From Landlocked Eswatini to Teaching Children to Swim in Cheltenham
From landlocked Eswatini to teaching children to swim in Cheltenham: Janice shares her teaching journey…
Janice was born in the landlocked African country of Eswatini, where she was encouraged to learn to swim at a young age. She thoroughly enjoyed it, thrived in the pool, and became a lifelong fan of the sport. She competed in high school swim meets before going on to represent her country on the National Youth team.
“I’ve had the good fortune to witness the positive effects it [swimming] has had and continues to have in my life.”
From swimmer to teacher
Janice’s grandson was born in 2019, and she wanted to share her skills with her family and find out about becoming a swimming teacher, so she looked online for courses that would allow her to…
- “Teach my family the correct techniques and skills.
- Empower others
- Equip me with the knowledge on how to teach effectively and;
- Help to teach and represent diversity in aquatics to black, Asian, and minority ethnic people.”
She found the Swim England Qualifications page through a search and discovered that the SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant and SEQ Level 2 Teaching Swimming courses taking place near her were held at Leisure at Cheltenham. She enrolled onto the Institute of Swimming courses and completed her SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant (Teaching) Course in 2020 and SEQ Level 2 Swimming Teacher Course in 2021. She is very happy with her decision to change careers and believes she now has a better quality of life.
“I have access to flexible teaching hours that allow me to work around my schedule and enjoy the satisfaction of achieving a work-life balance while teaching a great and vital life skill.”
▶️ Hear from swimming teachers on why they wanted to take up the profession, and why they chose to qualify with Swim England Qualifications.
Janice has enjoyed teaching her own lessons,
“I especially like watching the children advance through the Swim England Learn to Swim Awards and see how their confidence grows as they accomplish and get stronger in their swimming practise.”
She also understands that everyone is unique, and learners can respond differently to the strokes and learning practices.
“You must also have patience and the ability to motivate and connect at all levels”.
⚠️ With such a huge need for teachers in the sector, now is a great time to find out more, explore courses and start your journey to become a swimming teacher.
Looking to the future…
Janice plans to complete her National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) in August 2021 while also completing a Business Degree.
Currently, she is teaching part-time but she is planning to go full-time once her studies are complete.
She intends to pursue additional qualifications in the aquatics sector. She also aspires to be an assistant coach, then a coach, and finally a senior coach in one of the aquatic disciplines.
Inspired by Janice’s story, want to find out about how to become a swimming teacher…
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