
Two things make a good answer: zones that overlap, and a relief guard who is in place and scanning before the first one steps down. Ask to see the zone chart if there is one. A place that keeps it on the wall has thought about it.
Who mostly swims here: lap swimmers, families, day camps, swim teams?
Why ask it
The crowd sets the job. A camp group full of weak swimmers needs a different kind of watching from a lane of adults doing laps. Ask whether groups are swim tested and how non-swimmers are marked.
What other duties come with the job besides guarding: cleaning, testing the water, checking passes?
Why ask it
Bathrooms, trash and hosing the deck are normal, and at a camp there may be a cabin or an activity period as well. The thing to check is timing. Chores done on a break from the stand are fine; chores expected while you are also watching a zone are a problem worth raising.
Would I be expected to teach swim lessons, and do they pay a different rate?
Why ask it
Lessons can add hours and sometimes pay more, though many places want a separate instructor certificate for them. If you would like to teach, ask how to qualify. If you would not, ask whether saying no is an option.
How do you want guards to handle a swimmer or a parent who argues about a rule?
Why ask it
Underneath, you are asking whether a supervisor will back you. A good answer is short: state the rule once, then call the head guard. If a sixteen-year-old is expected to face down an angry adult alone, that will be the hardest part of the summer.
How strict are you about phones, chatting and visitors while a guard is on the stand?
Why ask it
Strict is the answer to want: no phone in the chair, a few words at most with swimmers, friends kept off the deck. Ask how it is enforced, because a rule the head guards ignore is not a rule. Raising it yourself also tells the manager you expect to be held to a standard.
What do you provide for sun and heat: shade on the stands, drinking water, sunscreen?
Why ask it
A long afternoon in direct sun is tiring in a way that matters when the job is to notice things. Umbrellas on the chairs and water within reach suggest somebody in charge has sat up there. For an indoor pool, ask about the air and the temperature on deck instead.
What do the opening and closing shifts involve for guards?
Why ask it
Opening tends to mean equipment checks and water tests, and closing means clearing the pool, pulling covers and locking up. Ask how long each takes and whether that time is on the clock or expected around the edges of the shift.
Emergencies
Can you walk me through what happens, step by step, when a guard goes in for a rescue?
Why ask it
This is the emergency action plan in the manager's own words. Listen for the signal, who takes over the rescuer's zone, who clears the water, who calls for an ambulance and who meets it at the gate. A missing step is worth one follow-up.
How do guards call for backup: whistle signals, radios, an alarm button?
Why ask it
Ask to hear the signals or see the radio. A system that depends on shouting across a loud waterpark or a windy beach only works on quiet days, so ask what the fallback is.
Is a supervisor or head guard always on site while the water is open?
Why ask it
A yes with a name or a job title attached is what you are after. If the senior person on some shifts would be another seasonal guard your own age, ask who that guard calls and how quickly help would arrive.
Would I ever be the only lifeguard on duty?
Why ask it
Single-guard sites exist at hotels, small clubs and some camps, and whether that is permitted is a local matter. If the answer is yes, ask who else in the building is trained to help and how you would reach them from the water. It is also fair to decide that a solo post is not for your first season.
What rescue and first aid equipment is kept on deck, and who checks that it works?
Why ask it
What must be there differs by place, so ask what they keep and where: rescue tubes, a backboard, a defibrillator, a first aid kit. The second half of the question tells you more. A daily check with a signature beats 'it is all in the office'.
If we called an ambulance, how long would it take to get here, and who would let it in?
Why ask it
This one matters most at beaches, lakes and camps. At a remote waterfront the guards may be managing alone for longer than at a town pool, and the training should reflect that. If nobody has timed it or thought about the gate, you have learned something.
What is the rule for thunder and lightning, and who decides to clear the water?
Why ask it
The strong answer has a fixed rule, such as a set wait after the last thunder, and one named person who makes the call. The poor one leaves it to whoever is in the chair while swimmers complain. Indoor pools set their own policies, so ask there too.
What happens after a guard makes a rescue or handles a serious incident?
Why ask it
Paperwork is the routine half: a report, perhaps a statement. The half that matters more is whether the guard comes off the stand, gets checked on, and has someone to talk to afterwards. Managers who answer this easily have usually been through it.
Which incidents come up most often here?
Why ask it
At most sites the honest list is small things: scraped knees, stings, a tired child in water too deep, and only now and then a rescue. Whatever is on it is what to review before your first shift. Be wary of 'nothing ever happens here'.
Hours and pay
What is the hourly rate, and does it differ for returning guards or head guards?
Why ask it
Ask directly; managers expect it. The gap between a first-year guard and a returning one shows whether the pay has anywhere to go next summer. Check too whether an extra certificate, such as waterfront or swim instructor, raises the starting figure.
How many hours would a first-year guard get in a typical week, and how are shifts handed out?
Why ask it
Seniority, availability and the manager's judgment are the usual methods, and new guards often get the early mornings and slow weekdays first. If the summer only works for you above a certain number of hours, name the number.
At my age, are there stations, shifts or late hours I would not be allowed to work?
Why ask it
Limits on hours and duties for workers under eighteen differ from place to place, and some sites add their own, such as keeping the youngest guards off certain stations or the closing shift. Say your age and any birthday coming up, then ask how it changes the hours you could be given.
What happens to my shift and my pay when the pool closes for weather?
Why ask it
Sent home unpaid, kept on to clean, or paid for a minimum number of hours: practice varies, and over a rainy summer the difference adds up. Ask what happened on closed days last year.
How far ahead is the schedule posted, and how do guards swap shifts?
Why ask it
A week or two of notice lets you plan around it. On swaps, ask whether a supervisor has to approve them and whether finding cover is your responsibility, since a stand cannot simply go empty.
Can the schedule work around summer classes, a sports season or a family trip?
Why ask it
Give the dates in the interview, not after the offer. Managers build the roster expecting some absences, and they tend to be far easier about the ones they knew of in May than the ones announced in July.
Which days is everyone expected to work, such as holiday weekends?
Why ask it
Holidays and heat waves are when a pool most needs every guard, so many places block time off around them. Better to hear the blocked dates now than to find your plans clash with them.
Do you supply the uniform, whistle and hip pack, or do I buy them?
Why ask it
It is a small cost, but it lands before your first paycheck. Ask how many suits or shirts you get, and whether sunglasses, a hat and a jacket for cold mornings are yours to bring.
Is there a bonus or a raise for staying through the last day of the season?
Why ask it
Facilities that lose guards to school in August sometimes pay to keep them. If one is offered, ask exactly what qualifies and whether a single missed shift cancels it.
Season and next steps
What are the first and last days of the season, and when does training start?
Why ask it
Check both ends against your school calendar. Preseason training can begin weeks before opening day, and a closing date after your classes resume is a problem best raised today.
What happens to hours late in the season, when guards start going back to school?
Why ask it
It goes one of two ways: the facility trims its opening hours and shifts shrink, or the few guards left work a great deal. Either can suit you, provided you hear which it is before you plan your August.
Is there work after the season ends, such as an indoor pool or weekend shifts?
Why ask it
A year-round site can keep you on for a few hours a week, which also keeps your skills current for next summer. At a seasonal one, ask whether returning guards get first call and when they are contacted.
How many of the guards on this summer's staff have worked here before?
Why ask it
A crew that keeps coming back is the plainest review a manager gets, and it usually points to fair scheduling and decent supervision. It also means experienced guards beside you in your first weeks. If nearly everyone is new, ask what happened.
What would make you want a first-year guard back next summer?
Why ask it
You are being handed the manager's scorecard, and swimming is seldom at the top of it: turning up on time, eyes on the water without being told, calling for help early, doing the chores unasked. Whatever is named first is what will be watched in your opening weeks.
What does it take to move up to head guard here?
Why ask it
A concrete answer names a number of seasons, an extra certification or a supervisor's recommendation. Ask whether the facility pays for that training. Even if you plan on one summer only, the question shows you are taking the job seriously.
Is there anything about my swimming, my age or my availability that makes you hesitate?
Why ask it
It takes some nerve, and it is the only way to answer a doubt before the manager settles it without you. If the worry is the swim test, offer to take it early. If it is your dates, see whether there is any give.
What comes next: a water test, paperwork, a work permit or a parent's signature?
Why ask it
Applicants under eighteen may need a permit or a consent form depending on where they live, so ask which papers this employer wants and by when. Ask as well what day you can expect a decision. Missing paperwork is an avoidable reason for a first shift to be pushed back.
Making your questions count with an aquatics manager
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go
Check your card and your calendar
Bring your certificate, or a photo of it, and know the day it expires. Write down the dates you cannot work: exams, a sports camp, a family trip, the day you leave for college. Several questions under Certification and Season and next steps get quick answers once those are on the table.
Pack for the water
Some employers run the swim test on the day of the interview and some book it separately. Find out which when you agree the time, and if there is any chance of getting wet, bring a suit and a towel. Ask what the test includes so you can practice the parts you have not done since your course.
Read the posting first
If the listing gives the rate or says certification is provided, build on it: 'The posting says you run the course. When is it, and what if I cannot make one of the days?' You get further, and the manager sees that you read it.
Decide which few you will ask
Your turn may be a few minutes once the manager has finished. From each group, pick the question the posting left open and that matters most to you, and keep the rest in reserve. If there is time for only three, make them the rescue walk-through, the rotation and who pays for certification.
Match the questions to the water
Indoor or neighborhood pool
Lead with staffing on busy days, whether you would ever be the only guard, and the duties besides guarding, which at a small pool can fill a good part of the shift. If you want to teach lessons or keep some hours after the summer, an indoor pool is the place to ask about both.
Waterpark
Rotations, surprise drills and the extra training for slides and wave pools come first. A park can have many stations that differ a lot from one another, so ask which ones new guards start on and how long it takes to be trained on the rest. Ask about heat and shade too, since some stations are worked standing.
Beach or lake
Put the waterfront training, how backup is called and how long an ambulance takes at the top. Ask what a rough day looks like, who decides to close the water and what equipment is used, because all three will differ from the pool where you may have taken your course.
Summer camp
Find out whether guarding is the whole job or one part of a counselor's day, and who has your campers while you are on the dock. Ask how swimmers are tested and marked at the start of a session, how many guards and lookouts work a swim period, and how far the waterfront is from the nearest medical help.
In the room
Start with safety, end with money
A manager hiring a lifeguard is deciding whether to trust you with swimmers' safety. Opening with training or the emergency plan shows you understand that. Pay, uniforms and time off are fair questions, and they land better once the others have been asked.
Ask to see the deck
If the interview is at the facility, ask for a quick look at the stands, the guard room and the place the rescue equipment is kept. You will see whether the chairs have shade, whether the backboard is where the manager said it was, and how the guards on duty are sitting.
Say that you are new, if you are
A first-time guard who asks how new hires are eased in sounds sensible, not weak. The applicant who worries a manager is the one who thinks the certificate was the end of the learning.
Count the numbers and names
'We take safety very seriously' tells you nothing. An answer such as 'the head guard on shift carries the radio, and in-service is every other Wednesday' tells you how the place runs. Afterwards, count how many answers came with a number, a name or a day of the week.
Weigh the safety answers above the hourly rate
A pool that pays a little more but has thin staffing, no drills and no supervisor on site is asking you to carry more for the difference. Compare offers on training and backup first, then on money.
Mistakes to avoid
Sounding like you want a tan and a paycheck
If every question is about money and days off, that is what the manager hears. One question about training or emergencies before the practical ones changes how the rest land.
Treating drills and tests as a threat
Sounding alarmed that guards are audited or retested reads as not wanting to be checked. Ask how the drills work and what a guard learns from one, and leave it there.
Taking your course's rules for this site's rules
Your certification course taught one provider's standard. Staffing levels, breaks, pay for training time and what a sixteen-year-old may do are set by local law and by the employer, which is why this page gives no figures for them. Go by what this manager tells you, and for anything that touches your pay, get it in writing.
Skipping the guards' side of the story
If you know anyone who has guarded there, ask about breaks, rainy days and whether the rotation holds on a packed Saturday. A manager describes the plan. A guard can tell you how often the day goes to plan.
Leaving without the dates
Walk out knowing the training dates, the first and last day of the season and the day you can expect an answer. Those decide whether you can take the job at all, and they are the easiest things to forget to ask.