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Help Wanted: PC MARC lifeguards and day camp counselors

A brown building with yellow and red cyclist sculptures outside
Park City Municipal Corporation

There is unprecedented demand for children’s camps and programs this summer and the Park City Recreation Department is looking for a lot of teens who want to earn some spending money and help keep the pools open.

Assistant Park City Recreation Director Tate Shaw says they cannot keep up with the demand of local kids who have signed up for day camp and swimming programs.

“We're really primarily seeking that seasonal employee, that high school age employee for camps, for skateboard instructors, for our skateboard camp, for our summer day camp counselors, for our adventure camp counselors, for our tennis instructors, for our lifeguards,” Shaw explained. “And you know, the big one is specifically for our lifeguarding staff due to the state licensing as required by code, to have to have a lifeguard on duty at all times.”

The problem he says isn’t that so many more kids have registered for the camps and programs this summer, it’s that they don’t have nearly the number of job applicants that they’ve had in previous years.

“That being the case, you know, our summer day camp is sold out, our adventure camp programs are already sold out. And trying to find staff is a little bit of a challenge. The pool --we're about 16 lifeguards short from what we would like to have in order to offer what the needs of the community want for open pool hours.

If they don’t get the number of lifeguards they need, he says they will have to reduce pool hours. But he wants teens to know that they offer very flexible scheduling and will even pay for the lifeguard training.

I know there's many who probably are like, oh, I've got a summer vacation, or oh, I don't want to work 40 hours, or I've got summer practices for sports. We can work around all of that. We've got shorter shifts that we can plan around, even some fewer days can be encouraged for people to apply. And then additionally, some of the certifications that are required, we're actually reimbursing people for their lifeguard certification course if they apply and go through that course.”

Teens who are interested in getting lifeguard certified must be willing to go through the training that takes more than 25 hours. Applicants must be at least 15 years old–be able to swim 300 yards, continuously tread water for two minutes using only their legs, complete a timed, water rescue and be able to exit the pool without a ladder or steps. Certification must be renewed every two years.

Shaw says they’re also looking for swim instructors who must be at least14, day camp counselors must be 16 and skateboard instructors. The pay ranges between $12 and $18 an hour. Besides being a fun place to work, Shaw says other benefits include an end of season bonus, facility passes to the MARC, as well as discounts to the ice rink and golf course.