If you’re looking for a summer job that isn’t a drag in Lansing, Michigan, be a lifeguard! I spent many summers lifeguarding at pools and lakes around Lansing, and loved every job! I was also a lifeguard trainer and know what it takes. The pay is good and you can’t beat the perks. Here are some tips.
First, get certified. Find a class and enroll now because they will fill quickly. Go to AmericanRedCross.org and find a class near you. The Red Cross course will include everything you need. You will learn rescues, CPR and first aid. These are impertive certifications to have. Don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to be a star swimmer on a swim team. You need to be a good swimmer, but not the fastest. I never swam on a swim team, in fact. If you’re in decent shape and have common sense, take the class! The instructor will teach you the rescue techniques. Speed isn’t a requirement. A good instructor can teach a teenage girl to rescue someone three times her size.
Now for the common sense. To pass the course, you obviously pass the tests and learn the skills. But the instructor will also watch how you interact and behave, so to speak. To be a lifeguard, you need to be responsible, so prove that you are. Be early and prepared. This is what employers will look for, also.
Look for a job! Start reading the help wanted ads at the Lansing State Journal’s website at LSJ.com. You will find the most ads on Sundays. Also look for flyers at grocery stores or even at your high school or college. Call your college career center. Also consider that some employers will hire you before you are certified and actually pay for your training. This is common at YMCA’s. Look them up at YMCAofLansing.org. Also look for jobs with the the City Of Lansing and Ingham County Parks.
The perks are great! As a lifeguard, you get to be outside and work with people. You are respected by the patrons and your peers. You will know lifesaving information that is good even off the job.
Be flexible. As with any job, be willing to do the not-so-pleasant job duties. While employed as a lifeguard, I have had to clean bathrooms, rake leaves, mow lawns, check out canoes, and act as a cashier. For the most part, I lifeguarded, but it’s not all glory. The most important thing you should be willing to do is to teach swim lessons for children. Some instructors are certified, but often employers need lifeguards to get in the water and assist the instructors. Being willing to do this will often earn you more pay as well as a break from sitting in the lifeguard stand.
Work up the food chain. I started off as a lifeguard when I was 15. Each summer, I had more experience, got more certifications and became head lifeguard, manager, director, lifeguard trainer, CPR instructor and so on.
Take yourself seriously. Being a lifeguard is a wonderful job, but it is serious work. There’s no other job that puts teenagers in charge of a life and death situation and gives them such responsibility. Get a good night’s sleep before you’re on duty, exercise and earn the respect of your coworkers and patrons. Be polite to all, always protecting and putting safety first.
I wish you all the best in finding a summer job as a lifeguard in the Lansing area. It shouldn’t be hard, there are usually more job openings than certified lifeguards around to fill them!
