Our teachers are really put through their paces. That's what makes them the best trained teachers in the world.
One of the first things our teachers say after completing the course is "it was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done!" But they also say that "it was one of the best things I’ve ever done!" too.
Many of our teachers first get involved in the process because they’ve seen first-hand what happens in our lessons through being a customer. They’ve caught the bug, and truly care about giving other carers and their babies the same amazing experience that they had.
Our teachers will attend both a 'wet' interview and a 'dry' interview. They'll start with a series of skills-based assessments and interviews, before they dive into the Water Babies teaching program. These interviews will look at their behaviour, attitude and commitment to the program.
They then go on to complete online learning, where they learn about everything from scientific principles to pool equipment, risk assessments and more. Before they attend the course, they also spend a minimum of ten hours shadowing a range of teachers and lessons in many locations. Phew!
They then dive straight in with an seven-day course, which includes ten hours a day in the pool followed by evenings spent exploring the program in depth and learning about child development, strokes and skills.
After their course and having learnt a huge amount of content in great depth, they'll then jump into the water to lead on a minimum of 23 lessons, supervised by our highly experienced mentors. Our qualified assessors will watch a range of these lessons to make sure they're up to standard.
They’ll then get their books out again for more online learning, where they dive deeper into the science behind our program. They'll also go off and train in first aid and safeguarding. And it's not until all of this is complete that they earn their blue teacher top and qualify as one of the best teachers in the world.
But it doesn’t end there. Our teachers will continue to undergo further training and development as they progress in their careers.