Ski companies large and small often take on couples to run chalets. If you and your partner have a background in catering and a mix of complimentary experience such as seasonal work or customer service then you could be in demand.

Couples working a ski chalet normally split their duties (at least on paper) between responsibilities for running the kitchen and running the chalet. In reality there is a large crossover between the two areas depending on how busy things are, how the shopping arrangements have been set up etc.

Smaller companies especially place a great deal of importance and trust in couples. They try to recruit and keep hold of the best couples because the perception is that a couple is going to be stable in most cases and is a kind of readymade team. Also they are likely to be of a similar age and background and share common values so won’t need a lot of managing in order to work well together. It also means that they can be placed in the same accommodation without this becoming an issue. To be fair, in practise this is generally the case but when it goes wrong with a couple it really goes wrong so make sure you AND your partner are up for the challenge of living and working together (even if you have both done seasons before).

As with most seasonal jobs, experience and attitude are far more important than qualifications and by far the most important is catering experience.

The kitchen side of the job includes budgeting, shopping, and cooking breakfast, afternoon tea and an evening meal. Lunch is not normally required and you might get a chance to make a few extra quid out of packed lunches depending on your employer (and how closely supervised you are).

The running of the chalet will include serving food, ordering wine, keeping accurate accounts, and organising guests’ requirements such as ski hire and lift passes etc. You may also be needed to help in case of accidents and injuries or other in-resort problems. This does depend on the size of the operator and if they have resort reps to take over some of these tasks but the point is that you will have a busy and varied season and will have to be flexible and effective under a bit of pressure.

If this is for you take a look at some of the jobs below that have been picked out as suitable for couple applications. You should both complete an application form then inform the company that you are applying together.