Toronto Parks and Recreation

A great experience. While my days were long and I sometimes worked entire weekends along with weekdays, it's a wonderful community and the pay was good. I would recommend this job if you enjoy interacting with people (and if you would like to become an instructor, you enjoy working with children as well) because that is what you are doing the entire workday. Additionally, you should be at least a somewhat strong swimmer, as you will often need to tread water for long periods of time as you teach. 

My coworkers were friendly and the supervisors were largely understanding. One downside was that both this year and last year, I've had difficulty taking time off, even if it was a couple hours. Many of my coworkers were put in difficult situations when they needed to go to doctor's appointments or wanted to go on a break, but couldn't find anyone available to take time off and cover for their shifts. If you're planning on going on a break, you should let your supervisor know far, far ahead of time so you can ensure you get coverage.

My usual workday, as a swim instructor, started at 9:00 AM and went until 7:30 PM, with a 2-hour break in between. I usually taught about 12 classes each day, most of them children age 3-12, but also some adults and older children, and also spent an hour or two guarding lane swim or specialized classes. I spent time in the water with younger or less experienced students, and out of the water with older ones, so I wasn't swimming the entire time. Other types of shifts started at 1:30 PM and went until 9:00 PM, or at 6:00 AM until 2:00 PM, with a 30-minute break.

If you're thinking of working as a swim instructor, here is some advice:
1) Get a clarifying shampoo or one that is targeted towards chlorinated hair, to reduce the damage the pool water does.
2) Memorize your lesson plan so you don't have to take it everywhere you go.
3) When you yell, cup your hands around your mouth to amplify your voice. It seems simple but it saved my throat a lot of strain in the echoing pool area.
4) If you have sensitive skin and experience any rashes from irritation (from your swimsuit and/or the pool water), Vaseline works wonders.
5) Have fun! Your students can be frustrating at the worst, but entertaining and memorable at the best. And always try your best to help even the worst swimmers improve a little.

Toronto Parks & Recreation offers a wide variety of fitness activities to the public.  As a civic operation their prime concern is the health and wellness of Toronto citizens.  The cost is affordable for people of any means and every effort is made to deliver a variety of quality programming for all age groups.

All class instructors work on a part time basis - 1 or 2 hours at a time.  Working with the supervising facility recreationist ensures that concerns are dealt with as it relates to programming or any situational issues that arise when dealing with the public. 
New ideas for improvement of class structure are encouraged and implemented where practical.  Rewards of the job are seeing improvement in clients' physical health, being able to help those who come to the programs with rehabilitation needs and seeing the same clients return year over year because they experience positive health benefits.

I work as a Leader in the summer camps and march break camps and it is a lot of fun. You meet so many different kinds of children every week so you always have to be aware of each child, their likes dislikes. A typical day at work is filled with fun, games laughter and over a great time for us and the children. The biggest thing I've learned from this job is Patience. Since my camp hosts 6-12 year old Patience is really a virtue. My Location Co-ordinator is really great and very organized. Also my co-worker is a joy to work with and always had my smiling and laughing. The hardest part of my job, like any job, when you have those frustrating days where is seems like everything is annoying you but I had to just stick through it. The most enjoyable part of my job is when I hear the children saying to their parents that they want to come back next week or when they make something special for use when they can't come back for another week.

great people, very rewarding, challenged me to think on my feet and become a leader of a large group
3 hours a day leading a team of 40 kids and 3 leaders through homework, games, snack, crafts
Many problems come up and things don't go according to schedule and have to respond to changes immediately
must always keep safety and needs of young children a priority
seek to be educational and encouraging participation and growth and friendship
hardest part of the job: kids not wanting to participate, starting fights, parents not satisfied
most enjoyable part of the job: seeing kids from underprivileged neighborhoods feel like they are important, smart, fun and worthy of high quality care and friendship.

The objective of a regular day at work is to keep the children happy and entertained. 
Each week you are given a different group of kids to work with, leaving you with infinite number of group dynamics. 
With that being said the job gives you opportunities to many different types of camps (i.e. Dance, musical theater, and science camps)
This job has taught me patience, has developed my organizational skills, creativity, and adaptability. 
Workplace environment is great, not only are the children able to keep you going, but as well as the staff.

While working with the city of Toronto I have learned a lot about how to manage a work life and school life. Management always made life easier by staying on task, so I didn't have to worry about pay stubs, available shifts etc. The most enjoyable thing about working with the city is all the families and new people you meet. the flexibility of the programs allows for so many opportunities for Toronto youth and adults to get them more involved with their community.

This is a great starter job. This job has a great fun environment. Some positions you get to travel from school to school running rec programs. If you work hard you can move up quick. Started Hours are Low But working hard and showing that you are a great asset helps!! I moved up pretty quickly. I had amazing supervisors, youth workers, volunteers and staff working a long side me.

My day would start at 8am or on some days 9am. I learned to be focused and organized, management wasnt the best but they were always around supervising and overlooking our classes. My co-workers were fun nd energetic for the most part. The hardest part of my job was seeing a child get hurt intentionally. The most enjoyable part of my job is teaching and seeing the positive responses from my kids.

Working at Ellesmere sports camp is the best job ever. I get to work with kids, make conversation, have fun and stay active all at the same time. Working with the children at Ellesmere brightens me up, lifts my spirits and helps me get through my day. The children are so loving and compassionate.

I have been volunteering in different  programs which included and incorporated multi-multiculturalism.also worked for the Toronto parks and recreation the women cultural group and Toronto food and hunger program

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