When does being at work become more than “just a job” you go to every day? When you work at Goldfish Swim School!  For Mark Sheppell, his career at Goldfish Swim School started nearly 10 years ago – and is still going strong!

From instructor…

Mark grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and was well aware of the opening of the first Goldfish Swim School there in 2006. So, in December 2007, Mark joined the Goldfish Swim School team as an instructor.

Not only did the flexible, part-time work schedule benefit Mark while he was attending college at Oakland University, he was passionate about what he was doing every day.

“As soon as I started working there I fell in love with it,” Mark said. “I loved teaching these kids a life skill and how to be safer in the water.”

The instructors display integrity, compassion and trust when teaching kids how to swim, but it’s about more than that at Goldfish Swim School: It’s about providing a GOLDEN experience every time.

“The experience that we provide at Goldfish is something you won’t see anywhere else,” Mark said. “We have the warm water temperature, the warm air temperature, bright colors, private changing rooms. The people we employ are very bubbly, and they love working with kids and making sure they have a great experience from the moment they walk in the door.”

Mark LOVED being able to teach swimming as a life skill, providing extraordinary results and making sure that everyone always feels welcome at Goldfish Swim School – and his journey then led him to the franchise side of things for a few years.

“The culture we have at Goldfish is second to none,” Mark said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

Then, Mark took stock of his life and questioned what the next step in his career would be…and it turned out the answer is Goldfish Swim School!

…to franchise owner!

After planning and preparing, Mark decided to open up a Goldfish Swim School location in Johns Creek, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

“It seemed like this was the next natural progression,” Mark said.

His family became involved in this endeavor and everyone at Goldfish Swim School was helpful – particularly at the franchise level, where he maintained his position while opening the new location.

And that’s another part of why Mark LOVES Goldfish Swim School.

“The culture we create and in our schools is definitely positive,” Mark said. “We make sure everyone is very well-trained in our curriculum. We hire for personality, not skill set, because we can always teach the skills. You have to love working with kids. Working at Goldfish is a great experience, even if it’s part time.”

Many of the people Mark started working with at Goldfish Swim School 10 years ago are still involved with the company, he said – which makes Goldfish Swim School not only a family-friendly atmosphere for families who come to swim, but for those who work throughout all the Goldfish Swim School locations as well. That’s something we love to celebrate.

Try Goldfish Swim School for yourself!

Stop by a Goldfish Swim School location near you to sign up for swim lessons (for kids as young as 4 months old!).