If you're a good swimmer and want to turn your hobby into a focal point of your career, see our comprehensive list of jobs for swimmers below, where we have handpicked the 17 most interesting roles you can undertake.
Before we jump in, just a quick disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: The jobs and average salaries listed below are primarily based on roles posted on our jobs board, however some are sourced from research and using third party data to give you a salary indication based on their average salaries, which we have rounded to the nearest £1,000 per year.
Let's now jump into the best jobs form swimmers to think about, starting with the role of a swimming coach:
With a swimming teacher, becoming a swimming coach is probably the most common rouet that people explore when wanting a career that involves swimming.
Swimming coaches are people that format optimised training programmes for both individual athletes and small groups providing expert guidance and motivation to aspiring swimmers.
You will required to get in the pool to demonstrate techniques and provide physical support with the aim of helping swimmers improve their technique, efficiency, and speed in the water.
Away from physical sessions, you'll be expected to track progress, adapt training routines, help them prepare for competitions and be creative with new drills to keep swimmers engaged and constantly improving.
There are plenty of establishments that hire swimming coaches, from schools, swimming clubs, governing bodies, local authorities and individual athletes.
In my opinion, this is the best job that involves swimming on this list.
An aquarist diver is someone who takes care of marine animals and their habitats within large aquatic tanks. This naturally involves diving into tanks to ensure their enclosure is clean and well maintained and can involve you working with a wide range of animals from small fish and crustaceans through to sharks and more predatory based animals.
You will help ensure optimal water quality for our aquatic residents, make sure the tanks are well oxygenated, feeding the marine life and making sure the displays are vibrant for guests and tourists entertainment.
You can find aquarist roles at zoos, animal research facilities, Environmental conservation groups and Animal sanctuaries.
If you have a passion for the outdoors and open water sports, becoming a kayak instructor could be a good fit for you.
Kayak instructors have to teach one to one and small groups sessions of learners with varying confidence and ability levels the art of kayaking.
You will have to help students acquire the knowledge and skills to handle potential capsizes, self-rescue maneuvers and how to assist others in trouble. As capsizing is very common in kayaking, this may require you from time-to-time to have to jump in to help students that are struggling, which when the water is choppy and very cold requires a certain swimming capability level.
Additionally, as a kayak instructor you will help plan out courses, lesson plans, ensure equipment is well maintained and safe to use as well as making sure that all participants are having a good time and are accounted for.
Underwater welder’s jobs have been described as one of the most dangerous, hazardous and physically demanding jobs on the planet, which is why the pay reflects this.
This career involves swimming and diving, all whilst trying to weld underwater on things like ships, submarines, oil rigs, bridges, nuclear reactors and pipelines.
Underwater welders are skilled in cutting, fitting, and rigging metal materials harnessing a verity of welding techniques from pressure welding through to wet welding, whilst trying to ensure they do not further affect the structural integrity of the structure they are working on.
You will have to survey the waters where you will be working to ensure it’s safe and obstacle free, calibrate all welding and diving equipment and perform nondestructive testing on welds to ensure they meet safety standards.
If you would relish a job swimming in the ocean in either the UK or abroad, then a swimming retreat guide might be worth pursuing.
You will need to be a good open water swimmer for this type of role as you will be leading small groups on hikes through sometimes through different water conditions and strong currents.
As a swimming guide, your role is primarily focused around creating a vibrant community and crafting unforgettable experience for individuals that are passionate about swimming and exploring.
You will conduct risk assessment based on water conditions, plan routes, provide support and help swimmers adapt their techniques in challenging waters and provide technical advice to them, with safety of course at the forefront of the agenda.
Swimming guides are generally hired by specific swimming retreat companies that operate both in scenic parts of the UK or offer swimming retreat holidays abroad.
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If you have a keen interest in photography and love swimming, why not merge these two hobbies together and turn it into a new career.
Underwater photographers are actually employed by more companies than you might think, from cruise liners, media outlets, conservation organisations, holiday resorts, film production companies and scientific research establishments.
This job role requires a working knowledge and understanding of cameras, lighting, colour absorption, and turbidity, which can all drastically affect the quality of images taken underwater.
Depending on the company and industry you work for, you could be taking photos of archaeological finds, guests as they swim through coral reefs through to marine life and underwater landscapes.
If you’re looking for a job that involves swimming in the ocean where you can travel and see the world, then becoming an underwater photographer could be right down your street.
A very obvious job that involves swimming that you have probably already thought about is that of a swimming teacher.
Whether it’s one-to-one lessons or group classes, you'll provide tailored swim instruction that meets the needs of each student, from showing them proper swimming technique and demonstrating strokes through to pool safety and good etiquette.
As a swimming teacher, maintaining a safe learning environment is the number one priority, but with your lessons aiming to be fun and inspire children and adults alike to develop a love for swimming.
You can find swimming teacher roles at a whole host of employers from local councils facilities through to large leisure operators like Virgin Active and non for profit organisations like Better Leisure or Serco.
Competent swimmers tend to make excellent triathlon coaches as swimming is the most technical of the three disciplines for an individual to learn and master and this makes it more difficult for a running or cyclist to take up.
A triathlon coach has a difficult job as they have to create programmes that balance the needs and demands of all three sports, whilst ensuring the athlete is training optimally for all three entities.
As a triathlon coach you will help athletes prepare for races, make programme adjustments, monitor their training data and progress, alongside providing coaching and transitioning advice and support.
You will support athletes in how to prep for competitions, give advice on things like race positioning and nutrition through to how to handle the mental stress of races, making this all encompassing role.
A highly rewarding job that involves swimming and pays well is that of a rescue swimmer, who performs daring feats in the most challenging conditions to save lives.
Rescue swimmers have responsibilities that span air, sea, and sometimes even rugged terrains. They help rescue people from stranded or capsized vessels and provide aid to navy personnel of downed aircrafts, as well as helping civilians during natural disasters like floods and hurricanes.
They also provide support during naval warfare operations, engage in humanitarian missions, delivering supplies to countries struck by natural disasters or political unrest and have to provide medical aid to individuals in tough conditions.
Rescue swimmer roles are only found in a few places such as the Navy, HM Coastguard, which is government agency that is responsible for maritime search and the RNLI, which is a charity set-up to assist with maritime search.
As part of a lifeguard's main duties you will have to ensure the safety of pool users, making sure that customers follow the guidelines, advising guests on pool rules and having to constantly scan the pool area to monitor guest activities and prevent accidents before they occur.
From time to time and in rare circumstances, a lifeguard has to jump into the water if they spot a guest in trouble in the water or if a guest has injured themselves, which is why lifeguards must be alert to this possibility at all times.
Lifeguards also have to perform regular pool maintenance checks for things like water clarity, PH levels and that equipment is working properly.
You can find most lifeguard roles at large leisure operators like Places for People, as well as hotel chains that have pools like Village Hotels as well as gym and health clubs.
This is a career that involves swimming that you might not know existed, I certainly didn’t until I researched it, which is that of a swimming product tester.
All products have to be tested thoroughly before they can be released into the public domain, which is where a swimming tester comes into play.
Their job is to give feedback on the design of a product, how it feels, the branding, it’;s performance under different swimming conditions and assess its compatibility with other swim gear.
You will help the manufacturers identify faults or potential defects that could hinder a swimmer's performance, from issues with its durability, the fabrics used or if the materials cause irritation.
It is quite literally your job to swim for a living and then provide detailed feedback on that product for further enhancements, whether that being on a new swimming hat, googles or a piece of tech or equipment.
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Aquatic physiotherapists are physios that specialise in delivering physiotherapy in water, which can benefit patients who have limitations with movements from conditions like arthritis, severe joint pain or are recovering from surgery.
The water helps the muscles to relax, takes pressure off the joints and supports client's body while they execute certain rehabilitative exercises.
An aqua therapist as they're also referred, design water-based therapy programmes that harness the physical properties of water, such as buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure to help patients' improve mobility, strength, and flexibility whilst minimising pain or discomfort.
Aqua therapists are employed by specialist physio clinics, rehabilitation centres that have dedicated pools and the NHS.
A good job for swimmers who have a strong interest in environmental issues and that can genuinely make a global impact is that of a marine biologist.
Part of a marine biologists work os the studying of marine life, their behaviours and interactions with their environment to which this valuable research helps us advance our understanding of the Earth and empowers us to better protect our planet.
Depending on the institution you work form, you will collect samples, including marine organisms, water, and sediment, create and test hypothesis regarding marine life and their ecosystems, as well as analysing data and writing research reports on your findings.
This is a very self satisfying and meaningful job that can be found at Universities, government agencies like the NOAA, non for profit organisations that advocate for wildlife protection, fisheries and aquaculture organisations.
Another job that requires swimming is that of a diving instructor.
Diving Instructors have to deliver diving classes to aspiring divers from kids learning to dive for the first time through to established athletes depending on the diving role you're looking to pursue.
You can find diving instructors wanted to lead cave dives for holiday makers through to training beginners in a pool environment.
As a diving instructor you will lead dives or diving expeditions and train participants on how to use their equipment safely, underwater hand signals, buoyancy control, emergency procedures and how to navigate efficiently underwater.
You can find diving instructor positions at specialist diving schools, yachts that offer diving as part of the experience, holiday resorts, local councils and outdoor activity centres.
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Eve watched a murder documentary where the police are searching for a body in a lake or river? This is the role of a police frogman.
Police frogman can be called in and deployed in various scenarios, whether to search for underwater casualties, recover evidence from a sunken vessel, planes and other vehicles as well as collapsed structures.
Police frogman have to perform their duties in very difficult swimming conditions, where there is potentially hazardous chemicals, pollution and therefore have very limited vision. Sometimes frogman are utilised to assist with drug seizures and even underwater mine clearance at war time, making this a very dangerous and stressful role.
Most police frogman's are acquired from the Special Boat Service (SBS), but the police do employ police frogman full-time, as well as relying on diving volunteers to assist on searches.
If you're looking for a job in swimming that has more of a leadership role, then the positon of swimming coordinator at a Leisure centre, health club, sports centre or swim school.
As a swimming coordinator you will be accountable for the development, management, and implementation of the swimming programmes that is adhered to by swimming instructors and teacher across the facility you operate in.
You will recruit coaches, onboard them and provide ongoing training to help them and hit financial KPI targets from primarily selling of blocked swimming lessons but also equipment and apparel sales. Additionally, you will plan out lessons for staff to follow making sure that staff follow their lessons structures and are conducting classes in a safe and engaging manner.
A swimming inclusion officer is someone who helps promote and improve the number of people taking up swimming that either are from under represented demographics or have a disability that might affect their accessibility to swimming.
These roles are very common at local councils, charities and non for profit organisations that focus on promoting sport and health for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
As part of the role you will work with teachers and educational programmes to help promote initiatives that drives attendances up and work on retention strategies to keep attendees engaged with swimming.
You will create tailored class and lessons that suit SEND individuals and help assist with developing appropriate health and safety procedures and ensure that quality standards of service are consistently met.