Plano, together with the entire country, suddenly experienced a shortage of lifeguards right before summer and they are looking for people willing to serve as lifeguards according to a Plano Star Courier article from April 14 which reports,
“The City of Plano announced earlier this week that it is having challenges hiring lifeguards for its various public pools in advance of the summer pool season.
The City of Plano needs to fill 125 aquatic staff positions so it does not have to restrict pool hours during the spring and summer swim season. City staff said these jobs are perfect for college and high school students who are on summer break.”
While there are a lot of openings for the lifeguard job in Plano, there are still requirements in order to qualify as a lifeguard. Luckily, the requirements are just minimal according to an Audacy article from April 19. They say,
“You just need to be 15 years (old) or older, be a strong swimmer, and have an interest in lifeguarding,” Hergenrader said.
Lifeguards will need to be trained and certified – but the city provides all of that.
“We can go ahead and get you all the training (and) all the certifications you need free of charge,” Hergenrader said, “and we’ll also provide the uniform as well.”
“To be a lifeguard, you must be disciplined (and) you must be dedicated,” Hergenrader said. “You learn those on-the-job skills that carry over and translate to any other position they have in the future.”
According to the City of Plano, the pay rate of lifeguards starts at $13.51 hourly but those head lifeguards start at $14.90 hourly. But they say that the experience is what’s the best thing about being a lifeguard.