Summer heat brings cool jobs at water parks, pools

Since the Wet ’n Wild water park on the Las Vegas Strip closed in 2004, Las Vegans have been bone dry in the premier water amenity category. Sure there are some great pools in town. Some have slides that don’t come close to quenching a thrill-seeker’s thirst, but they’ll do in a pinch for an 8-year-old. Now, nine years later, thanks to the vision of a handful of business people, the valley will soon be home to two water parks by Memorial Day weekend.

On deck is the new Wet ’n’ Wild Las Vegas in the southwest valley, owned and operated by Village Roadshow and other investors. The new Wet ’n’ Wild promises plenty of fun for locals. It brings The Constrictor, a multiperson raft slide with corkscrews and some of the tightest turns in the water-slide industry. Also on deck is The Rattler, a 360-foot ride with two “rattles,” or areas where riders are shaken back and forth before being launched into other areas of the slide. Trevor Wilson, marketing director for the park, said locals can also expect some “throwback rides to the old Wet ’n Wild days.”

Shawn Hassett, a principal investor in Cowabunga Bay, set to arrive in Henderson by Memorial Day weekend as well, says there will be plenty of water fun at his park, too. The site, located on 23 acres near Galleria Drive and U.S. 95, will be a ’60s-themed offering that brings Wild Surf, a four-man raft ride that will be the first of its kind in North America, in addition to a 35,000-square-foot wave pool. A mat-racing slide that goes 14 feet below ground is also in the works.

Fun jobs

Both venues are bringing a summer job boost to the valley. Cowabunga Bay expects about 450 new hires while Wet ’n’ Wild should see 350. There will be a variety of positions available, everything from concession stand attendants, managers, janitors, security personnel, kitchen staff to lifeguards and technicians who understand maintenance of large water facilities.

Both say the largest contingent of hires will be lifeguards. Depending on experience and certification levels, these positions tend to range in pay from $9 to $11 an hour, according to a variety of industry sources.

For his 350 positions, Wilson has received 20,000 applications. That figure may not reflect 20,000 actual people, he said, as some may have applied for several positions through its Web page: wetnwildlasvegas.com.

Hassett’s team is starting to take applications right now as well.

Wilson said some of the supervisory or leadership positions will be filled this summer by other Village Roadshow employees — some are coming from the company’s Phoenix water park. These staffers will help with training and guiding the park through its first season. Then next season, local hires will transition into those leadershi p positions.

Hassett, whose management partner is Huish Entertainment Group, which owns a smaller Cowabunga Bay property near Salt Lake City, will take a similar approach this summer. Some supervisory positions will be covered by a few of Huish’s Utah-based employees for the first season.

Wilson said the water park jobs are just as much about having a fun job in the summer as making extra money. But they are not without the potential for career advancement. He remembers his first job at a water park when he was just 15 years old. The temporary position eventually led him into the industry full time. Other Village Roadshow executives have similar stories, he said.

“As Village Roadshow looks to expand, which it constantly is doing, there are always opportunities,” he added.

Next year, both parks will open during spring break, then only on weekends until Memorial Day. They will be open daily during the summer until Labor Day, after which they’ll resume only weekend hours until October.

Resorts

If you can’t find employment at a water park, valley resorts have been hiring seasonal pool help for years. Marvella Smith, director of recruitment for MGM Resorts International, said hiring for its 12-plus pools starts in January. Most training occurs in February for March pool openings. Party pools and day clubs at resorts also need bartenders, cocktail servers, hosts and other help.

MGM Resorts is looking to fill about 700 positions this year. The resort operator saw about 1,000 applicants at its January job fair but is still looking to fill some positions. Smith advised job seekers to visit the company’s website at mgmresortscareers.com and search using the keyword “pool.”

Like the Village Roadshow example, pool jobs are often viewed as an opportunity to get into the company and move up.

“We want people with good personalities, (who) are outgoing, friendly and have a healthy attitude toward guest service,” she said. “It’s a great way to get into the company, learn the culture and apply from within.”

Cherece Vina, employment manager for Caesars Entertainment’s Las Vegas region, sees about 300 seasonal hires each year, and the company is looking to fill a variety of pool-related positions. The list includes lifeguards, pool attendants, bartenders, hosts and even blackjack dealers at its Garden of the Gods pool at Caesars Palace.

“The allure is the opportunity to work on the Las Vegas Strip and you get the opportunity to run into celebrities and cater to high-end guests,” she said.

Customer-service positions such as bartenders, pool servers and others can factor in tips, making it tough to predict the amount of money a person can make.

“It can be an additional $10 an hour and there are some situations where a person could make $300 or $500 in a day,” she added.

Both MGM Resorts and Caesars representatives say this year’s applicant volume was just as strong or stronger than past years, despite what appears to be a rush of applicants at the two water parks.

City pools, certifications

Community pools also bring more summer jobs. Kim Becker, spokeswoman for Henderson’s Parks and Recreation Department, said the city usually has about 150 to 180 lifeguards on staff at its year-round pools, but adds another 300 for the summer when seasonal pools open. The city has 11 pools, seven of which are seasonal.

All positions are part time and pay ranges from $8.57 to $9.64 an hour for lifeguards without a swim instructor certification. All lifeguard positions, regardless of facility, require certification, which involves knowing CPR and knowledge of how to operate an automated external defibrillator , among other skills.

Many applicants get their certifications through a 25-hour Red Cross program that is often offered at some city pools. Las Vegas is offering an April 29 certification class, said Tammy Hawkins, principal aquatics specialist with the city .

With a swim instructor certification, Henderson lifeguard pay advances above $10 an hour. Both Las Vegas and Henderson start hiring for the summer jobs in January and continue until the positions are filled. Both cities still have positions available.

“We have noticed fewer applicants now because, one, the job market has improved, and, two, the new water parks are probably attracting a lot of them,” Becker said.

Hawkins recently hired 10 lifeguards for the high school swim season, which started in late February. The city has five pools, two of which are open year-round and will be adding more lifeguards as the summer approaches. The city will add a sixth pool by 2014, as one site is being renovated and is slated to reopen next year. Like Becker, Hawkins has seen a drop in applicants .

Both cities also have a physical testing portion to their applications. Upon hire, lifeguards are required to do weekly and/or daily training outlined by managers at pool sites.

For Las Vegas, Hawkins said lifeguards must take a written test, demonstrate CPR and pass a swim test that involves swimming freestyle for 200 yards in less than three minutes and 30 seconds. Applicants must also tread water while holding a 10-pound brick and retrieve a 10-pound brick from the bottom of a pool.

Lifeguards must pass a recertification once a year. But Hawkins said the try-out serves as a recertification, too.

City pools are also in need of cashiers and other assistants, as well as pool managers or assistant managers. Las Vegas pool managers make about $13 an hour, Hawkins said. Henderson pool managers will take on assistants at some of the seasonal pools. But the actual managers are full-time, year-round positions that require lifeguard and other experiences and certifications. Full-time pool managers in Henderson make $3,732 a month, while assistant managers make $3,080 per month, Becker said.

Technical positions

Both pool and water park environments also require technical staff that understands how pumps and other mechanical elements of slides, rides and pools work. Hassett said a maintenance manager at Cowabunga will likely be someone who has maintained or worked with at least a large pool. In the water park environment, the equipment is a lot larger and can be more complicated than what is seen at a community or residential pool.

“It really is a very specialized field,” Hassett added.

These positions tend to be full time and are already filled at city pools and resorts, officials said. These positions come with heightened responsibility, especially in a busy summer season when keeping water contaminants at bay can be challenging because of a high volume of users. But they pay quite well. An aquatics maintenance technician for Henderson can see a starting salary of $29.61 per hour, Becker said.