Protective Service · Holland code RSC
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes, to provide assistance and protection to participants.
Also called: Lifeguard, Ocean Lifeguard, Pool Attendant, Ski Patroller, Beach Attendant, Beach Lifeguard, Marine Safety Officer, Ocean Lifeguard Specialist.
O*NET 33-9092.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $33,580
- Middle half earn $28,880 to $37,520. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma
- 39% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Patrol or monitor recreational areas, such as trails, slopes, or swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.
- Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment.
- Contact emergency medical personnel in case of serious injury.
- Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
- Warn recreational participants of inclement weather, unsafe areas, or illegal conduct.
- Maintain quality of pool water by testing chemical levels.
- Complete and maintain records of weather and beach conditions, emergency medical treatments performed, and other relevant incident information.
- Observe activities in assigned areas, using binoculars, to detect hazards, disturbances, or safety infractions.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Monitoring3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.5 / 5
- Active Listening3.1 / 5
- Learning Strategies3.1 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.6 / 5
- English Language3.5 / 5
- Education and Training3.1 / 5
- Medicine and Dentistry3.0 / 5
- Psychology3.0 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic88
- Investigative23
- Artistic0
- Social54
- Enterprising31
- Conventional41
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- lifeguard instructor · DE Rettungsschwimmer-Ausbilder/Rettungsschwimmer-Ausbilderin · FR instructeur de maîtres-nageurs sauveteurs/instructrice de maîtres-nageurs sauveteurs
- leisure attendant · DE Sportassistent/Sportassistentin · FR animateur sportif polyvalent/animatrice sportive polyvalente
- coastguard watch officer · DE Beamter/Beamtin der Küstenwache · FR garde-côte
- emergency response worker · DE Mitarbeiter im Katastrophenschutz/Mitarbeiterin im Katastrophenschutz · FR équipier secouriste d’urgence/équipière secouriste d’urgence
- life guard · DE Rettungsschwimmer/Rettungsschwimmerin · FR sauveteur/sauveteuse
- rescue diver · DE Bergungstaucher/Bergungstaucherin · FR plongeur secouriste/plongeuse secouriste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Police community support officers (6311)11,800 employed
- Parking and civil enforcement occupations (6312)11,800 employed
- Sports coaches, instructors and officials (3432)124,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €32,957 |
| Sweden | €32,596 |
| Netherlands | €29,198 |
| Austria | €29,068 |
| Germany | €27,471 |
| Ireland | €26,978 |
| Italy | €24,995 |
| France | €24,971 |
| Spain | €18,303 |
| Portugal | €10,656 |
| Poland | €7,579 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.47. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-9092).
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