300 LIFEGUARD JOBS AVAILABLE WITH CITY

Beach and Pool Openings; Pays $12.55 Hourly; All Full-Time Jobs; Swimming, Vision Tests Required

The Parks Department continues testing for Lifeguard jobs available at city beaches and pools through the end of May.

The city plans to recruit and train 1,200 Lifeguards in time for the summer season, which begins Memorial Day weekend. Many of these positions will be filled with returning personnel, but the city is still looking to hire between 250 and 300 new Lifeguards.

Where Jobs Are

The starting salary for first-year Lifeguards is $12.55 an hour. New hires will likely be assigned to work at pools in Manhattan and Brooklyn and at the Rockaway and Coney Island beaches. All positions available are full-time, requiring 48 hours and six days a week.

To qualify, candidates must be at least 16 years old and pass a rigorous performance test that includes swimming 50 yards in 35 seconds. Candidates must also have a minimum of 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/40 in the other without glasses or contact lenses.

The site for all testing and instruction is the Parks Lifeguard School, located at 533 West 59th St. in Manhattan. The test times are 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Advance reservations are not needed.

A listing of other testing sites available in the city's different boroughs is posted on the Parks Department Web site, www.nyc.gov/parks. Further information is also available by calling 311.

40-Hour Training Course

All candidates who meet the above qualifications must participate in a free 40-hour Municipal Lifeguard Training Program, lasting two weeks. Once hired, employees will be compensated for their training time. The instruction covers basic rescue techniques, swimming skills, CPR, and first aid. Training also includes lessons on approaches to spinal injury management. Courses are expected to be given until the end of May, but may be extended based on demand.

After successfully completing the course, candidates must pass a swimming test. To work at beaches, candidates must be able to swim 440 yards in 6 minutes and 40 seconds. For pools, they must swim that distance in 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Candidates must bring a bathing suit, a towel and a combination lock or padlock for a locker. Goggles are optional.

Returning candidates need only take the swimming test.

The beaches are scheduled to open for swimming on May 24, and the pools open at the end of June. The season will end after Labor Day. The city has seven beaches and 52 outdoor pools.