The Mycenaean

Lifeguarding is a popular summer job amongst high school students. Being paid to be outside and have fun sounds like the best job ever. However, there is more to lifeguarding than it may seem.

The primary responsibility of a lifeguard is to ensure the safety of patrons. There are other responsibilities too such as cleaning, chemicals, and customer service.

Lifeguards clean the pool deck and rearrange furniture before the day starts. They may also clean the bathrooms depending on the pool they work at.

Every morning and every hour, lifeguards check chemicals for chlorine and pH levels to check for a clean pool.

Lifeguards also must satisfy the patrons by providing service when needed. This could be answering questions or completing a task.

“It is my responsibility to guard the pool, but I also have to clean the pool area on my break,” said Joely Myers, a lifeguard at the Brier Creek Country Club.

Most shifts are five to ten hours a day, starting at ten a.m. to three p.m or from three p.m. to eight p.m.

The only breaks lifeguards get are the period of time between rotations and the last ten minutes of the hour. Some pools offer free meals/snacks for the guards on their breaks.

“At my pool, we get one free meal a shift and snacks to help us get through the day,” said Myers.

Being a lifeguard is arguably one of the best summer jobs for a teen and an easy way to earn money for being outside.