Pros
Paid on-the-job training (although minimal, rushed, and only minimum wage until you finish), good for high school/college students that attend class during the day and have the bulk of their afternoons free, and you get to work with children.
Cons
Huh, where do I begin? Management is poor and money-hungry. It is evident in their stylized teaching method, prices, and business practices. The way they teach children is abhorrent in that it stunts the children's growth as competent swimmers, and there is no stylization allowed lest you break their "perfect formula." You have little to no opportunity to adapt the class to each child's individual needs (and yes, this is possible to do even in group classes). Even if you are in the water for four, five, even six hours straight, you will not be given a break. Instead, they will use that 30-minute time slot that should be a break to make you teach another class. If you have a no-show, be prepared to either help the other instructor teach or clean for the entire 30 minutes. This might not sound like a huge deal, but trust me: when you are teaching back-to-back lessons for hours at a time, that break is crucial. They will do anything to keep a parent's money, including compromising their own rules and regulations to the point where it negatively impacts any employee that tries to uphold said rules and regulations. Regardless of how right you are, if you are an employee, you do not have a voice if it's your word against a parent's. The minute a parent complains about you, that's it - you have lost management's favor and from that point forward will be treated like a problem employee. Communication is non-existent, and when it actually happens, it's lousy and unprofessional at best. There are no warnings if you are doing poorly as an employee. There may be one conversation they'll have with you before they decide a week after that to give you the boot without allowing you enough time to prove yourself. They will make you feel welcomed and valued in the beginning until either a new person comes along or you do something not to their ridiculously high standards. BSS claims to have all their instructors lifeguard certified, but that couldn't be further from the truth. During my tenure of almost two years, I was the only one that went into the job as a certified lifeguard AND certified water safety instructor at my location until management finally got a clue and made everyone get certified (and they paid not one red cent toward the certification, btw). BSS will make promises to your face, will make you feel like a friend, until they get bored with you or until you stop being perfect. Once that happens, you are public enemy number one, and they will make sure you know it. Even when you try to do the right thing, they will lash out at you and revoke any privileges you had before. There is plenty more I have to discuss, but if you haven't gotten a clear picture of how terribly unprofessional and corrupt this establishment is, then, well, Godspeed, my friend.