Ski Instructor Jobs and Courses

Skiing is great fun, but all too soon your boots are off and you are making your way back to the airport to return to the green grass of home. If only there was a way to prolong your stay in the mountains. The benefits of getting a ski instructor job could include free or cheap lift passes, subsidized meals and accommodation, discounts on clothing and equipment hire, not to mention the best office environment you could ever imagine.

International Ski Instructor Qualifications

The International Ski Instructors Alliance recognize a range of ski instructor qualifications, yet there is no international standard. Each country has its own standardized qualification level. For example, in Canada you would be looking to achieve CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance) Level 1 Instructor to enable them to teach beginners and early intermediate skiers. Or CSIA Level 2 Instructor for teaching intermediate skiers. Other national associations include the British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI), the New Zealand SnowSports Instructor Alliance (NZSIA) and École du Ski Francais (EFS).

Which qualification is right for you?

Deciding which type of qualification you wish to gain is the first question you need to ask yourself. It’s a sweeping generalization to say that the more basic the qualification, the shorter the training period, the shorter the exam period, the cheaper the course and the greater the number of jobs on offer at the end. You also have to take into account the fact that there will be far greater competition for this type of job as more people will be qualified to this basic level, plus the salary you can expect will be lower than for the higher qualifications.

What can you earn as a ski instructor?

The amount you can expect to earn will vary by ski resort. It will also depend upon your level of qualification and who you are instructing. We heard a story of someone who was instructing a small group of wealthy Canadians. At the end of their holiday the tip was more than the instructor’s actual salary! Probably best not to count on anything like that though. A quick look back at our most recently advertised ski instructor jobs shows a range between $10 an hour to £16,000 a year. Of course it depends whether the job is in a known location for a known length of time, or whether the company is hiring you on a temporary contract basis, to work between a group of resorts where the pay can vary from place to place. Often the jobs advertised don’t specify a salary because it depends where you end up working.

What does a ski instructor course involve?

This all depends upon the type of qualification you choose. You need to pass BASI Level 1 before you can take the Level 2 course. Some ski instructor training courses combine the two qualifications. With a BASI instructor license you can teach in Scandinavia, New Zealand and Australia, USA and Canada and Switzerland. If you want to teach in France you have to take the École du Ski Francais (EFS) qualification.

British Association of Snowsport Instructors Level 1

As a pre requisite you must usually be at least 16 years of age, depending on venue, you must be able to ski parallel confidently on red runs and be able to make good turns. You must be an associate member of BASI and you must hold a first aid certificate. This course covers ski safety, planning and evaluating instructing sessions, accident and emergency preparation, and improving personal skiing and ski instruction. The course can be taken on UK dry slopes and indoor slopes. British Association of Snowsport Instructors Level 2 As a pre requisite you must usually be at least 16 years of age, have completed the Level 1 qualification. You must have a valid first aid certificate. You must have an additional 35 hours of shadow teaching since completing the Level 1 qualification. This course covers skiing to a competent level and teaching safe alpine skiing on marked pistes.

Here are a few of the companies we have worked with who offer ski instructor courses.


	Sitco New Zealand	Educating Adventures	Crystal Ski
	Non Stop Ski and Snowbaord	Ambition Racing	Fluid Feeling
Flying Fish	Anything Technical	Reflex Ski School