The Season Workers Guide: Ski Jobs
Working a ski season, or spending time on a season long course should be one of the richest (not financially!) periods of your life. Whatever your age, the first season you spend in resort will give you memories that you will never forget. However, it is important to fully consider your options before jetting off to the Alps to avoid an early return.
You don't even have to follow the traditional route of securing work with a British operator before you go. If you can afford it you might want to spend the season qualifying as an instructor or just rent a room for the season and pursue your chosen plank sport at your leisure. Some people have even set their own ventures up out in resort to fund their season, the options are pretty endless but we have put this guide together based on decades of experience so you should hopefully set off on the right track.
If you want a job in a ski chalet as a chalet rep your menu planning ability is one of the very first things a prospective employer will investigate. It is also absolutely key to the season going well for you and all your happy clients so best to get it right from the start. You can do a cookery course
before you if you want to really get prepared.
Working for a winter tour operator means your accommodation and food is all taken care of, this alone will give you a much better chance of lasting the whole ski season. Working a winter season with a tour operator is a great way of meeting likeminded people as you will be working with many other season workers; some of which will probably be experienced and have good knowledge of the resort and where to find the best skiing, boarding and drinking spots. The work is normally harder than most people are ready for, especially if you are basing your decision to do a season on what you have seen whilst on holiday with your family. Use this section to read about people's real experiences and get an insight into the different types of jobs on offer. From
ski repping, to catering work or childcare employers of all shapes and sizes advertise their jobs right here on Season Workers.
The language barrier and legal difficulties can make finding work on the spot in European resorts very difficult. Of course, you should be able to find what you want right here on Season Workers. However, there are a multitude of alternative options open to you. Go direct to tour operator and organisation websites, use Google to help you find recruitment websites, national and local newspapers can help and specialist magazines like The Caterer list jobs abroad and carry interviews and other related info to help you choose what to do.
Imagine how many people are interviewed to work a season for your chosen company; plenty, so how are you going to stand out from the rest? Here are some top tips on what you should do to prepare for your interview. With most companies you will receive some sort of training (be it a residential course prior to your season and / or training in resort). Residential courses generally last about a week. Most firms also give you further instruction during the early season on site specific issues and some of the more technical aspects of the job. Any company worth it's salt will then offer continued training and support to help you achieve success.
Most of the time the early season is the hardest physical work. Resorts and centres need to be prepared to accept clients and deliver what they expect to get in return for their hard earned cash. This can quite often mean that specialist staff have to get involved in snow clearing, toilet cleaning and menial set up duties. The mid season can be tough if not handled correctly and then the end is upon you before you know it. Again, Season Workers should have something to help you at every stage - even in finding old friends long after the ski season has finished!
Doing a ski season without sorting out work in advance
Companies such as Basecamp and Flying Fish operate short to medium length courses in skiing and snowboarding. The courses are designed for people who want to qualify and work in instruction, or enhance their ability through intensive training. Alternatively you might have a business idea or simply want to rent a room for the season and see what happens when you get there.