Meet the Team

EXPERIENCE
40+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
Train the Trainer (Multi Disciplines)
Educator
Aquatics
Disability swimming
Lifesaving
First Aid
Health & Safety

Education and training are in my DNA, I thrive on sharing my knowledge and experience with others, helping them to be the best they can be. Since qualifying in my first Aquatic Qualification at the age of 16 I witnessed the impact of teaching young people and adults a life skill in swimming which they carry for life. This started my drive to ensure this continued and further my qualifications to train others initially through my senior management role in the leisure industry, then as a lecturer in Further and Higher Education and now with Skilltime Training Academy working with a fantastic team of Tutors who, like me, live to deliver to our learners’ high-quality Training for Life.

EXPERIENCE
20+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
Baby & Pre-school
Disability Swimming
Aquatic Teaching

I am a motivated, enthusiastic person with a strong passion for delivering quality training. I get great satisfaction out of passing on my knowledge and experience to others and I love nothing more than helping learners achieve their goals and it's so rewarding seeing the end results.

EXPERIENCE
10+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic Tutoring
Social Media and Marketing

For someone who hated swimming as a young child, I have made an exciting and rewarding career for myself in the swimming industry. Straight out of school I went on to become a lifeguard, later qualified as a swimming teacher and now I teach others to do the same and run my own swimming school franchise.

Having a passion for educating and training with a pro-active mindset, time management skills and the ability to adapt under pressure are key to being a successful and effective tutor. I always strive to use a variety of activities and a bespoke teaching approach to best fit the needs of the individual when I teach using these skills to help me do so.

My favourite thing about being a tutor is watching learners achieve their goals and knowing that I'm making a difference and I always love to bring this level of value to the individual and to the industry when they go on to perform to the high standards I have taught them.

I draw inspiration from every single swimming teacher I come across who shares their story with me. They always have such valuable insights that I can use to teach and inspire others beginning their careers in the industry.

EXPERIENCE
10+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
First Aid
Paediatric First Aid
Pool Lifeguard
Safeguarding

I started out in this industry as a pool lifeguard and have worked up to be a duty manager running a leisure facility. I have always valued first aid as a lifesaving skill from delivering CPR myself and saving a life. I enjoy teaching my family the importance of first aid and I believe that, even at a young age, you can help save lives.

I believe it takes passion, being a good communicator and wanting to make a positive difference in people's lives to be a successful tutor. I have a wealth of life experience and stories to share to help make the learning journey unique and impactful for all my learners.

I enjoy being a tutor because I am passionate about what I teach and by giving someone the skills, training and knowledge to proceed with confidence, the impact that can have on so many is immeasurable.

I am inspired by Skilltime Director, Joan O'Sullivan. Her guidance, training and support taught me how to be a trainer assessor and become the tutor I am today. My goal is to do for others what she did for me.

EXPERIENCE
30+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
Personal development
Aquatics tutoring

I qualified as a preliminary teacher at the age of 16 whilst also competing and coaching until I was 24. Life took me on a different route for 30 years where I worked in HR but made the decision to complete my swimming teacher training in 2018 and become a tutor in 2022.

Sharing my knowledge and experience to others and watching learners grow and develop, which gives them satisfaction, gives ME satisfaction. This is why I enjoy being a tutor. I have over 30 years experience in training and 47 years experience in swimming so I believe I am in a strong position to be able to help people unlock their potential and their desire to progress, personally and professionally.

Being able to listen, be understanding and supportive whilst maintaining professionalism and great organisation skills is an integral part of being an effective tutor.

EXPERIENCE
25+ years in leisure, 15+ years in teaching and tutoring

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic tutoring
Lifesaving
Pool plant operator
First Aid

Tutoring and teaching for over 15 years I enjoy helping others learn while watching their confidence and development grow. As a lifeguard and lifesaving tutor I worked in a Leisure Centre where I became the Pool Manager. I then qualified as a Swimming Instructor, so I understood their role and could use that to support and develop a competent and trained workforce delivering high quality tutoring and teaching. I deliver all levels of courses and now strive to educate others.

I have a desire to support others in achieving their dreams by helping them take the steps needed to get where they want to be.

I do what I do because of the support of the generation before me who have nurtured me to grow and develop my own skills, draw on my experience and build my confidence. I enjoy supporting and developing learners to do the same; growing in confidence and gain the qualifications they want to have.

I bring a personal touch to the courses I deliver; course content is set but the way deliver it and the passion we put into it is up to us and I am always looking for different strategies as I know everybody learns in different ways.

EXPERIENCE
6 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Baby and pre-school
Child development

I love teaching baby and pre-school lessons, engaging a life long love of water through themed play based lessons. I started out as a primary school teacher for ten years before having a family and retrained as a swimming teacher in 2018. I decided to put my teaching degree to good use and became an aquatic tutor because I saw a huge need for swimming teachers.

To be an effective tutor you have to be able to listen to your learners, be flexible and enthusiastic about what you're teaching and they way you teach it and be approachable.

I'm a swimming teacher as well as a tutor and the children I teach in my every day swimming lessons inspire me to create engaging lessons and this filters into my tutoring. I have always drawn inspiration from my high school biology teacher who made all her lessons so memorable, and that is key for optimal learning.

I enjoy seeing people learn and grow and helping them achieve their goals. There's nothing like seeing the pride on someone's face when the accomplish something.

I bring expertise and fun to my courses to provide a unique learning experience for everyone.

EXPERIENCE
20+ years

SPECIALISM(S)
Pool Plant Management
Disability Swimming
First Aid at Work
Fire Marshal
Manual Handling

I am currently a tutor of six different disciplines across multiple activities. I first became qualified in 2002 as a pool lifeguard and went on to qualify in swimming teaching and first aid at work. I became a tutor so I could pass on my knowledge and skills to others and I have a keen interest in learning new things.

You have to be passionate about the subject you are teaching and able to pour that same passion into the people you are teaching. I enjoy being able to pass on my knowledge and skills to others so that they can move forward in their training journeys and this is what makes for an impactful tutor.

There has been one particular person who has inspired me throughout my whole career, encouraging me to do different tutoring and expand my professional toolkit. They have given me the confidence, guidance and advice to continue and continue to grow.

EXPERIENCE
18 years

SPECIALISM(S)
First aid
Pool plant management
Disability swimming
Teaching adults

I am very passionate about water safety and helping others learn. I started out as a lifeguard and moved into swim teaching and coaching a range of sports over the years. I have managed leisure facilities, project managed a full pool refurbishment, tutored pool lifeguard courses and achieved a Bachelor's degree in Sports Studies and IT. I have managed and grown my Swimtime franchise since 2005.

I am extremely passionate about what I teach and I believe that this, along with being extremely knowledgeable and approachable, is what makes for an effective tutor.

I loved swimming from a very young age and seeing the difference we can make to others by imparting our knowledge and experience onto them is hugely inspiring to me.

I enjoy seeing new swimming teachers, first aiders and high quality teachers, delivering education to a high standard because I know it has such an impact on the learners, the teachers and the industry to have such valuable assets.

EXPERIENCE
8 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic teaching

Being an effective tutor means being adaptable, passionate, confident, organised, professional and open minded. Whilst I am new to tutoring I have been a swimming teacher for 8 years and I always strive to bring these qualities into my teaching, whether it's in the pool or in the classroom.

I love teaching in a fun and engaging way, seeing people developing and the impact that has on their confidence which in turn impacts the way they then teach. It becomes a ripple effect and I love knowing that what I teach has the potential to positively impact so many others.

My colleagues and the journey of progression and the confidence it gives people in themselves is what inspires me to do what I do.

EXPERIENCE
6 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic teaching

I am just starting out on my tutoring journey, however, I want to be able to share my love for swimming and the water to, not only the children I teach day to day, but future generations of swimming teachers just starting out in their careers.

I know that to do this I will have to be adaptable, informative, enthusiastic and passionate about what I'm teaching as that is what will make me a successful and effective tutor. I look forward to being able to demonstrate this in my future courses and work to constantly improve myself, as well as my students, as I like to hone my own skills regularly.

EXPERIENCE
8 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic teaching

To be an effective tutor you need to know what you're talking about, be encouraging, be organised and to provide support for all your learners.

Everybody has a different pool of experience to share and I enjoy sharing mine. It's so rewarding to teach others and keeping people active so tutoring swimming teachers is ideal for me.

I've always enjoyed swimming and have been inspired by swimming coaches, the team of teachers I work with and my management who have always encouraged and supported me to progress and grow. I now get to do the same for others and hope to help develop the next generation of swimming teachers who will continue to pay it forward.

EXPERIENCE
8 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic teaching

Organisation, experience, patience, enthusiasm, knowledge and people skills. These are vital skills for an effective tutor and are qualities I have observed in my fellow tutors during my training. I strive to bring these skills to my own teaching practices to provide the best learning experiences I possibly can.

I am new to tutoring but have been a swimming teacher for many years and, through this and through assisting other tutors on their courses, I have come to value and draw inspiration from seeing others grow and accomplish new things in a short space of time. I am happy to be part of the process and some key learning milestones in people's journeys.

EXPERIENCE
6 years

SPECIALISM(S)
Aquatic tutoring

Being in a position to share the skills of my passion to others and provide a positive impact on their learning/career journey is the reason I love being a tutor.

Providing people opportunities, which in turn passes on important life skills to others is a very inspiring feeling for me; knowing that having a small, positive impact on one person can spread to a wider positive impact on the community.

Having worked my way up I understand that to be an effective tutor I need to be approachable and understanding, flexible in my teaching methods and provide a learning environment that all learners can thrive in.