Swim Lesson Management Builds Club Revenue
Advantages of Offering Swim Lessons
One of the many advantages of offering swim lessons is the added revenue it can bring swim clubs. Yet, many still struggle to take full advantage of the opportunity. Regardless of the pool’s situation, lessons are possible with good swim lesson management. Simply put, all you need is a pool and an instructor!
Who Runs the Lessons
Typically, swim clubs will train their lifeguards to teach swim lessons. This helps to decrease the pool’s liability because their lifeguard’s must already go through safety training certification. It also limits the effort of having to hire separate staff.
Additionally, there is usually coordinator in charge of scheduling and managing the lessons. While some clubs appoint a board member, others will assign the task to the swim team coordinator.
Different Types of Lessons
Private:
A private lesson is either 30 minutes or an hour with one child and one instructor. These lessons are usually more common when the child is older. They can also focus solely on stroke for children that are interested in learning different strokes and improving current strokes. Sometimes members of the swim teams will do this as extra practice.
The main issue with private swim lessons comes from the payment and scheduling method. Since the lesson is one-on-one, families tend to approach the instructor themselves to arrange the lesson. Also, the payment will go directly to the instructor rather than through the club. This takes away from the revenue channel that these lessons open up. How do you fix this? Reinforce in the staff and members that swim lessons at the pool must be scheduled through the club.
Group:
Group lessons include multiple children (usually between 4-8) and one instructor. This lesson type is the most profitable because you have multiple paying families and only one instructor to pay. Group lessons are more common in younger children because they focus on being comfortable in the water, floating, and the basics of swimming rather than strokes.
Different Levels of Lessons
With children at different abilities even if they are the same age, swim clubs will offer different levels of lessons. The initial levels focus on getting the children into the water and erasing any fear. Some start those lessons as young as six months (i.e., mommy and me lessons). As the kids become more comfortable, lessons begin to focus on floating and then go into swimming. The ending stages, typically taught in private lessons, move into the separate strokes.
For the most part, lessons will stop being offered once children turn 14. If needed, they can continue with private lessons, but if they are interested in a group setting they are pointed to a swim team to join.
Swim Lesson Management for Member vs. Non-member
Clubs will choose to make the swim lesson revenue channel even bigger by allowing non-members to attend swim lessons at the pool. However, they will make the rates for the swim lessons higher for those who are not members. Other clubs will keep the revenue channel restricted to only members. I have seen a lot of success in swim clubs who offer lessons to anyone and recommend that you consider this option.