Do you fancy what’s claimed to be the best job in the west?

The RNLI is in search of new recruits to spend the summer working on some of the West Country’s most popular beaches, as applications open for 2018’s beach lifeguards and face-to-face fund-raisers.

“Both roles are essential in supporting the RNLI to reduce the number of people who drown on our coasts, and to help keep people safe by providing essential local safety advice to the millions of holiday-makers who visit the beaches every summer,” said Abbie Cranage, area life-saving manager for West Cornwall. 

RNLI lifeguards patrol more than 240 beaches around the UK. 

They saved 127 lives and helped 20,538 people in 2016. 

Successful applicants receive training in search and rescue, life-saving and casualty care techniques, as well as developing transferable skills.

Abbie said: “Working as a lifeguard has got to be one of the best jobs to have – you get to call the beach your office for a start! But far more importantly than that, you are there to make sure the public enjoy it in the safest possible way. With strong career prospects and leadership skills, for many it’s more than a summer job, with some of the busier beaches patrolled from March until the end of October.”

Hannah Cobb, fund-raising manager for South Devon, West Dorset and Somerset, said: “Developing new skills, working in a team at the beach for a national charity – it has to be one of Britain’s best summer jobs.”

Visit summer jobs.rnli.org/ or search for #BestSummerJob on Facebook and Twitter.