San Clemente : Job Applicants Will Get Into the Swim of Things

If you run like a gazelle, swim like a fish, enjoy being in the sun and just happen to be looking for summer work, the City of San Clemente might have just what you’re looking for.

On Saturday and Sunday, tryouts for summer lifeguard jobs will be held at the rebuilt San Clemente Pier.

Larry Moore, lifeguard lieutenant, said tryouts consist of a two-part test. Applicants will first run 200 yards, then dive into the surf to swim 600 yards, then run another 200 yards. The entire course must be completed in about 15 minutes, “depending on the surf and the weather,” Moore said.

Applicants who successfully complete the physical test will undergo a short oral interview, he said. The top 10 to 15 candidates will be selected for lifeguard training, which consists of 56 hours of instruction in rescue techniques, first aid, radio operation, crowd control and law enforcement, Moore said.

After completing training, the successful applicants will be placed on waiting lists for the full-time positions, which will be filled in mid-June. Lifeguards work 40 hours a week at a starting pay of $7.26 an hour. In addition, the city will supply everything needed to do the job. “We supply our lifeguards with trunks, hats, shirts and all the sunscreen they will ever need,” Moore said.

Tryouts begin at 9 a.m. both mornings, and prospective applicants are required to have a valid California driver’s license.