new manager in the intermunicipal swimming pool of Mortagne-au-Perche (Orne), Laura Buaillon, 25 years, Originally from Ceton (Orne), he is a graduate of the National Certificate of Aquatic Safety and Rescue (BNSSA).

But before approving this national diploma, the lifeguard left to train in first aid abroad and more precisely in the United Kingdom with the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).

With two similar diplomas, but not very complementary, Laura Buaillon noticed that there were great differences between the Training in French and English..

too difficult exam

To get your BNSSA, you need to have courage, but also perseverance. For more than a year, Laura Buaillon followed the training to try be a lifeguard in france.

First aid and swimming classes, the day to day of the swimmer was always the same. “We always did the same. We learned to swim as if we didn’t know how to do it. It was very redundant,” he explains.

Also, the final exam is ” very difficult » according to the Cétonnaise. Only 40% success in the tests to be able to access the Grail: “I failed because I touched a wall! You may have spent a year in training that costs €700 and lose it simply by brushing against an object. »

He adds: “It is said that there is a lack of lifeguards. But that is normal, given the difficulty of the test, few people leave with the diploma in their pocket. »

I think that we French want to be the best everywhere.

Unlike us, the English opt for a different technique: “the training is done in a week, and I learned a lot more in just five days. »

seen as a student by profession in the UK, the lifeguard position is much more accessible abroad. “I worked over the summer at a large sports complex in Ireland for a few days, and it was very quiet,” says Laura Buillon.

By comparison, becoming the equivalent of a lifeguard in the UK takes three weeks. In France, to achieve this same status, it would be a two year course.

A change of method?

“When I got there, they put me straight into the bathroom with practical. We were less involved in ‘blabla’ than in France”, says Laura Buaillon.

Having planned to become a lifeguard for a long time, the Cétonnaise was quickly disappointed when she saw the many hours of lessons sitting behind a chair: “They showed us slide shows. It’s like we’re at school., when our only desire is to be in the water and save people. »

Laura Buaillon thinks that the training should be reviewed to try to readjust the tests and the learning time. “Sometimes we get too complicated and end up being surpassed by foreign countries “he concludes.

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