Discussions

What does everything think about the difference in pay between the lifeguards that are employed by the Y vs the Sportsplex.  
 
The Y has a job posting up for lifeguard positions that offer $11.75 / hour, plus you get a free gym membership.  
 
The Sportsplex has a Head Lifeguard posting offering $21.84 / hour. Since this is a 'Head' position, we can assume that a regular lifeguard at the Plex would be offered slightly less at.... $16.00 per hour??  
 
That's quite a gap in pay for the same job position/responsibilities/training.  
 
Not looking to bash anyone one way or the other, just an observation and interested in what everyone thinks about it.  
 
Where would you rather work? Somewhere where you get a free gym membership or somewhere where you get a higher hourly wage?  
 
 

I would rather somewhere with a higher hourly wage. With one shift alone you could pay for one months worth of a gym member shift just with the wage difference. Not worth the lower wage, but supposed that is how the ymca keeps their membership affordable for families.

First of all, we don't know that the lifeguard wage at the S'plex is higher, that's an assumption on your part. There are other factors that could cause the difference, what are the job duties/responsibilities at each place? Maybe the lifeguards at the S'plex have more responsibilities, maybe they have a higher swimmer to guard ratio. Who knows?

A young neighbor used to work as a guard at the sportsplex and says the wage for a guard is certainly not 16.00/hr. He thought it would be more in the range of 12-13 for a new guard. They are often also required to teach classes but that is likely the case at the Y also.

As a Lifeguard for the SportsPlex, applications for other positions within the city are moved to the top of the stack.  
 
Would the gym membership be used sufficiently to make a viable "perk." If it sits idle, then it should not really be included in the calculations.  
 
Who is the supervisor? This could make or break employment as better pay does not compensate for the stress caused.  
 
Transportation is another factor as the Y is two blocks from the main bus centre whereas the SportsPlex has lost its bus stop and the nearest is 500 metres I believe. So a vehicle might be a significant factor in the decision. What are the employee parking arrangement at the Y.  
 
 
 
 
 
Edited by katwalk1909, 2016-03-24 19:12:05