Swim School of Austin

If I could give this place 0 stars I would for the simple fact of very terrible management. I was a teacher here for a little while I thought it was cool at first until I got to see what the workspace was really like. The management on the swim side is very unprofessional and not very comprehensive at all. If you are a POC I highly suggest looking for employment elsewhere, to me it seemed I was always delegated the tasks the managers just didn't want to do themselves because of entitlement. Not a good work environment for women of color because it seems they want to be the only ones in my opinion, Analysia Acosta & Natasha Iverson need to be replaced for better management and a better work experience for anyone looking to join this "team". I really hope this review saves sometime time energy & effort!

I love this small and very quaint swim school. Nadia is my instructor, and she's awesome. If you're looking for someone who is patient, smart, and cautious, look no further. Nadia will not disappoint!

To the Owners of "Swim School of Austin" & Potential Clients of this Establishment,

I scheduled a trail lesson today (6/12/22) at 3:30pm. I cannot urge you enough to stay away from this establishment.

Christian = 'Instructor'
Cali = Manager

Husband & Wife duo

The interaction with Christian felt completely ill and completely off from the get go. The instruction was truly poor, awkward, uncomfortable, unpersonable - I never want to see these folks again in my life. This was some next level s&^t. It wasn't even 'instruction' I received. Christian kept swimming off, kept looking at his watch. No feed back on performance while session in progress. Unreal awkwardness, uncomfortable eye contact - the energy transmitted from that was NOT healthy in any respect. Everything about this place and the experience was/is wrong and not normal. I spent 2 minutes in the pool for the 'trial lesson' and left.

On another note, it was not intuitive to operate the lock to allow myself out of the swim area - it took Christian WAY longer than normal to finally say how to open the lock to admit myself out. Then again, nothing about this experience was normal, professional or comfortable.

Cali seemed nice, much more personable. Questionable behavior as a manager. Literally two minutes into a session - Customer returns to the front office to retrieve things to leave -- No questions asked about the experience. No inquires. Almost like she knew and didn't care. Actually that's PRECISELY what her actions represented.

I called the establishment about 10 minutes after leaving to request my personal information be removed from their system -at which time I expressed the disgusting, uncomfortable, unprofessional experience I just had to endure - she was tactful and receptive but who knows what that will ultimately amount to.

Folks - there are no words for the disgusting feeling I had when I left this establishment. It is not my intention to be ugly, only honest and candid. Jesus Christ - I haven't been this repulsed/disgusted in a very very long time - actually this is next level stuff - really.

WOW -- All sorts of people in the world. Holy cow. I truly am disgusted.
I literally have sage burning as I write this.

The Swim School of Austin:
Manager : Cali
Billed every 25th - Until you decide to stop
Cancellation - anytime before the 25th
20 cancellation fee - tuition reimbursable minus $20

Lessons are $60 per 30 minutes
4 lessons per month - $240
Trail Lesson: 15 mins
1001 West Anderson Lane Austin TX 78757
512 623 9410

These guys are the best. It's a simple operation that's affordable and convenient, with friendly people running it. The instructors are patient and supportive and cater to the skill level of each student.

Our daughter is always looking forward to her next lesson, and the growth we see in between lessons -- and her enthusiasm to practice and show off what she's learned -- is remarkable. Coming from two parents that love the water, there's not much more we could ask for. Highly recommended!

Well, 2021, this is my second time around with the Swim School of Austin. In 2017, I put my grandson in private lessons. He really enjoyed the instructor and telling the family what he did in class. Here in 2021, I put my granddaughter in private lessons. She enjoyed both instructors, Sophie and Kelsey. She practiced what she learned in class when we were on camping trips. She was so excited about class & talkative on every drive to the school, Thursday's. I am really appreciative for the kind hearted Callie!!! She worked with me on scheduling classes coming out of the COVID major chaos. We got my granddaughter scheduled and classes are all finished. I appreciate every staff member that delivered excellent quality service to me and my grandchildren. I would proudly recommend this Swim School.

I don't like leaving negative reviews but feel like it would be helpful to families searching for a good place for kids swim lessons. We have only attended several classes so my review is based on what I experienced in that time frame, but also what I observed.

We were advised by family that The Swim School was "ok" but they experienced a lot of "sitting around and waiting" when they went and the chlorine level was almost unbearable, since it is indoors and a very small space. BUT this school is walking distance for us, has a set schedule (which was important to us since our daughter is 4) and just overall convenient so we thought we would give it a shot.

Four or five classes in-we realized that their comments were spot on. It was our first time having lessons at a swim school so we are not sure if it was standard, but each class had 4 exercises per kid. In between there was waiting, but at some points nobody was doing anything. Also, It's been over an hour since I left and I'm still smelling chlorine and have a horrible headache because of how strong the smell is.

The staff is not personable. At each class we attended, we were barely even greeted and it just felt too automated. Two of the younger girls that instructed my daughter seemed like they didn't even want to be there. There was a male instructor teaching at the same time with a different group of kids that was very good, however I felt like his approach was a bit too aggressive for that age group.

Today my experience is why we decided to cut our losses and not return. I showed up 1 minute late and asked my daughter to join the class. She sat at the front and waited since the steps were full (where all the kids wait)...10 minutes go by. I ask (who I assume is the manager since she was wearing pants and seemed to just be supervising) if she should just get in or if they would call her? Again-they are just very automated and didn't even recognize/know her. She said "Sure, just have her get in." Another 10 minutes go by...nobody has done any exercises with her. I walk up to one of the girls and let her know that we've been waiting for 20 minutes and that nobody had done anything with her. She apologized and explained that she is the sub and thought that she was with the other class. No problem, but I ask "So will she still get the full 30 minutes, or how does that work?" She very nicely volunteered to stay later with her. I saw the manager walk over to her and the instructor's back was to me but I'm assuming she explained what happened-the manager said "Sure, just stay 5 minutes extra with her." and walks away. This instructor was absolutely great with her, did 6-7 exercises and was friendly.

I was originally frustrated but thanked her for staying longer and she apologized again. I also apologized and explained that we've been there several times and still didn't know anyone's names and trying to figure it all out since she's been instructed by different people . She also said that as they start to come more (we'd been 4 or 5 times already) that they begin recognizing the kids but that she would definitely remember her now. It took a mishap to get the friendly service that I would imagine any paying customer would expect.

This whole time that we're speaking the manager is with her back against the wall listening. Now-I'm not rude or loud or someone to expect something, but as someone with customer service and management experience I know that the manager/supervisor should have stepped in at some point since she was fully aware of the situation, but instead chose to be a fly on the wall. It explains the entire dynamic of the place and partially the reason I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

Everyone knows I am not a fan of the Little Mermaid. That father's-life-risking hussy can become tonight's seafood special - and I'd order it. Her one enviable gift, however: swimming skills.

This is why the boy and I snatched a deal for 4 adult swimming lessons each at the Swim School of Austin. He's not totally comfortable around water, and I'm a lazy swimmer. If I landed in a pool of water, I'd probably look around for a second before thinking: nah, it's ok - I'll go ahead and drown.

We made our joint appointment (which they prefer you keep consistently from week to week) and got our swimming skivvies in order. After nearly driving passed the place we marched in, determined not to drown and also showing off that we can march: it's just the swimming that gets us.

Our first lesson with Robert was pretty neat. He sets you up so you have zero chance of drowning while you practice. He asked us about our swim level, had us show him whatever we knew, and got to work. One hour later, we were feeling pretty good. We even got practice homework. Yeah.

So Ariel and I will never be friends. So what. I do like Ursula: that cephalopod mollusc could definitely get around under water. In a few more lessons I can lend her a helping hand to get that poor unfortunate redhead soul on someone's dinner plate.

Baby and me classes with Eric are the bomb! So fun, we can't wait for the weekend. Totally good experience and well worth the cost. Love this place.

Just signed up for the 4 year old class. Blair is great with the kids! Small class size too, only three :)

I'll update after the month of lessons.

-----------

So we had a month of lessons and still love it! Our kiddo is taking to the water like a fish :) he doesn't mind getting his head underwater as much and is really doing great with arms and legs. I will say I prefer when his class is smaller. Usually there are three kids which is okay, but one week I think there were four (which was too many as only one kid can practice at a time) and this last week there were two which was great! He got a ton of attention and practice! :)

I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old taking a round of spring swim lessons here. We come 2 days a week with different teachers. There is a difference in their styles of teaching & progress of lessons. My kids have always liked going (OK, except for the first day for the 2 year old but now he LOVES it).
This is a great way to get them more confidence and actual skill before summer pool time.