Associate Membership & Licensing

Swim Ireland offers membership and insurance cover to its certified teachers and coaches. The insurance coverage is provided under the auspices of Swim Ireland through the Institute Of Swimming (IOS) in the UK Swim Ireland operates, administers and manages the scheme in Ireland. This insurance is renewed on an annual basis.

Candidates who hold a certificate are covered only within the role of their certificate for insurance purposes and they must act within that role to ensure insurance coverage.

Where a teacher operates outside the remit of their role the insurance is null and void. Teachers and Coaches are only insured to teach and coach within the parameters of the Teaching and Coaching syllabus that they have certificated qualifications in.

There is no insurance coverage with the I.O.S. for any person teaching who has no Swim Ireland accredited qualification (or who has not undertaken the equivalency procedure).

In order to hold Swim Ireland Associate Membership you must:

1. Be 16-80 years of age
2. Hold current Garda Vetting/Access NI (depending on jurisdiction) through Swim Ireland (within the last 3 years)
3. Hold a current Sport Ireland/Sport Northern Ireland Safeguarding certificate (within the last 4 years)
4. Hold a relevant teaching/coaching certificate

To apply for insurance you must do so through the Swim Ireland Membership Database, the cost of which is €80.00 or £60.00 per year.

Licensing is mandatory for all Swim Ireland affiliated club registered Coaches and Teachers. Your Swim Ireland Teacher/Coach license will remain valid for 1 year and every year Swim Ireland Teachers and Coaches will be required to renew their license, by following the mandatory criteria.

Licensing information for newly qualified Teachers and Coaches

In recognition of the training that Teachers and Coaches have undertaken to gain their qualification, and to make it easier for them to obtain a Swim Ireland License, all new Teachers and Coaches (qualifications gained from 1st January 2013) will be allowed a 6-month period of grace (from the achievement date of the qualification as indicated on the certificate) in which to apply for their License, without having to attend the normally required Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Seminars.

This means that a newly-qualified Swim Ireland Teacher or Coach is required to have the following:

• Swim Ireland Associate or Club Membership
• Read and accept the Teacher/Coach Code of Conduct on the Swim Ireland Membership Database
• A passport sized ID photograph uploaded to the membership profile on the Swim Ireland Database
• Vetting through Swim Ireland or Swim Ulster for Access NI (depending on the jurisdiction of where you are operating)
• Sport Ireland/Sport NI Child Protection Training

Any Teachers or Coaches applying for their licence more than 6 months following their course will need to apply via the normal route, and will be required to attend Swim Ireland CPD seminars, or complete Swim Ireland accredited online CPD courses amounting to the 6 points required for their licence.