Ski Jobs for Couples - your questions answered
Season Workers asked a range of leading Ski Season employers a number of common questions posed by couples looking to work together (or not!) in a ski resort. Scroll down to the question that suits your circumstances and click each company name to read their response. The latest ski jobs suitable for couples applications are listed down the right hand side of this page.
Being Demanding
We want to live together in the same accommodation, in a private room.
Alp Leisure: Our chalet couples are always housed in either their own small studio apartment or in their own room within a shared house (with some of our other staff). We try and find the best accommodation possible as we completely understand that when working a season it is important to have a good home life. All of our accommodation is “live out” so that staff do not live in with the guests and so they can completely relax on their days off. We try to source accommodation that is close to the piste and within walking distance to the chalets.
UKOH: No problem, as long as you make it clear at the time of your application.
Ski Amis: All our accommodation for couples is in a private room in the chalet of the same standard as the client accommodation or in an external studio apartment for the couple so couples always have privacy and their own space.
Ski Famille, Ski Olympic, Alpine Navigations, Purple Ski: Yes / no problem
Family Ski Company: Not a problem – we have a selection of rooms that would be suitable for couples enabling them to have their own private space, yet still be involved with the rest of the team.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: We are able to accommodate these kinds of requests only with early applications (i.e. before September) after this date the majority of placements have been made and options are limited.
The Barn, Morzine: We value our hard working staff highly, and provide you with lovely private studio flats in a great location in the centre of Morzine.
Crystal Ski: We would almost certainly guarantee that you would have your own room but this does not necessarily mean that you will have your own apartment so you must be prepared to share.
Powder White: We give each couple their own room as standard and this is generally in shared accommodation.
We want to live together in the same resort but not work together, would you accommodate this?
Powder White: If you’d prefer to work in separate chalets, but still want to live (own room in generally shared accommodation) and work in the same resort, that’s absolutely fine!
Crystal Ski: This is dependent on role and what you would consider ‘working together’ to mean. If you both apply as a chalet host then we could put you in a different chalet in the same resort. Reps however have to work very closely together so you would have high levels of involvement in each others work. Due to the nature of the business though we do expect all departments and team to contribute to the others goals and so whatever you do we all work very closely together.
The Barn, Morzine: Our jobs for couples are only for couples willing to work together. We are after the sense of camaraderie and fun that happy couples bring to the chalet.
Family Ski Company: We have many different job roles to suit different skills so it is possible for couples to experience the winter together, but not have to work in each others pockets.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: So long as couples apply early enough we are always able to accommodate them together.
Alpine Navigations: No as we only have 2 chalets, each in a different resort.
Ski Amis: This would not be possible all of the time – although our chalet relief couples will normally have different duties each day except when they are required to cover a chalet due to staff sickness or other problems.
Alp Leisure: Unfortunately we cannot always do so. Some of our positions are more year round and where this is the case we can be flexible on packages and therefore sometimes accommodation doesn’t need to be part of this leaving the candidate free to live elsewhere and work for us.
UKOH: Yes we can for certain jobs within a hotel.
Ski Famille: Potentially
Ski Olympic and Purple Ski: Yes
Can we bring our children?
Alp Leisure: Unfortunately the accommodation that we find is not normally large enough for a family, however we try to be as flexible as possible for our staff and if it a family already have their own accommodation we can sometimes work a package out to suit them. The working hours in the chalets do not often suit a family as often couples are working together and so this would potentially pose problems with childcare.
UKOH: Accommodation with some of our clients is optional, and therefore if you can arrange your work/accommodation around this, then is it possible, but would be quite tricky as 99% of jobs would require both parents to work all day Saturday, and thus childcare would be solely your responsibility/cost, however we have had a few members of staff do this before.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: We are not able to provide accommodation for children as the accommodation is provided for an individual on secondment from the UK.
The Barn, Morzine: I’m afraid the hours of the job mean that it would not work for you to have children with you.
Family Ski Company: Sadly our accommodation would only be suitable for our teams.
Crystal Ski: Our staff accommodation is provided for STAFF ONLY and so any other persons staying in accommodation is not allowed
Powder White: Our accommodation is for Powder White employees only and due to its shared nature with other members of the team, we hope you’ll understand that this is not possible.
Ski Amis, Ski Famille, Ski Olympic, Alpine Navigations, Purple Ski: No
Can we bring our dog?
Alp Leisure: We can try and be flexible with pets although much of our accommodation is rented and sometimes agencies will not allow pets inside. Again we would try and accommodate a couple with this kind of request but it would depend on the accommodation we had taken on for the season. If a couple has their own accommodation we can be flexible with the package to accommodate this.
Crystal Ski: Our Staff accommodation is leased throughout the winter from third party owners and so no pets of any kind are allowed
Powder White: Our rental agreements with the staff accommodation owners do not permit any animals unfortunately, no.
Family Ski Company: As the accommodation is shared it can be difficult to accommodate a dog.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: None of our properties accept animals belonging to guests or staff.
UKOH: Yes in some circumstances
Ski Amis, Ski Famille, Ski Olympic, Alpine Navigations, Purple Ski, The Barn, Morzine: No
Will we be able to bring our own car with us?
Alp Leisure: Yes if you would like to. We don’t have off road private parking for staff however both the resorts in which we operate have free car parks where you can leave your vehicle for the season. It can sometimes be a bit of a hassle as you need to ensure that you move it regularly – it also gets buried in snow occasionally so make sure you bring a shovel!
UKOH: Yes, parking in a ski resort is at a premium, so you should take this into consideration. Also you should be aware about the need to ensure your car is capable of withstanding the cold, and indeed equipped with suitable tyres, chains, etc for the snowy conditions.
Ski Amis: Yes – in this case we provide a ferry crossing from Dover to Calais instead of the flight from the UK at the start of the season. You need to make sure, however, that you have the vehicle properly insured for an extended period outside of the UK as many insurance companies do not issue green cards for long enough. You also need to ensure your road tax and MOT does not run out while you are abroad.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Yes, although the company will not contribute towards costs.
Family Ski Company: We have a fleet of vehicles in resort that we use for everything from recycling to social occasions for the team so in my opinion there is no need to bring a vehicle and risk the extra expense involved in winterising and having the correct tyres etc for the conditions. I often see cars that get ‘parked up’ for the winter and then get damaged by the snow and don’t start!
Crystal Ski: Yes however we will not be able tom make any contribution to this as we can only provide travel to and from resort via coach or plane. You will also need to consider that you may find it difficult to park the vehicle in resorts as during peak times spaces are limited. This is also done at your own responsibility and we would not be liable for any damage inflicted on the vehicle and you wouldn’t be covered for using it for work
Powder White: Travel to and from London/Resort is provided for all of our team members as part of their package; you’re of course welcome to make your own travel arrangements to/from resort, we are though unable to contribute towards this. If anyone chooses to bring their own vehicle, they must make all of the necessary arrangements for taking their car to the mountains, including parking for the season.
Ski Famille, Ski Olympic, Alpine Navigations, Purple Ski and The Barn, Morzine: Yes
Can we take time off together?
Alp Leisure: Yes our chalet couples are off on the same day every week.
UKOH: Yes for certain jobs. For example, Chalet Host, Chalet Chefs, General Assistants, will automatically have the same day off, and we can try to organise it if you work in a hotel, but this can only be done if you work in separate departments, e.g. one on reception, another in housekeeping.
Ski Amis: Your time off will always be scheduled together
Ski Olympic: It is possible but perhaps not all the time.
The Barn, Morzine: Yes, you will have time off together, though less for the job which includes a ski guide, as that person will be out skiing all day with the guests for 4 days of the week.
Family Ski Company: Yes – usually we can organise within our rota system to arrange time off together for couples.
Crystal Ski: Yes where possible we would try to cater for this but again it depends on roles. If you are doing the same jobs then I would expect this to be the case.
Powder White: Everyone receives one full day off per week and Host Couples take this together along with the other Hosts in that resort. We ask all of our team members to be understanding in that under extreme circumstances or if any additional time off is allocated it may not always be possible to provide this at the same time.
Ski Famille, Alpine Navigations and Purple Ski: Yes
Day to day
Neither of us are chefs but one of us can cook pretty well, will this be an issue?
Alp Leisure: Not all of our chefs are professional but you must be confident to cook to a high level for our guests. You need to be passionate about food and cooking with proven experience (we trade test all of our couples prior to offering a position). Our guests are looking to eat imaginative dishes which are well put together and presented. Alp Leisure offers a unique service to our clients offering them “freedom to choose” meaning that our chefs have much more flexibility and can create their menus in their own style and really get to test their skills.
Ski Amis: No issue for us! We don’t normally employ professional chefs in most roles as our menus are fixed and we provide you with all the recipes and kitchen plans and you will be fully trained to cook on our own in-house induction training programme.
Ski Olympic: Yes, one of the two needs to have been on a course or have extensive experience in the catering field.
Family Ski Company: A passion for cooking is what is most important, and we also have a training programme at the beginning of the season to run through our menu planner for the winter.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: No – for many of our chalets we are looking for keen cooks who like the idea of entertaining guests for the week and can follow a menu.
Crystal Ski: Our Chalet Hosts are provided a full training course where they are taught all the aspects of the hosting role. If you are unsure about your cooking skills then we do offer a cookery course overseas to work on all the skills that you will need when working in a kitchen. When applying as a couple you will be assessed individually as we need all our hosts to be capable of running a 12 bed chalet on their own.
Powder White: All of our Host positions are cooking roles, so whilst you needn’t be chefs we do require both partners in any pair to be capable and confident in the kitchen and passionate about food.
The Barn, Morzine: Food is a top priority in our chalets, so we prefer to employ either professional chefs, or those with some training and a great enthusiasm and feel for food.
UKOH, Ski Famille and Purple Ski: No / No, not really
We can’t ski, does this affect our eligibility?
Alp Leisure: Absolutely not! However you must be keen to learn and to have fun! We will always try and organise lessons for beginners as early in the season as possible to get you out on the hill and skiing as quickly as possible. An average level of fitness helps and I am sure that by the end of the season you’ll be attacking the more difficult slopes with confidence!
Ski Amis: Not necessarily – although we do normally prefer couples who have some experience of skiing so they are aware of the environment and can benefit from the ski time available. You are free to ski during the daytime on most days of the week but will not normally finish in time to take part in group ski lessons (as these start at 9am when you are still working). If you can’t ski and want to learn, we advise you to put some money aside for private ski lessons which you can take during the daytime.
Alpine Navigations: No, not in the positions as chalet hosts as there would be a resident ski guide for the guests in the chalet and you will soon learn quickly if you choose!
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: We only require intermediate to advanced skiing ability for our Representative and Resort Manager roles.
Crystal Ski: It does effect what roles you can apply for, as we require reps to be able to ski escort. The fact that you don’t ski is not a major issue but we do want people to be passionate about winter sports and be keen to learn.
Family Ski Company: We have a lot of beginner skiers and boarders and at the start of the winter we are able to arrange some lessons with our local ski schools – it is also a good opportunity for experienced skiers or boarders to learn a new discipline too…
Powder White: If you’ve never skied before, a season is a great opportunity to learn and being a non-skier/boarder will not affect your application. We do require though that everyone who comes to work with Powder White is committed to the full 5 months in resort.
The Barn, Morzine: Not if one of you is a chef (La Ferme job).
UKOH, Ski Famille, Ski Olympic and Purple Ski: No / Not a problem
My husband is a cook, we want to work together, but I don’t just want to be a cleaner.
Alp Leisure: Our chalet couples are a management team and run their own chalet almost as their own business offering a great opportunity to learn management skills. While there is no escaping doing some cleaning our chalet managers are much more than hosts/housekeepers. We are looking for the chef’s other half to be talented in customer service & waiting on, to oversee the housekeeper & the chalet maintenance. Our chalet manager is also responsible for stock control and sales of wine and other services in the chalet. They keep accurate accounts for each group of guests and bill the clients for all services at the end of their stay. Our chalet managers also oversee the inventory of the chalet.
Ski Amis: We have jobs for couples which involve various duties – not just standard chalet couples. Our chalet host/driver roles would mean one person would do most of the cooking and the other person would be a transfer driver on changeover days and carry out other driving duties during the week. In this role, you would still both work together sometimes in the chalet. Our chalet relief couple roles are another opportunity where there is a significant variation in work – in the event of problems of any sort for a chalet couple (short-term sickness or injury or if they have to leave mid-season for any reason) then the relief couple would temporarily run a chalet together but for the rest of the time the duties are to act as “right hand people” to the Directors and could including anything from maintenance, driving, office work or housekeeping and cooking elsewhere.
Alpine Navigations: Fine, if you are a competent skier with good all round piste experience then you could undertake the Ski Guide/Host role which combines some cleaning, driving and skiing.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: It is possible for couples to work as co-hosts and you share all of the duties. One of the skills of hosting is to balance the work fairly between you.
Crystal Ski: Our Chalet Hosts are provided a full training course where they are taught all the aspects of the hosting role. If you are unsure about your cooking skills then we do offer a cookery course overseas to work on all the skills that you will need when working in a kitchen. When applying as a couple you will be assessed individually as we need all our hosts to be capable of running a 12 bed chalet on their own.
Family Ski Company: Our Hosts are much more than just cleaners!! Hosts are outgoing individuals with exceptional communication skills who genuinely enjoy looking after people and entertaining in a homely environment with a genuine sense of personal pride and ownership. The first point of contact Hosts are ambassadors for Family Ski Company and take great pride in looking after guests’ comfort and welfare. As a Host you will use initiative and flexibility to best manage the day to day running of the chalet. This role also involves daily cleaning, basic property maintenance and stock control, whilst also assisting the Cook with the serving and hosting of the adults evening meal.
Powder White: Powder White requires both partners in a Hosting Couple to cook. How you split the role between you on a daily basis is up to you, but we very much encourage that the role is shared evenly – we ask you to imagine if one of you is ill, would the other be able to take the full lead in running your chalet still? Our hosting role is a combined position where every Host will cater, house keep for and entertain their guests. There is always the possibility of running separate chalets in the same Chalet, but both partners must then be prepared to undertake all aspects of the role.
The Barn, Morzine: Sorry, our job is not for you. Our job where one of you is a chef involves the other person being a cleaner and a chalet host.
UKOH: It is possible; however cleaning is likely to be part of the majority of roles in the Alps.
Ski Famille: It would depend on what other roles you think you would be capable of, and what roles we had available
Purple Ski: No problem
Neither of us can cook (happy to learn) but we are both experienced in staff management, skiing, operating budgets and are fluent in French, German and Italian. Would we be eligible to run a ski chalet with you?
Alp Leisure: Our chalet couples usually have one partner who is an excellent cook/chef. Our guests are expecting the best quality cooking and are looking for interesting dishes that sets us apart from other companies. Because we offer freedom to choose with food you will need to be able to turn your hand to cooking anything and so must be confident in the kitchen – even with something you have never done before!
Ski Amis: We do fully train all our staff to cook so if you’re happy to learn that is not a problem – the other skills would be very useful and perhaps you might like to consider the chalet relief couple roles (which give you a bit more seniority and variation and the ability to use your other skills)
Alpine Navigations: No. Unfortunately we do not have any management positions. Our hosting positions require at least one member of a couple to be a competent cook. We are happy to consider candidates who undertake a recognised chalet cooks course.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Whilst you might be suitable to run a chalet we would also be interested in discussing more senior roles, such as Representatives, Chalet Managers and Resort Managers – we have many successful management team couples overseas.
Crystal Ski: Our Chalet Hosts are provided a full training course where they are taught all the aspects of the hosting role. If you are unsure about your cooking skills then we do offer a cookery course overseas to work on all the skills that you will need when working in a kitchen. When applying as a couple you will be assessed individually as we need all our hosts to be capable of running a 12 bed chalet on their own.
Powder White: All of our Hosts need prolonged and practical cooking experience to successfully cater in our chalets; however there are alternative roles/combinations of roles with Powder White that might suit your type of skills better.
Family Ski Company: We have very large resort teams and are always looking for competent and serious individuals to work within our operational management team to run and oversee the day to day in resort.
The Barn, Morzine: Please look at our advert for Chalet L’Ecurie, where one person would be a ski guide, and the other person a chalet host/cleaner. No cheffing required as my husband does the cooking in that chalet.
UKOH: Potentially a large chalet hotel yes.
Ski Famille: We would probably looking at you work alongside a chef in one our larger chalets, or if we thought it appropriate we might consider you for a shared management role.
Purple Ski: Not to run a chalet, but to be part of the team
Ski Olympic: The language is not the issue, it’s the physical tasks that are the important ones. This one is for a management position
We don’t speak any foreign languages; does this matter and will we have the opportunity to learn?
Alp Leisure: Our chalet couples do not have to have another language but it is always helpful as although all of our guests speak English many of them are from other countries and English is their second language. If you are willing to have a go and practise your second language then you will meet in resort people of all different nationalities and you will be conversing with suppliers who are all happy to let you “have a go”!
Ski Amis: All our clients are English speaking so being able to speak the local language is not a requirement in order to carry out your job. You will have the chance to pick up some French in the resort if you want to try – but most of the local resort suppliers, bars and restaurants do also speak English. Some resorts are more “French” than others!
Alpine Navigations: It doesn’t matter if you don’t but you will easily pick up the language if you make an effort to converse a little with people in shops, restaurants etc.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Learning languages is very much up to the individual – you will need to go to a more traditional resort (i.e. not Val d’Isere, Meribel, Verbier, St Anton etc) as this will provide you the exposure you need to learn.
Crystal Ski: Obviously working overseas we do require some staff to speak a foreign language but in a lot of cases this is not a problem. The only positions where we specify that we require language skills at the application stage is with our office based roles. For all others it is not essential but is a definite advantage.
Family Ski Company: Living in the Alps requires a certain level of foreign language ability whether for general politeness, simply knowing what you are ordering in a restaurant or when dealing with more difficult situations. It is also a great place to learn and immerse yourself within the culture to develop your skills.
Powder White: Speaking French or German is of course a huge advantage to any of our Hosts in resort, but it is not a requirement for this position. Living abroad is certainly is good start for anyone who wishes to start learning a foreign language and you can definitely make opportunities for yourself to do so over the course of a season.
The Barn, Morzine: It doesn’t matter. All your guests are English or English speaking, so there is not much opportunity to immerse yourself in the French language. Tant pis! (shame!)
UKOH: Yes you can have the opportunity to learn, certain jobs you MUST speak a foreign job, e.g. receptionist and resort representative, the remaining roles a language is useful but not essential.
Ski Famille: Having the language skills is a bonus not compulsory, there is the opportunity to learn if you want to.
Purple Ski: Not a problem, not much opportunity to learn though, frankly (ski resorts tend to be quite "British"!)
Ski Olympic: To be honest I don’t know anyone who has left a season speaking the language, sadly English is what you will end up speaking
Would most of our colleagues be under 25 and single? What makes your company particularly suitable for couples?
Family Ski Company: Every year brings a different demographic to our teams and the nature of the seasonal industry is such that you need to be ready for everything that a season will throw at you! Family Ski Company is a family environment both in terms of our guests holidaying with us on any given week, and also within the team.
Alp Leisure: All of our chalet couples are ‘couples’ either married or in a relationship for a number of years. Age wise, we have a mixed team but the average age is probably 25 – 35. That being said we pick our staff based on their experience and ability and so normally our staff gel well on a professional basis and this leads to good personal relationships also. We encourage staff to help each other with any issues they have and to share their experiences. We offer an extensive training programme allowing staff to get to know one another well prior to going off to work in their own chalets.
Ski Amis: We have very few single people working for us – all our chalets are hosted by a couple, no matter how small the chalet is so the majority of your colleagues will be established couples and the age range is normally mid 20’s to late 30’s although we don’t have any specific age limits other than to say everyone has to be over 21 for the purposes of our vehicle insurance (and everyone has to be able to drive!). In certain roles (particularly the chalet relief couple roles) we are looking for couples with more life experience who can adapt themselves easily to different situations. Age in itself is not a factor – it’s about what you’ve done and your personality.
Alpine Navigations: We only employ people over the age of 25. We try to keep all of our team similar ages to ensure that everyone gets along well together. Each winter we employ a mixture of couples and singles.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Our teams are very diverse and whilst the majority of seasonal staff are either graduates and school leavers all our management teams are experienced mature seasonal workers who have chosen a career in Tour Operations. Our ability to be able to respond to the accommodation requirements of most couples and the significant range of properties and roles available make it easier to achieve what couples are looking for.
Crystal Ski: As the biggest UK tour operator we have the widest variety of clientele and this is the same for our staff. We recruit people of all ages and backgrounds to make sure that we have the right staff to match our customer’s needs. We do have a lot of staff who are straight out of University and people are enjoying a gap year, but we also get large numbers of people wanting career breaks or looking for a complete change of lifestyle.
Powder White: Powder White employs Hosts that are passionate about providing an excellent service for their guests during the ski season and have excellent cooking and work experience to support this; this requirement does not relate to age and so the age of our team members ranges widely. We work very hard to match all of our successful candidates with the Resort and Chalet that will suit them and their experience ideally.
The Barn, Morzine: We only employ 2 couples, and they tend to be slightly older, but this is not a restriction. Our company is suitable for couples as we have a real team spirit between us, but we like you to run the chalet between the two of you as if it was your own.
UKOH: What makes your company particularly suitable for couples? Huge age range of people work with our company, we are always happy to work with couples, you just need to be flexible, adaptable, willing people.
Ski Famille: We have a mixture of ages and both couples and single individuals. Our staff age range is 19-40. All we look for is great customer service, and people who aim to go the extra mile in any job role.
Purple Ski: Our average age is usually around 28. We have a mix of couples and singles. We are particularly suitable for couples as we have a high staff: guest ratio - hence quite a few different jobs, all our chalets are close together, so you are not restricted to running a chalet together to be able to work in the same team and live together.
Ski Olympic: Not everyone is under 25 and single, but most are. Its is traditionally a young persons game.
Do you have any chalets we could manage ourselves without other staff working alongside us?
Family Ski Company: Yes - All of our properties are grouped within self-contained villages with direct access to the pistes and all of our childcare facilities, meaning all of our teams work closely together, however you can as a couple independently run one of our properties.
Alp Leisure: All of our chalets are run as a unique business and is a real stepping stone for those who may wish to run their own chalet/hotels etc in the future. You will be involved in all aspects of running the chalet (including accounts). All chalets have a housekeeper who helps with the cleaning to enable the chalet manager the time to complete everything that they need to do.
Ski Amis: All our chalets are managed only by the chalet couple (except our one very big chalet) and we like to think of each chalet as a franchise with the chalet couple being fully responsible for everything that happens – we do have resort managers whose job it is to make sure you have the support you need and to ensure you carry out your job to the right quality levels but we don’t send other staff to work alongside you unless you need help!
Alpine Navigations: No, each of our chalets sleep 16/17 guests so require a team of 3 to manage them effectively.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Yes – we have many co-hosted chalets which normally have between 14 to 18 guests and are normally hosted by two members of staff. These are in resorts such as Val d’Isere, Tignes, Les Arcs, Meribel, Val Thorens, Alpe d’Huez, Les Gets, Zermatt and St Anton.
Crystal Ski: With the chalet roles we are definitely looking for our staff to take on a lot responsibility for their chalet. We have some resorts where we have just a small chalet programme and so this is even more important to find the right people to take on the role. With all roles we have a large support network from management and overseas offices to ensure that you have all the support that you need.
Powder White: As a Chalet Couple you will generally be working as a pair in your own chalet. It is important to remember that by working for a smaller independent company and in focussed resort teams that everyone will be required to work as part of a resort team and therefore maybe required to help others as you would wish to be helped yourselves.
The Barn, Morzine: Not completely – we do work as a team between the two chalets, which are semi detached. That said Chalet La Ferme is run pretty much exclusively by the couple working there. We are more after people with a team spirit.
Ski Olympic: We do have chalets that are run by two, but couples are hard to place, unless you go for specific roles that are available in that particular resort, and there will always be other members of staff you have to interact with.
UKOH and Ski Famille: Yes
Purple Ski: No
Excluding uniform and accommodation what package is on offer?
Family Ski Company: The package will be discussed with successful applicants at interview however Family Ski Company provide their resort teams with an excellent employment package. This includes your food and accommodation, full season lift pass, ski or snowboard hire, uniform (including ski jacket), return transport from the UK to resort, medical and personal liability insurance. You will also receive a weekly wage paid into a UK bank account. All applicants must have a full UK National Insurance Number, UK bank account and hold an EU Passport, and due to the nature of our business all employees must hold a recent CRB enhanced disclosure, we can assist with this process.
Alp Leisure: We offer a competitive salary (£100 - £150 per week, per person), Ski pass, ski hire, travel to and from resort as well as a weekly food allowance. We also recommend directly to the guests that they tip our staff ensuring some of the best tips possible!
Ski Amis: Competitive salary paid in the UK, seasonal ski pass for the resort you are working in, ski or snowboard equipment rental for the season, accommodation, food (you eat with the clients so have the same food as they do), travel to and from the resort from London, medical and accident insurance – in principle all your living costs during the contract are covered (except your bar bill!!!) and your salary is only required to pay your personal expenses.
Alpine Navigations: Full area ski pass with piste insurance, food during working hours (breakfast and dinner on 6 days), contribution to travel, 1 full day off per week (same day for chalet team of 3). Competitive salary.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: We provide all food, ski or snowboard equipment, a local season lift pass and transport to and from the UK at the beginning and end of the season.
Crystal Ski: The key other parts of the package that we offer are, Overseas Insurance for the entire period of your employment abroad, Ski & Boot Hire, Travel to and from resort, Lift Pass
Powder White: Very Competitive salary and other benefits, Return transport to/from London, Comprehensive training scheme to include internationally recognised Level 2 Award in Food Safety & Catering, Free internet access, Equipment hire and free ski/snowboard tuition in low season (resort dependent), Season Lift Pass, Medical Insurance (Personal Belongings Insurance available at a supplement), Unbeatable back-up from both in-resort management and our team in London, The chance to experience ski resort life, build a strong career based on knowledge received and the opportunity to make lots of new friends and have lots of fun!
The Barn, Morzine: 180 euros a week, lift pass, mountain insurance, ski hire.
Ski Olympic: A competitive wage, including lift pass, insurance, food, travel, bonus, holiday pay, ski hire, ski lessons.
UKOH: Depends on the client, we have some roles that include the above and Lift pass, ski hire, travel to and from resort, winter sports insurance, salary, and food. Other roles pay £1300 a month, for 5 day week, but nothing is included however accommodation can be provided at approx £200 per month).
Ski Famille: Highly Competitive Salary, Ski Equipment for the season, food, Local area lift pass for the ski resort you are based in.
Are there opportunities for making extra cash by selling excursions, packed lunches etc?
Family Ski Company: Our guests can be quite generous with tips if they have enjoyed their stay and we also have other ways in resort of gaining a little extra income which will be explained at interview.
Alp Leisure: We do not offer these sorts of services that would be commission based however each chalet has an incentive scheme based on sales in the chalet (wine & soft drinks) and for our other services such as massage and ski hire etc. You will have targets to hit based on previous sales and performance in the chalet for both sales and cost reduction and the bonus is based on hitting these targets.
Ski Amis: You will get tips from guests most weeks if you give the right level of service and there are also opportunities to earn bonuses if you get clients to rebook while they are with you and also commission from the minibar sales in your chalet.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: No - all excursions are sold by the Representatives. Some guests do give tips are these are a gift between the guests and the hosts in the property.
Crystal Ski: We do offer the opportunity for most roles to earn commission through selling a wide variety of activities, events and beverages. Reps have the most opportunities to earn commission as the role his highly sales focused.
Powder White: If you exceed expectations, guests may decide at their own discretion to give you a tip. As excursions, packed lunches etc. are not a part of the Powder White product, it’s very important that Hosts do not provide these as extra for free or otherwise.
The Barn, Morzine: No, I’m afraid not. Tips are usually good, but naturally not guaranteed!
Ski Olympic: We do let you have honesty bars, and there is a weekly picnic in some resorts. We don’t believe in trying to squeeze the clients out of more money every day.
Purple Ski: No, this is strictly forbidden.
Ski Famille: NO, but any tips you earn are shared between only those working in the chalets for that particular week.
We are a multi-lingual couple from New Zealand, we are both chefs and have 5 ski seasons experience. We have UK working visas and would like to join your overseas team.
Alp Leisure: We will accept applications from all candidates that are legally able to work in the EU and UK. We will look at each application individually and inform candidates should they not be eligible to work for any reason.
Ski Amis: As long as you have an existing UK permanent national insurance number and a UK bank account as well as a UK working visa covering the whole period of your employment then we are able to employ you in any role except the chalet host/driver (because our professional drivers need to be in possession of an EU driving licence). In principle, if you are already living and working in the UK before you apply to us then you should qualify.
Family Ski Company: As an employer we are required to adhere to strict guidelines when it comes to the employment of our teams. We employ all of our staff through our UK company and then through an agreement with the local overseas authorities detach our teams for the time they are required overseas. Because of this you would be required to hold a full UK National Insurance number, UK address and bank account and a European Passport. If you are able to meet these requirements then we will happily consider your application.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: Due to the rules governing the European Posted Workers Scheme we are unable to employ anyone who does not hold a UK or EU passport and is not a resident of the UK.
Crystal Ski: Unfortunately to work for us we need you to have a valid EU passport, National Insurance number and a UK bank account. We cannot take people working in the UK on visa’s overseas as your visa is to work in the UK.
Powder White: We require all candidates to hold an EU passport, UK bank accounts and National Insurance number. If a full UK working visa is held, we would additionally require a working visa for France, Switzerland or Austria in order to progress any application.
The Barn, Morzine: We need our staff to have French working visas as they are on a French contract. I believe you can only get these from your home country.
Ski Olympic: As long as you have the relevant visas a national Insurance number, and UK bank account, that’s fine.
Purple Ski: Not possible - we can only hire citizens of full european (efta, eea) member countries.
Alpine Navigations: Sorry, no. We can only legally employ people who have a European passport as we are a French business and all of our team are employed on a French contract.
UKOH: All our staff must be in the possession of the following:
1. European passport,
2. British National Insurance number,
3. UK resident (UK address),
4. Driving licence for drivers and the majority of Maintenance staff.
Ski Famille: Couples would need UK Passports, UK National Insurance Numbers and UK Bank accounts for us to be able to proceed with their applications.
We are a multi-lingual couple from France, we are both chefs and have 5 ski seasons experience would like to join your overseas team.
Alp Leisure: We will accept applications from all candidates that are legally able to work in the EU and UK. We will look at each application individually and inform candidates should they not be eligible to work for any reason.
Ski Amis: As long as you have an existing UK permanent national insurance number and a UK bank account as well as a UK working visa covering the whole period of your employment then we are able to employ you in any role except the chalet host/driver (because our professional drivers need to be in possession of an EU driving licence). In principle, if you are already living and working in the UK before you apply to us then you should qualify.
Esprit Holidays/Ski Total/Inghams/Esprit Santas Lapland: We are only able to employ UK residents who hold an EU passport, so if any EU couple can fit these requirements then we would be able to interview and potentially offer employment. However please note that we are not able to post a national back to their home country under the European Posted Workers Scheme.
Crystal Ski: As long as you have a valid EU passport, National Insurance number and a UK bank account then you can join our overseas team, however you will not be able to work in France as French employment laws does not allow us to employ French people to work in France.
Powder White: Applications are eligible from EU passport holders with a UK bank accounts and National Insurance number.
The Barn, Morzine: Our jobs are in Morzine, France. If you feel you would like to work in Morzine we would love to hear from you.
Ski Olympic: We are not allowed to employ French citizens, as dictated by URSAF. The French authorities are making it increasingly harder year after year to even employ a UK citizen.
Purple Ski: Great, so long as you have the right (high level) experience
Alpine Navigations: Yes, as long as you would be happy working with an English team and looking after nearly all English guests.
UKOH: All our staff must be in the possession of the following:
1. European passport,
2. British National Insurance number,
3. UK resident (UK address),
4. Driving licence for drivers and the majority of Maintenance staff.
Ski Famille: Couples would need UK Passports, UK National Insurance Numbers and UK Bank accounts for us to be able to proceed with their applications.
Family Ski Company: As an employer we are required to adhere to strict guidelines when it comes to the employment of our teams. We employ all of our staff through our UK company and then through an agreement with the local overseas authorities detach our teams for the time they are required overseas. Because of this you would be required to hold a full UK National Insurance number, UK address and bank account and a European Passport. If you are able to meet these requirements then we will happily consider your application.