I want to work at a summer day camp in canada next summer as a lifeguard or swim instructor, must i get a new certification?
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Besides the issues that would accompany working in another country (visa, taxes, etc.) you will likely require to re-certify in Canada. Canada's standards for lifeguarding are regulated by the Lifesaving Society (www.lifesavingsociety.com), and rumour has it that our standards are a little higher than the ARC standards. Because you are certified under the ARC, you will need to take the course, but I would see if you can just take a re-certification course (in lieu of the full 5+ day course). Swim instruction is also a little different here. I'm not 100% sure how the transition would work, but it would definitely depend on who you are certified to teach with. There are a number of organizations that are used to teach swim lessons and it depends on your place of employment (Lifesaving Society, Canadian Red Cross, YMCA, etc.). If they use the Canadian Red Cross, you might be OK with an ARC instruction certification. The best thing you can do is ask your employer. They might have standards that require full certification (as most do), however there are some summer camps that only require "Lifesavers" to be on duty (anyone with the equivalent of a Bronze Cross Lifesaving Society certification). Oh - one more thing. Check to see if you can be certified with the International Lifesaving Society. It might be worth the time to get an international lifeguarding license; you might get lucky in trying to re-certify from ARC to Lifesaving Society.
