Swimming Lesson Culture in Ireland – Is This Normal for Adult Beginners?

Adult Swimmer - Completely beginner - A little afraid of water.

I recently started adult swimming lessons in South Dublin with a highly rated swim club, but my experience has left me wondering if this is the norm in Ireland.

The instructor teaches from the poolside and never gets into the water. There is no structured way of teaching, I have taken 4 classes up till now and the instructor does not have any standard approach. No tips for body alignment , breathing, floating, kicking. I have been practicing and correcting through online videos. The only thing I am asked to do as use the kick board and swim. During my second lesson, I panicked in the deep end and struggled to stay afloat. Thankfully, another advanced batch swimmer jumped in to help me before things got worse, though the instructor was observing me and just tried to offer a rod to pull myself out of the water and later apologized. I was breathless for a couple of minutes there.

Is this the usual approach for adult beginner classes here? Are beginners expected to be independent from day one, or have others had more supportive experiences?

Would private lessons be a better option for someone who is still building confidence in the water? I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations.