Bobbie Inspires Next Generation of Swimming Teachers
Bobbie, from Kent, has had a fantastic career in aquatics. Here she shares with us how she first embarked on her swimming career and what she hopes to achieve going forward.
Bobbie has been working within the leisure sector for a decade.
She says:
“10 years is a long time to stick with any career these days, and the reason I have is that I simply love to teach swimming. I’m passionate about the benefits of being able to swim and want to inspire the next generation.
“I have almost had the text book aquatics career, starting off as someone who swam for a club, then training to become a lifeguard and then a swimming teacher, as well as being a sports development officer at my local leisure centre. Next for me is to train to become a swimming tutor. I want to do this so I can motivate future swimming teachers, as I remember how influential my Swim England tutor was, and it would be amazing if I could replicate this success with my future students.”
Bobbie currently works during the day in the office, as part of the sports development team, and then in the afternoons and on Sunday mornings she teaches swimming.
Bobbie says:
“I am a bit of a workaholic, but when you love what you do it doesn’t feel like hard work. If I’ve had a bad day, getting into the water to teach always cheers me up.
“I have specialised in teaching children and adults with disabilities to swim, and I love how being in the water can give those with special needs a unique sense of joy and achievement, both physically and mentally. It’s so powerful to watch and support my pupils as they progress. Teaching swimming is such a rewarding career and it doesn’t just need to stop poolside, there are so many avenues to enhance, extend and upskill within aquatics.”
Bobbie concludes:
“I would recommend becoming a swimming teacher to anyone; it really is a lovely role. I always try to make my lessons as fun and engaging as possible, and it’s special to watch someone learning a life-saving skill in real-time. The hours are often flexible, meaning you can add on or supplement another career too. There’s also lots of CPD opportunities to develop your swimming teaching skills too.
“I cannot wait to start tutoring the next generation of swimming teachers. This feels like the beginning of something special!”