Lifeguards Grade 1&2: Poole - Highcliffe to Swanage

About us

Our purpose is simple, to save lives at sea. Since 1824 the RNLI has been working to save those who are in danger of drowning.

The beach is the perfect place for fresh air and family fun, but the sea is unpredictable and can take visitors by surprise. While most beachgoers will have an enjoyable and relaxing time, many get into serious difficulty. At the beach, every second counts, for the best chance of survival, beach goers need someone on the beach who can see the dangers develop, someone who can prevent accidents before they happen and respond instantly if they occur.

Be a frontline lifesaver, become an RNLI lifeguard …

About the role

Please note: Due to the amount of interest in our vacancies this year, we are currently only seeking applications for Seasonal contracts (not casual work). This could be full, or part time work. Full time work is up to 40 hours per week.  Part time hours would ideally be 2 to 3 full days per week as a minimum.

Our lifeguards:

Help people stay safe while they enjoy the beach, sharing safety advice with beach goers to help prevent incidents before they happen. 95% of the work is preventative.

Deal with first aid incidents and missing/found persons.

Provide a rescue response to anyone seen to be in difficulty.

The job varies depending on where you're working. We cover more than 240 beaches around the UK and the Channel Islands, from busy resort beaches to semi-rural surf beaches, every beach has its own characteristics and challenges. Lifeguards operate from static beach lifeguard units with mobile patrols. Rescue boards and tubes are the most commonly used pieces of lifesaving equipment but, depending on the beach, lifeguards may also use ATVs (all-terrain vehicles or quad bikes), four-wheel drives, RWCs (rescue watercrafts or jet skis) and IRBs (inshore rescue boats).

There are four different levels of lifeguard, from newly qualified right through to senior lifeguard. We’ll provide you with the skills, training and development opportunities to help you progress as you gain experience. At all levels, you’ll learn valuable skills for your future career, at the RNLI or elsewhere.

Our Grade 1 opportunities are for those starting their career on the beach. You will work as a lifeguard under supervision. You are not required to have any prior lifesaving experience.

Our Grade 2 opportunities are for those who have previously fulfilled the role of a lifeguard, with a minimum of 300 operational hours experience. You will have some knowledge of the beach and surf environment, with good observation and communication skills.

For both roles you must be of school leaving age.

More information on each specific role, the associated responsibilities and the skills, knowledge, behaviours, and prior experience you will need to apply can be found in the downloads section.   

About you

At times challenging and always rewarding, no two days are the same. To be an RNLI lifeguard you will need:

• to be focused, vigilant and proactive
• to be approachable, someone who enjoys meeting people and helping them stay safe
• to be professional, with excellent people and rescue skills
• to be over school leaving age. If you’re under 18 years old, we welcome your application, just bear in mind a couple of things: you will need to have parental permission and some locations have fewer posts available to under-18s because of our safeguarding commitment
• to hold a National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ), ILS Beach/Surf Lifeguard award or equivalent. In the UK, most NVBLQs are obtained through the RLSS UK (Royal Life Saving Society UK), SLS GB (Surf Life Saving GB) and SLS Wales (Surf Life Saving Wales). You can check ILS equivalency tables for equivalent overseas qualifications
• to pass a fitness and competency test as well as health and eyesight checks, as the job can be physically demanding.

If you do not yet hold a relevant beach lifeguard qualification you can still apply, but please include in your application how you plan to obtain a qualification.

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Rigorous checks will be undertaken of the successful applicants’ background credentials including an enhanced DBS check. Suitability to work with children may be explored at interview.

If you meet the above requirements and have a passion for helping others through supervision, education, and rescue, we’d love to have you on our team this season!

Please note: due to the numbers of applications we receive to some of our lifeguard areas, we reserve the right to close vacancies before the given closing date, so if you are interested in being considered, apply today!

Please find below indicative season dates for the area for the up-and-coming season:

You will be required to attend an induction prior to the commencement of the season. Induction options and dates may be discussed at interview.

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; ensuring the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.  We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero tolerance approach to proven incidents of bullying, abuse, harassment  or exploitation.  The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for nearly 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.