Money · 1 of 5
What guards make
Typical
$33,580
Seasonal pool guard
$25,780
Head guard or full-time ocean
$43,970
The national median is $33,580 a year and the bottom tenth are near $25,780. Read those as a full-year rate, because most guarding is paid by the hour and worked in summer only. The survey also lumps in ski patrollers and other recreation safety workers, so it is a whole family of jobs, not just pool guards.