New Instructor, Same Goal: Navigating Instructor Transitions

We know that when families think about what impacts their swimmer’s experience, their instructor is often at the very top of the list. We see that in conversations with families, and we’ve seen it reflected in responses to our annual parent survey. 

And honestly? We get it. 

When your child connects with an instructor - someone who knows how to make them laugh, when to push them, when to slow down, what skills they’ve been working toward, and exactly how proud they were when they finally mastered something - it’s completely understandable to want that relationship to continue forever. 

We wish we could promise that, too. 

The reality of swim instruction, though, is that instructor transitions are an inevitable part of our industry. Swim instructors are overwhelmingly young adults, often teaching while attending high school or college. Eventually, they graduate, their schedules change, they begin careers, move away, or simply enter a different stage of life. Industry-wide, the average swim instructor stays in the role for approximately two years. 

At PPA, we’re incredibly fortunate to have several experienced swim professionals who have made aquatics a part of their careers. That level of long-term experience is unusual in learn-to-swim programs, and their impact extends far beyond the swimmers they personally teach. Our experienced instructors and leaders play an important role in training, mentoring, and supporting newer instructors, allowing years of knowledge and experience to spread throughout our entire teaching team. 

That doesn't mean a brand-new instructor and an instructor with ten years of experience are exactly the same. Experience matters. But an instructor being newer does not mean your swimmer has suddenly stopped receiving a quality swim education. 

Change is Part of Learning Too 

Think about your child’s experience at school. They may spend every weekday for an entire school year with a teacher they absolutely adore and then the next year, they get a new one. 

That transition can be bittersweet. But it is also a normal and valuable part of growing up. 

Children learn that they can build relationships with new adults. They learn to communicate with different personalities and adapt to different teaching styles. They discover that there is more than one way to learn something. 

Swimming is no different. 

A swimmer may absolutely miss an instructor they loved and then discover something wonderful about the next one. Maybe their new instructor explains a skill in a way that suddenly clicks. Maybe they challenge them differently. Maybe they bring out confidence we haven't seen before. Maybe the swimmer who really didn't want to work on butterfly suddenly finds themselves loving it. 

Every instructor brings different strengths, experiences, personalities, and perspectives to the pool. A transition can be challenging, but it can also be an opportunity. 

Making Transitions as Seamless as Possible 

While transitions are inevitable, how we manage them matters. 

Our ideal transition includes one to two weeks of overlap, allowing an incoming instructor to shadow the current instructor before taking over a class. This gives swimmers an opportunity to meet their new teacher while someone familiar is still there, and it allows the incoming instructor to observe each swimmer’s skills, personality, learning style, and current goals. 

When we're able to do this, it works wonderfully. 

Unfortunately, it isn't always possible. Sometimes an instructor’s circumstances change quickly. Sometimes we receive less notice than we would prefer. Sometimes finding the right instructor whose availability matches a particular class takes time. We cannot promise that every transition will happen under perfect circumstances, but we can continue working to make every transition better. 

That's also why our swimmer progress tracking systems are so important. Instructors document skill progression so that information about your swimmer doesn't disappear when their instructor changes. A new instructor shouldn't have to start from scratch to figure out what your child can do, what they're working toward, or what comes next. 

We've also heard through family feedback that consistency in this process matters. That's something we're continuing to reinforce with our teaching team: progress tracking only works when we use it thoroughly and consistently.  

The Instructor May Change. The Curriculum Doesn't. 

One of the biggest advantages of learning to swim within a structured program is that your child's education doesn't belong to one individual instructor. 

Our instructors teach from the same curriculum. They receive training and ongoing support. They work alongside experienced aquatics professionals. Their swimmers' progress is documented. And our leadership team remains available to support both instructors and families when something isn't working. 

We will always welcome feedback when a transition doesn't feel successful. Sometimes a swimmer needs a little time to adjust. Sometimes an instructor may need additional information or coaching. And occasionally, an instructor and swimmer simply aren't the right fit - and we want to know that, too. 

What we can't promise is that your swimmer will have the same instructor forever. 

What we can promise is that instructor transitions are something we think about, prepare for, and continue working to improve. We can promise that a change in instructor doesn't change our goals for your swimmer. And we can help children learn something valuable beyond freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly: 

The person teaching you may change, but you are still capable of learning, adapting, building new relationships, and succeeding. 

That's a pretty important skill – both in an out of the water.