Julie Maver, 62, has been a swimming instructor at Active Life, a health and leisure provider in the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable area, for over 20 years, teaching thousands of swimmers from ages 3 to 93. Her influence extends beyond the pool — she’s helped people swim the Channel, complete triathlons, and gain confidence in the sea. A true inspiration in both the leisure centres and local community, Julie’s dedication to teaching is remarkable.
Now, she’s taking her passion further by becoming an Institute of Swimming Tutor to train the next generation of swimming teachers. Julie’s love for teaching runs deep.
She says:
“I was born to be a teacher. It’s in my blood.”
Her career began as a school teacher, working abroad in Japan and Greece before returning to the UK in the 1990s to teach at the International Chaucer College in Canterbury. Alongside her academic teaching, Julie is a swimming teacher, competitive triathlete and open water enthusiast. Living in Whitstable, she’s an experienced National Open Water Coach, running sea safety swim courses to educate swimmers on coastal currents and tides.
She’s also an active member of Whitstable’s Bluetits open water swimming group and plays a vital role in Active Life’s Oysterman Triathlon event and the Herne Bay ‘Pier to Pier’ annual swim challenge, serving as one of the Assistant Directors, covering the sea swim start, bike exit and finish line. Julie’s commitment to swimming, safety and the community continues to make waves.’
Julie says:
“I have been a teacher all over the world and there really is nothing that I love more. Working abroad and teaching English as a foreign language has helped me to understand that sharing knowledge is not just about remembering facts, it’s about fostering creativity, building connections and ensuring information can be absorbed through various methods, such as visual learning, among others.
“Becoming a Swimming Tutor was the obvious choice for me, as I want the next generation of swimming teachers to have the same enthusiasm that I have. Being a swimming teacher is like being a key holder. You hold the key, the key to unlocking potential. I personally put everything into my teaching and understand that every learner is different. It’s my job is to ensure future swimming teachers ignite a lifelong passion for swimming in their pupils, supporting them every step of the way in their learning journey. People come to swimming teachers because they want to learn to swim, it’s our job to try our hardest to find out how to best help them learn.
“Becoming a swimming tutor takes patience and time; the Institute of Swimming only recruit tutors if a particular region is short, and it took two years before I could apply for Kent. The training is intense, including devising all my own materials and content, observing swimming teacher courses, writing courses and then delivering 50% of a course under a mentor.”
Julie has just completed her first swimming teacher tutor course with her mentor and will now go on to lead her own courses.
Julie says:
“It’s been amazing. Although it’s been a lot of hard work and late nights of marking course work, it’s been so worthwhile. It’s important that I get into the learners’ psyche, as we don’t know what their experience of the classroom has been before. Yes, it’s about sharing little hacks, tips and suggestions, but it’s more about getting them to truly understand the role of the swimming teacher. I was delighted when one of my learners said to me that, on this course, for the first time in her ‘classroom’ experience she found confidence. If I have taught her that, teaching swimming to her pupils will fall into place.”