Spot on! A lesson or two from a swimming instructor is definitely worth it.If you hire a swim instructor, even briefly, a little coaching can go a long way. I had to hire a swim instructor to get through scuba class. It took only a few minutes for him to analyze what I was doing wrong and get me on the path to a massive improvement with very little work.
It didn't require tons of effort, just someone who knew how to do things the right way telling me how to fix my technique. I think I paid like $100 or something for a brief class. Worth every penny.
A few months ago I had six students doing their swim test; four young lads and a slightly rotund middle-aged couple. I gave them all the speal about it not being a race, and sent them on their way. The youngsters shot off thrashing through the water, heads up, no finesse, whilst the older couple cut through the water like pros, finishing well ahead of the kids. The best example of technique over fitness I've ever seen!