Certifications

1. Current certifications are required to work a permanent shift. Each of the three certifications is valid for a certain number of years:
   a. NL: Valid for 2 years from the certification date.
   b. SI: Valid for 2 years from the certification date.
   c. SFA: Valid for 3 years from the certification date.

2. Coaches must recertify these certifications at least two months before they expire.

3. The reasons we ask coaches to renew at least two months before the expiration date are:
   a. Recertification courses are often cancelled, even after you've booked and paid. This means it can be several weeks before you can actually attend a recertification, and it reduces the time you have to try a second time in the event that you do not pass the first time.
   b. NL recertifications have a 50% failure rate minimum. Even Clo failed her first NL recertification. Several Swim Fins coaches have had to be pulled off of their shifts because they failed their NL recert and did not have enough time to try again before the start of the next session. The NL requires a level of physical fitness that coaches sometimes do not maintain in the two years of their certifications. The timed swim and the brick are the two most commonly failed skills that cause coaches to not be recertified.
   i. We require our coaches to have a valid NL as our pools do not have a lifeguard on duty.
   ii. Just in the Spring 2025 session, Dawn had to replace three coaches on their permanent shifts because they failed their NL recert and did not have enough time to practice and rebook another recert before their NL expired. Our hands are tied in this situation.
   c. Physical fitness takes time to redevelop, which is why we encourage everyone to know when their certifications expire, so they can practice and study in time to do their recerts.

4. Recert courses are typically available up to a maximum of two months from the current date with Lifesaving Society and LIT Aquatics. If any of your certs are expiring during the upcoming session, you must provide confirmation of your scheduled recert now. If you do not, it is highly likely that we will need to remove you from your permanent shift(s) for the upcoming session.

While we do have records of everyone’s certification status on file, and we will monitor and reach out when you have a cert expiring soon, it takes a lot of time and effort to manage three cert statuses for over 70 coaches, and that time would be better used going toward securing more clients, and building the business, so that we can provide all coaches with the hours that they’re looking for. We appreciate every coach who ensures their certs are up to date without needing us to chase you.