Swimming is definitely fun, but not everyone wants to do it professionally when they get older. Being a professional athlete comes with a lot of challenges. You have to be the best of the best, deal with stress, be a role model, and spend a lot of your life training, often missing out on the fun things in life. 

For some, this is a rewarding life. The one they’ve always wanted since they were little. Others have different goals and dreams. But not wanting to be a pro swimmer doesn’t mean you have to leave the sport altogether. There are plenty of jobs in the swimming industry that don’t revolve around competing. Let’s take a look.

Professional swimming

Part of being the best athlete is making sure you take care of your body and mind. At the highest levels, this is hard to do without a little help from professionals, which means there are plenty of jobs available around swimming and health. These include:

Doctor and surgeon

Most professional athletes go private with healthcare. This helps them cut down on lengthy waiting times, allowing them to hand-select which health care professionals they want to work with. An injury, when not treated properly, can end a career. For this reason, top athletes tend to work with top doctors with impressive credentials, spending huge amounts ensuring they get impeccable care to return to the water as soon as possible. To get this job, you’ll need to study medicine at university for several years. But the skills you obtain aren’t just useful in sports; you can save lives anywhere.

Physiotherapist

Competing at a high level in swimming is like any sport - it takes a toll on your body if you don’t look after it properly. Physiotherapy helps athletes prevent injury, recover from injuries effectively, and get relief from muscle tension and pain. It’s an essential part of any serious swimmer’s routine. To pursue this path, you’ll need a degree in physiotherapy from a university. 

Nutritionist

Sports nutritionists know everything about food and what the best meal plan is for any athlete. They study food and its effects on the human body, coming up with bespoke plans, advice, and monitoring of an athlete’s diet. Often, to enter this field, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in health, nutrition, or a related field like dietetics, food service system management, or food science. 

Non-professional swimming

Anyone can enjoy swimming, whether you’re good at it, not so great, experienced, or new. So there are jobs in swimming at all levels. These include:

Teacher

Do you remember the person who taught you to swim? Maybe you went to official lessons or perhaps it was a parent or older sibling. Well, you can become that person for many people as a swimming instructor. You’ll teach children and adults alike a life-saving skill; something which can be a very rewarding experience. To do this, you’ll need to get an STA Certificate in Teaching Swimming, after completing the course to prepare you to teach all ages and abilities. You can sign up to these courses online, however, you’ll do some in-pool and classroom-based training. Some people specialise in certain areas of teaching such helping those with disabilities. 

Lifeguard

Having pool lifeguards is a legal requirement in the UK, meaning pools are always in need of new faces. As a lifeguard, you make sure everyone in the pool is safe, preventing accidents and rescuing those who get into trouble. Becoming a lifeguard takes some training. You have to complete knowledge, CPR, and swimming tests, ensuring you’re fit and up to the task. But when you’ve completed your training, the job is flexible, allowing you to choose which hours you work with relatively good pay. It’s an excellent part-time job for those looking to work alongside school, university, or for a little extra income.  

These are just a select few jobs available if you’re interested in the swimming industry. Just because you’re done swimming in the pool doesn’t mean you have to leave the aquatic world behind. If swimming is still a passion of yours, don’t forget there are opportunities everywhere.

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