HOUSTON — If you're an excellent swimmer and looking to make some extra money this summer, the City of Houston wants you.
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department is offering a $500 incentive bonus to trained lifeguards willing to work all summer. The first $250 in incentive money will be paid after completing two full weeks on the job. The last $250 will come at the end of the summer.
The lifeguard job pays $16 an hour; $18 for a head lifeguard with at least six months of experience; or $20 for an aquatic center supervisor with a minimum of nine months of experience.
City of Houston lifeguard job requirements
- Must be at least 16 years of age on or before March 31.
- Must pass standard lifeguard swim evaluation
- Must apply online at houstontx.gov/hr/careers
- Must pass American Red Cross lifeguard training offered/approved by HPARD Aquatic Administration
- Must pass a physical examination, drug test and criminal background check
- Must have reliable transportation
If you're qualified, you can call the City's Aquatics Office at 832-395-7129 to schedule a swim evaluation.
2022 lifeguard shortage
Last summer, a shortage of lifeguards kept several City of Houston pools closed. Only 12 of its 37 pools were open in early June because of the shortage.
Leroy Maura, the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Aquatic Supervisor, said finding people like Ocegueda have become few and far between.
“For the first time in the last two years, we've had very much an issue with lifeguarding and keeping guards on board and even recruiting guards," Leroy Maura, the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Aquatic Supervisor, told us last year.
Maura said they usually recruit about 180 lifeguards each summer but they only had about 40 hired by the first week in June. The city is hoping the incentive bonus will help attract more applicants this summer.