Now it's time to go down to business. If you want to know the salary expectation for a swimming instructor in Canada, you will learn much more than the average wage for this job position. Let's see it together! Are you ready to find out?
But first, let's find out how much you know about swimming as a sport!
Test your knowledge! Find the correct answer for each statement:
- It's easily the most challenging stroke to learn, and it requires some serious strength before you can start to match the speeds of the other strokes. It's also one of the best calorie-burners techniques, with a rate of 820 calories per hour:
- Front Crawl
- The butterfly
- The breaststroke
- What are the four typical swimming styles?
- Front crawl, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.
- Backcrawl, breaststroke, front stroke, and butterfly.
- Side crawl, breaststroke, floating, and butterfly.
- Freedivers can hold their breath for more than:
- 40 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 10 minutes
- Who is the most famous swimmer ever?
- Michael Phelps
- Roger Clemens
- Peyton Manning
- It refers to the body's ability to perform a dynamic exercise and continued exertion at progressive intensity levels while providing your body with fuel from the aerobic system:
- Muscle Strength
- Muscular Endurance
- Cardiovascular Endurance
- It is a moving method of the arms and legs to push against the water and propel the swimmer forward. It also refers to the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing.
- Freestyle
- Stroke
- Swimming techniques
- Calorie-burners
Now that you know a bit more about the general culture of swimming, let's look at why you are here. Are you ready?

What does a swimming instructor get paid?
According to Glassdoor Canada, a swimming instructor can make up to $42,400 annually. The reported lowest average pay is $32,000, and the highest average salary is $57,000 annually, and these will depend on experience, qualifications, and certifications.
According to Pay Scale, the average hourly pay for a swimming instructor variates from $17 to $19 per hour. However, this information will depend on the province, type of professional path, and years of expertise.
According to Canada Talent, entry-level positions start at $31,700 per year, while professionals with more years of experience can make up to $54,600 approximately per year. In Toronto, for example, an entry-level swimming instructor with one to three years of experience earns an average salary of $36,900. On the other hand, a senior-level swimming instructor (with more than eight years of experience) earns an average salary of $59,900.
Regarding related positions to swimming instructors in Canada, we find that swimming instructors with lifeguard expertise can make up to $37,3600 annually. Swimming coaches can make up to $42,900 annually, and Aquatics Directors can make up to $154,000 annually. However, these average salaries will depend on the province, the type of professional path, certifications, and years of expertise.
Can you make a living as a swim instructor?
If you are interested in teaching swimming lessons as an instructor, it is essential that you first consider the salary and work environment of your choice. If you are interested in giving private swimming classes, analyze how much money you can earn by providing swimming lessons, taking into account your years of experience, your education, certifications, the market, and the competition.
We have already seen that in Canada, giving swimming lessons can mean an average income of $17 to $19 per hour, or even more depending on your professional profile, whether you prefer to give group or private lessons, the number of swimming classes per week, and the hourly rate. Also, it would help if you considered that although group swimming classes can be much more cost-effective, you must also decide how many children you are comfortable working with.
It would help if you remembered that it is essential to consider the income and the costs involved in providing swimming lessons. Once you have determined how much you can earn, you will need to subtract the expenses you will incur in offering swimming lessons. These include the use of equipment, whether any insurance is required, maintenance costs if you have your pool or if you rent a pool for your lessons, and of course, we needed to include the cost of upgrading your certifications.
Although working on your own can often be challenging, it is worth a try if you love swimming and consider yourself a good swimming instructor. And remember that becoming your own boss is not a bad idea either.

What Do Swimming Instructors Do?
Do you love swimming and have the idea of giving swimming lessons crossed your mind? Are you gifted and can pass your passion for the sport? If this is the case, an excellent career path for you to consider is to become a swimming instructor in Canada!
The swimming instructor is crucial in helping people gain confidence in the water to use their swimming skills. But what exactly does a swimming coach do? This type of swimming coach teaches students of all ages to learn to swim or improve their swimming skills, perhaps to prepare for competition or be physically active.
And you should know that there are many types of swimming instructors. For example, some focus on young students becoming comfortable in the water, where they can learn how to float, basic breathing techniques, and basic swimming strokes. Swim instructors at more advanced levels focus on teaching more complex strokes and, for example, diving techniques, helping them to master these new skills.
Sometimes a minimum of a high school diploma is required, and usually, you will need to provide certificates, licenses, memberships, and courses in swimming instruction. Some job positions even require the swim instructor to have experience in competitive swimming or, for example, childcare.
How do I start teaching swimming?
Have you considered offering private lessons to acquire experience as a swimming coach? Think about it! It might be an excellent start for you to gain some experience. Let's look at some benefits you might get as a private swimming instructor in Canada:
- Private swimming classes could be an excellent way for students to get additional pocket money.
- It could be a great summer job with lots of flexibility since you can decide how many hours you wish to work and design your weekly schedule.
- You can choose the students you want to work with and, for example, see if you would like to work with children in the future, or give adult swimming classes.
- You can have complete control over your earnings since you can set hourly rates depending on your experience and certifications.
- If you already have a specialization, take advantage and fill the tutoring niche!
As you can see, you only need a passion for swimming and enough knowledge of this sport. If you have some swimming expertise and want extra cash, sign up for an online tutoring platform like Superprof!
Superprof is a great online tutoring platform where you can start offering private tutoring and set your lesson rates. Using our network and the platform, you will find students rapidly near you! Search for "tutoring jobs" on the official website of Superprof Canada and register for free! Superprof is a great place to start your swimming instructor career.
In addition, you can highlight all the skills you have gotten to upgrade your swimming instructor profile. While creating your swimming coach profile, you can include your educational and professional background, certificates, and swimming courses. Believe us. Your teaching abilities are all you need to become a swim instructor with Superprof! Starting your online tutoring job with Superprof will give you way more opportunities than you had imagined!
Discover how long it takes to become a swimming coach here!

Test answers! (You're welcome again!)
- The butterfly is the most challenging stroke to learn since it requires serious strength before you can start to match the speeds of the other strokes. And it's also one of the best calorie-burners techniques, with a rate of 820 calories per hour.
- The front crawl, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly are the four typical swimming styles.
- Freedivers can hold their breath for more than 10 minutes.
- The most famous swimmer ever is Michael Phelps. He is the most successful Olympian swimmer of all time with a total of 28 medals. Did you know that his net worth in 2022 is $100 million?
- Cardiovascular Endurance refers to the body's ability to perform a dynamic exercise and continued exertion at progressive intensity levels while providing your body with fuel from the aerobic system.
- In swimming, the stroke is a moving method of the arms and legs to push against the water and propel the swimmer forward. It also refers to the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing.
See you very soon dear little mermaid!









