Frequently Asked Questions
Signing up for Swim Buddies is free!
First, select “Become a Member” on the top right of the page and select “Join as Client”.
From there, you can create your profile in three easy steps.
Step 1: Create your account with your name, email, a password, and an optional profile picture.
Step 2: Fill in the health waiver.
Step 3: Submit. Read and sign our policies and terms and conditions.
That’s it! Now your profile is complete and you are able to make a booking!
There are many great perks to joining Swim Buddies, including:
At-home Swim Classes – the luxury of having instructors come to you and teach at the comfort of your own home.
Find the best instructor for you – browse our database of swim instructors that have varying skills and industry experience. Choose the instructor that fits your needs.
Small, high quality classes – focus on safety and allows for more personalized feedback to each swimmer meaning you see improvements faster!
More control and flexibility. No more arranging classes based on a facilities schedule! Book your class time based on your availability.
Competitive pricing – support your local instructors directly!
Easy to book – Your next swim class is just a few taps away!
Instructors can teach anyone from 6 months and up and all swim abilities are welcome; from beginners to competitive!
As a parent, you decide when it is the right time to start. It is recommended to introduce positive water experiences and skills sooner rather than later so your kids will have a great foundation and move up later levels quicker.
- For swimmers ages 6 and below 30 min classes are recommended.
All Swim Buddies instructores must be 18 years old or older with valid, current, nationally recognized certificates from the Lifesaving Society.
For curriculum, instructors use the programs they are certified in, such as Lifesaving Society Instructor, as the basis for their lesson plans and feedback. Additionally, small class sizes allow instructors to personalize the class based on the individual swimmer’s skills and learning goals. Each instructor adds their own teaching style, expertise, and techniques to their classes!
The fundamentals of swimming across all programs generally include:
- Comfortability in water
- Breathing
- Floating
- Gliding
- Kicks and Propulsion
- Stroke timing, coordination and technique in:
-
- Front Crawl
- Back Crawl
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Treading
Additionally, instructores can also teach water safety skills such as:
- Shallow and deep-water entries (pool permitting)
- Safe behavior around water and ice.
We have created a level transfer chart for your use, Skills and level Conversion chart. You can also connect with your instructor through the “Contact” button on their profile.
It’s never too late to start! There is a large community of individuals that start swim classes as an adult. Swimming is a lifesaving skill, and a great low impact way to exercise, to increase circulation, and de-stress at any age.
- Progress is different for everyone. Swimming, like any new skill, takes practice and some individuals need more than others. That does not mean there is anything wrong. Some factors that affect progress may include:
- Class frequency
- It is recommended to have swim classes 2-3 times a week to promote progression and minimize regression between classes.
- Past experience
- Coordination
- Focus during class
- Individual Swim goals
- Ex. “Learning how to swim” can mean being able to float and doggy paddle to some, and to others it may mean learning strong front crawl and tread water.
- Class frequency
- It is normal for progress to be small when learning the fundamentals of swimming, and for progress to explode once those fundamentals are mastered.
- Be patient and keep going!
Most instructores will provide feedback to students directly during the class as well as summarize progress after each class. It is up to the instructor to provide report cards to their swimmers, if offered. instructores may also provide summaries through SMS, email, or physical report card at their discretion.
At a minimum, you should bring a bathing suit, towel, hair tie (for long hair), flip flops, Swim Diaper (for swimmers who are not 100% potty trained yet) and goggles to every lesson. You can also opt to bring a swim cap.
Swim Buddies instructors ensure they have all teaching equipment necessary available at their lesson. Whether they are allowed to use the equipment at the pool or they bring equipment with them.
Swim Buddies instructores set their own Class Rate which is transparently shown on each instructores profile.
Prices can vary across instructores. Various factors into account when setting a Class Rate including:
- Instructor’s Experience
- Length of classes
- Type of class
It is recommended that instructors set prices competitive with similar offerings at local pools.
Your swim class can be held wherever you choose, granted you have written consent to do so by the pool owner. Some swim instructors also offer to teach at their home pool. This can be seen on each instructor’s profile.
To modify a booking, clients will need to cancel the class and re-book it.
Cancellation fees may apply if changes are made within 48hrs of class start time as per the Cancellation Policy.
All pools used for swim lessons must maintain pool temperature and chemistry adherence with regional safety standards.
Rare situations where pool water is unsuitable for use including incidents of vomit or fecal matter, please report it to Swim Buddies.
If a swimmer is not yet 100% potty trained, Swim Diapers are mandatory to wear during swim class.
Instructors will remove themselves from a paid class if the swimming conditions are not appropriate. If a child has an accident in the pool or a non-swim diaper explodes, the instructor will need to evacuate the pool and the class will be stopped without refund.
We understand things happen and you may need to cancel your booked class. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t worry! You can cancel your class through your profile. This will notify your instructor right away of the Cancelation and open the spot as available in the Swim Buddies marketplace.
Note the Cancelation Policy: If you cancel within 48hrs of the booked class you will be charged for the full class.
- If you are running late to your class, no worries! Just send a message to your instructor with updates. When you arrive, you can still enjoy the remainder of the booked class time. Note that the class will not be extended if the swimmer arrives late.
- Complete the remaining time of class and discuss with your instructor some options to make up the missed time.
- Report this behavior to contactswimbuddies@gmail.com with details. Instructors that show a pattern of late arrivals may be removed from the platform.
- Swimming lessons make a great gift.
- Give the gift of Swimming! Common Soon!!
Signing up for Swim Buddies is free!
First, select “Become a Member” on the top right of the page and select “Join as Instructor”. From there, you can create your profile in three easy steps.
Step 1: Create your account by entering the email you want associated with your account and creating your account password.
Step 2: Set up your Profile. Personalize your profile to stand out! Add your bio, your experience, your certifications, and your unique skills.
Step 3: Submit.
Once you submit, your profile will be under review. The Swim Buddies team will ensure your certifications are up to date. Once this process is complete your profile will be approved and will be visible for clients to book directly with you!
Swim Buddies instructors set their own class rate which is transparently shown on each instructor’s profile. Prices can vary across instructors as various factors are taken into account when setting a class rate, including:
- Instructor’s Experience
- Length of classes
- Type of class
It is recommended to set prices competitive with similar offerings at local pools.
Swim Buddies only absorbs 12% from each transaction, in order to continue to provide you with this running platform and allows Swim Buddies to support the growth of your business through:
- A network to thousands of clients, at your fingertips.
- Organized scheduling systems
- Easy to use booking systems
- Integrated payments that go right to your pocket
- Business analytics
- & more!
For example,
If your class rate is $40 for a 30 min class you take home $35.20 for that 30min class.
Working for an hour: That’s $70.40/hr!
Working 10 hrs a week: $704/week = $3,062.40/month
Once your profile is complete, payments from clients will automatically go directly into your bank account that is linked to your Swim Buddies Profile.
All Swim Buddies instructors must be 18 years old or older with valid, current, nationally recognized certificates from the Lifesaving Society
- Other learn to swim programs or coaching certifications such as Red Cross, YMCA, NCCP, Total Immersion, etc. can be valuable in helping an Instructor’s profile stand out. However, these certifications, on their own, cannot currently be used.
- Some certifying partners do offer transfer courses that will bring you up to speed on Lifesaving Society curriculum in much less time than starting the courses from the beginning.
All Swim Buddies Instructors are independent operators who are responsible for obtaining and maintaining their own certifications.
The best way to do this is to start with a two hour available window on your available days. Then once you’ve got your first booking for the day, reduce the hours to show you are only available on times directly adjacent to the booked class. As the adjacent hours fill up, continue to add available hours and grow a multi-hour day with no gaps.
If you travel between client locations, it is recommended to block ~15-30 min between lessons to allow you time to clean up, give feedback, use the bathroom, have a snack etc. and arrive on time for your next class.
When one of your services is booked, you will receive an email notification from Swim Buddies. To view all booking information, log in to your Swim Buddies account.
Coaches are not required to wear a specific uniform while teaching.
It is encouraged to wear appropriate and comfortable swimming attire that will keep you adequately warm in the water.
Of course! We encourage all Swim Buddies instructors to manage their own work schedule with what works best for you!
If you are running late to your class, connect with your Client ASAP with updates. When you arrive, you could still enjoy the remainder of the booked class time. Accommodations may be arranged between you and your client to make up the time.
Note: Your client may report your late arrivals to Swim Buddies. Instructors that show a pattern of late arrivals may be removed from the platform.
We encourage your calendar updated and keep cancellations rare. This builds confidence between you and your clients and helps your business grow.
In the case where you do need to cancel, ensure to contact your client first to let them know as soon as possible and then go ahead and cancel the class.
Note: you cannot cancel a class once the class time has started.
- It is recommended to have at least the below teaching equipment with you:
- 2 x Flutter boards
- 1 x Noodle
- 1 x Water toy
- This, and additional teaching equipment can be easily found on Amazon, Dollarama, Walmart and more!
- Photos or videos are great for recording swim progress, reviewing strokes, or sharing your learn-to-swim journey with friends and family. Clients and students should feel welcome to take photos and videos at their lessons if they have received written consent from all parties involved.
- There are various ways to provide feedback to your swimmers.
- Here are some resources to the most common publicly available swim program documents, complete with detailed worksheets, report cards, and curriculum comparisons:
-
- Lifesaving Society Swim For Life:
- Parent & Tot Worksheets
- Preschool Worksheets
- Swimmer Worksheets
- Fitness Swimmer Worksheets
- Adult Worksheets
- Swimabilities Worksheets
- Parent & Tot Progress Cards: Colour| Black/White
- Preschool Progress Cards: Colour| Black/White
- Swimmer Progress Cards: Colour| Black/White
- Fitness Swimmer Progress Cards: Colour| Black/White
- Adult Progress Cards: Colour| Black/White
- Curriculum Comparison Charts
- Canadian Red Cross Swim & Lifesaving Society Swim For Life
- YMCA Swim & Lifesaving Society Swim For Life
- Canadian Red Cross Swim & YMCA Swim
- I Can Swim & Lifesaving Society Swim For Life
- Lifesaving Society Swim For Life:
Please note, the documents above are hosted by their respective parent organizations and are made available for educational purposes only, in line with the principles of fair use.