San Antonians who are looking for a rewarding job with great pay are invited to apply to serve their community as lifeguards for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. The department is making the process easy by hosting several lifeguard recruitment parties in hopes that local teens, college students, and adults 16 and over, will attend and apply.
The recruitment round-up events will be held on the following Saturdays: Feb. 1 and 22, March 8 and 29 and April 5 and 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the San Antonio Natatorium, 1430 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. Refreshments will be served.
“Applicants who are hired will have secured an excellent job and training that they can utilize the remainder of their lives,” says Assistant Director Nikki Ramos. “Lifeguard applicants will be given the opportunity to meet with staff and learn the qualifications and benefits of being a lifeguard. We are asking interested parties to apply as soon as possible so that we can get them trained and prepared to be a lifeguard at our pools.”
At the event, applicants will have access to a computer to complete the on-line application and they are encouraged to take the required prerequisite skills test. To complete the test, applicants should bring their swimsuits and be prepared to swim 300 yards freestyle and breaststroke, tread water without using their arms for two minutes, as well as retrieve a 10-pound weight from the 13 foot depth and swim across the pool within the allotted time. Practice time and instruction will be available. The skills test can also be scheduled for a later date.
The department provides CPR and lifesaving training to prepare applicants for their lifeguarding responsibilities. Applicants who have passed the prerequisite test will be scheduled for training classes.
The starting salary is $9.02 per hour.
During Spring Break, March 11-16, the Parks and Recreation Department will open four regional pools. These pools are Heritage, 1423 Ellison Dr.; Lady Bird Johnson, 10700 Nacogdoches; South Side Lions, 3100 Hiawatha; and Woodlawn, 221 Alexander Ave. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
These four pools will resume operations starting on Saturday, May 3 and continuing through Thursday, June 12.
The regular 2014 outdoor pool season runs June 14 through Aug. 16. Hours of operation at the majority of the department’s 24 outdoor pools during the summer are Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
For more information on the recruitment parties, lifeguard positions or pool hours of operation, please call 207-3299.