U.S. Aquatics offers a 12-hour pool operators course. This class teaches students how to properly operate and maintain a pool, including filtration, chemical balance and sanitation. Classroom learning is a large part of the course, but students also get hands-on training at a swimming pool. After completing the course, students are required to apply for a pool operator's license in the county in which they intend to work. U.S. Aquatics is based in Maryland but also has locations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, South Carolina and North Carolina.
AC/C Tech is located in Indianapolis, Ind., and offers five classes as part of a swimming pool maintenance training program. The classes include pool codes, pool management, pool opening, pool closing and pool furniture and equipment maintenance. Graduates of the program earn a Certified Pool-Spa Operator certificate. Classes can be taken on campus or online, and there are no registration or application fees -- just tuition of $250 for each course as of January 2011. Classes can be retaken if a student does not pass.
An online Certified Pool Technician certification program and on campus Certified Pool Operator program is offered by the Aquatic Training Institute. Both programs are valid in 44 states, offer online instruction and are valid for five years. The Certified Pool Technician program costs $329 as of January 2011. The program is only available online, with a 30-day window to complete it. It is also available in Spanish and internationally. The Certified Pool Operator program has online training but an exam must be taken on campus to complete the course for a cost of approximately $350.
Pool Operation Management, based in Brick, N.J., offers a two-day classroom course covering water chemistry, filters, pumps, liability, pool calculations, codes, maintenance and spas and concluding with a Certified Pool Operator's exam. Classes run two full days and are offered in New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and Maryland. As of January 2011, this course costs $305 if you register at least two weeks prior to the course date and $330 after that time. Students who pass the exam will receive national certification good for five years.