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Beach Lifeguards?

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  • 31-03-2011 8:20pm
    #1
    Smeefa
    Registered Users Posts: 118 ✭✭


    Hey I'm a newly qualified beach lifeguard with the RLSS and I just sent in my app to be a beach lifeguard with fingal county council.

    I think they call for interviews and maybe a fitness test or something. Has anyone any experience working in Ireland as a beach lifeguard?

    Do you know what they'll be looking out for in the interview?

    Hope i posted this in the right place, Mods feel free to move if appropriate!


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    #2
    Killgore Trout
    Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    The test for Fingal, DCC, DLR and Wicklow is usually at Sean McDermott street.
    1. 75M sprint with can buoy (sharing a lane with another candidate) <0:50 seconds= full marks
    2. rescue techniques
    3. resuscitation
    4. general questioning.

    You should expect questions from all of the levels of award you have done. Don't forget if asked about a rescue situation that getting in to the water is the last thing you should do - so keep it simple. You'd be amazed at how many people at senior level forget this.

    There are mostly examiners from IWSA, but there has also been an RLSS examiner at recent year's tests.

    Unless it's changed recently it Fingal don't do an interview - though it might help to be prepared. Dublin City do an interview - apparently they selected inexperienced 17 year olds ahead of lifeguards with multiple summer's worth of experience.

    As for the experience you should expect - depends on the beach and the summer. Usually there are a few mad busy days for the season. Most days sitting in the hut looking at the rain.

    The other lifeguards and I all liked to cook - so it was like friggin masterchef trying to outdo each other. Other huts couldn't even make a cup of tea between them. Meals are a great way to break up a boring day.

    The equipment and training is poor Fingal in comparison to Dublin City (Since DCC only have one beach)

    There was sod all training on the radio, luckily we had someone who worked city council previously and had radio training. Otherwise we would have sounded like a bunch of eejits.

    Also - unless you're in the one hut with power (Skerries) someone has to take the radios home to charge them. We kept ours charged all the time - some beaches were useless at doing this, and you could be really caught out if the coastguard or RNLI are operating in the vicinity and need to talk.

    You know from your training 90% of the job is preventive. Identifying situations and preventing incidents before they happen.

    The idiocy of some people is often mind-boggling, but it makes a good story down the pub.

    keep the local Garda station on speed dial, They're really helpful. You will get drunkenness, anti social behaviour, missing children etc..

    It's a great job for the summer, better than working indoors.

    Best of luck in the test and hope you have a great summer.


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    #3
    a_ni_d
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭a_ni_d


    Hey any idea what the fitness test is like for the Clare County Council beaches? I just applied for the first time this year.


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    #4
    Unpossible
    Registered Users Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭Unpossible


    a_ni_d wrote: »
    Hey any idea what the fitness test is like for the Clare County Council beaches? I just applied for the first time this year.
    Well the Kerry exam is the same as what Killgore Trout listed in his post, so I guess it would be the same for Clare. One thing to note (in ours anyway) is that for every break you do you have one length approach (head up) and one length cross-chest carry. So you will be doing at least 4 of those, with another for deep water recess. If you are a club swimmer and not with someone who is big and sinks like a rock, then it shouldn't be a huge problem.

    Also after the 75m sprint with the canbouy, you will have to pass it to them and tow them for another, 75m which isn't timed


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    #5
    Killgore Trout
    Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    Yes - the same for the the Fingal/DCC/DLR/WCC - Forgot about those aspects of the test


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    #6
    Unpossible
    Registered Users Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭Unpossible


    Killgore Trout wrote: »
    Yes - the same for the the Fingal/DCC/DLR/WCC - Forgot about those aspects of the test
    Good to know, I've only gone for Kerry beaches so I didn't want to claim it was the same for all of them.

    One more thing to note, the timed swim is not the be-all and end-all of the competition. Fast former club swimmers will hammer the time and then wonder why they are not at the top of the list when beaches are being assigned. Remember you are being tested on all aspects of lifesaving, not just a 50 second swim.


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    #7
    Yatesey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Yatesey


    Hey, i'm a newly qualified RLSS beach lifeguard and i want to apply for a job this summer. Can anyone tell me which month the interviews and tests are held in? thanks!


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    #8
    Killgore Trout
    Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    Think they usually advertise in March and test around the end of April


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    #9
    Yatesey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Yatesey


    thanks....
    when does the work season typically start??


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    #10
    Killgore Trout
    Registered Users Posts: 681 ✭✭✭Killgore Trout


    Generally start of June to last weekend in august - differs from council to council.

    Dublin City do full-time Mon-Sun for June/July/August.

    Not sure what Fingal are doing this year but in '09 they only had weekends for June, July. And full-time August. Traditionally it's weekends only in June and full-time for July august.

    Other councils will be similar. In the past if there was a good September some councils may have lifeguards on for a couple of extra weekends. But since a lot of them don't have money for decent equipment and training it's not likely.


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    #11
    erik F
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭erik F


    Hi,
    I am applying for a beach lifeguard position with kerry cc this summer and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice and tips.
    Thanks


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    #12
    Yatesey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Yatesey


    for the 75m timed swim, are we allowed to wear googles? also, can we apply to more than one county??thanks


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    #13
    TheMusic
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭TheMusic


    Hi :) what do you mean you sent your application to a beach? I want to apply but don't know what to send or where to send it to?
    Any help would be great thanks :)


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    #14
    Galwubliner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16 ✭Galwubliner


    Yatesey wrote: »
    for the 75m timed swim, are we allowed to wear googles? also, can we apply to more than one county??thanks

    Yes you can just some of the tests are on the same day... worked the job a few years best job I ever had!


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    #15
    Aideen C
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭Aideen C


    Hey :)
    I have an interview for a beach lifeguard position in a few weeks and i am just wondering what type of questions do they usually ask ? Any help would be great :D thanks !!


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    #16
    lorcan122
    Registered Users Posts: 151 ✭✭lorcan122


    According to some lifeguard instructors the fitness test has changed, so you should contact the council you are applying for and ask them what the test is, they are required by law to tell you, from the test I was shown it seems a lot easier.


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    #17
    LWalsh16
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭LWalsh16


    Smeefa wrote: »
    Hey I'm a newly qualified beach lifeguard with the RLSS and I just sent in my app to be a beach lifeguard with fingal county council.

    I think they call for interviews and maybe a fitness test or something. Has anyone any experience working in Ireland as a beach lifeguard?

    Do you know what they'll be looking out for in the interview?

    Hope i posted this in the right place, Mods feel free to move if appropriate!


    Hiya, i am wondering how did you start the proccess of becoming a lifegaurd?


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    #18
    promethius
    Registered Users Posts: 1,103 ✭✭✭promethius


    it's the dream, best days of your working life for 99% of people. train as much as you like, good money, rewarding, cooking like delia smith on the clock, winning.....


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    #19
    lorcan122
    Registered Users Posts: 151 ✭✭lorcan122


    LWalsh16 wrote: »
    Hiya, i am wondering how did you start the proccess of becoming a lifegaurd?

    You have to do a beach lifeguard qualification which is about a 4 - 5 day course for the RLSS, not to sure about how to get an IWS certificate I know that they have various levels of lifeguard/lifesavers and I am not to sure if you can just do the lifeguard qualification maybe someone will explain further for that. Anyway the RLSS is very simple to do, you just have to find a course in your local area,
    try these websites;
    http://www.lifeguardsireland.com/courses.htm
    http://www.atlanticcoastlifeguards.com/
    http://sthoeelifeguardsdublin.blogspot.ie/

    Once you have your qualification, you will be able to apply for the council, the applications open in February and close in March, so I think that you might have missed the deadline for a lot of beaches. Then follows an interview, and then a swim test done in a pool, normally the fastest swimmers in the pool get the job, unless you have a few connections. Once you get the job, its great.


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    #20
    eef9619
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭eef9619


    I'm doing the beach lifeguard pre-employment swim tests this Friday for Fingal county council and for the first time. As part of the requirement we have to swim 200m in under 4 minutes. I could do this easily with my head underwater, but I am struggling immensely in trying to do this whilst keeping my head facing forward out of the water. I was just wondering if anyone who has done this test before could enlighten me to how strict they are about keeping your head facing forward?


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    #21
    pc11
    Registered Users Posts: 975 ✭✭✭pc11


    What are the pay and hours like?


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    #22
    physiopad
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭physiopad


    eef9619 wrote: »
    I'm doing the beach lifeguard pre-employment swim tests this Friday for Fingal county council and for the first time. As part of the requirement we have to swim 200m in under 4 minutes. I could do this easily with my head underwater, but I am struggling immensely in trying to do this whilst keeping my head facing forward out of the water. I was just wondering if anyone who has done this test before could enlighten me to how strict they are about keeping your head facing forward?

    You can swim facedown for the timed swim. Head out of water for rescue scenarios


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