
Kickstart your career with the RNLI in Somerset this summer
The RNLI is looking for new lifeguards to join the team for the 2023 season patrolling the three beaches around Burnham-on-Sea.
The charity is encouraging anybody interested to sign up to a free lifeguard course which will run at the end of May.
Lifeguarding is an incredibly rewarding role that changes lives and can open the door to many future career options. Lifeguards not only rescue those in difficulty in the water, they also provide vital beach first-aid and safety advice to ensure visitors can return home safely. Last summer, lifeguards saved children being blown offshore in inflatables, came to the aid of paddleboarders and gave lifesaving CPR on beaches among the thousands of incidents they attended across the UK.
The RNLI is running a six day lifeguard course on the north Somerset coast during Whitsun week (30th May to 4th June) to train the next round of lifesavers to patrol beaches in the county. Successful applicants who pass the course will have the opportunity to join the RNLI and receive world-class lifesaving training, enjoy good rates of pay, the possibility of flexible working patterns and develop valuable skills for a future career in whichever sector they wish.
Matt Whitley, RNLI Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for North Devon and Somerset, says; ‘Beach lifeguarding is a great opportunity and a very rewarding role that changes lives – including your own – all whilst enjoying the beach as your office.
‘Our lifeguards range from teenagers all the way up to lifesavers in their 70s, as long as you meet the fitness requirements and you are over 16 years old, there could be a role for you.
‘The job also has great paths for progression - we have lifeguards who have been working for the RNLI for years, both on the beach and as part of our support teams, and the skills you gain can make an ideal first step towards many careers. It’s a great opportunity whether you want a rewarding summer job or to pursue a career in lifesaving.’
The course will run at Burnham-on-Sea beach daily from 30th May to 4th June and allow people to gain their National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification, needed to work as a lifeguard on UK beaches.
Only those people interested in working on the beaches around Burnham-on-Sea will be accepted on the course. A minimum standard of swimming fitness (400m pool swim in under eight minutes) must be met in order to secure a place on the course, and prospective candidates will be subject to a prior screening process to assess this. The course cost will be covered by the RNLI.
For more information on the lifeguard course and joining the lifeguard team in Somerset, please contact Matt Whitley on: 07817 619782 or email [email protected]
RNLI media contacts
For more information contact Emma Haines, Regional Media Officer on 07786 668847 or [email protected]. Alternatively, please contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or [email protected].
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.