Ski Instructor Salary

We are regularly asked how much you can earn as a ski instructor. While we can give a basic answer in terms of euros per hour, dollars per month or pounds per year, it will vary from company to company. What we think you should really be asking us is, how can I earn the best possible wage for my industry? Here are five tips that could increase your seasonal take home pay.



Take the right training course

As long as your course is run by a national body sanctioned by The International Ski Instructors Association, you will be in the running for that instructor role. However, if you really want to have the best chance, consider taking the qualification of the country in which you want to work. Yes your employers will accept qualifications given by other SIA members, but especially if you are working for a local ski school, everyone likes their own qualification best. More information about choosing the right teaching qualification here.

Another way to stand out and have the best chance to earn is to continue to push yourself. What we mean by this is it is easy to get that level one or two qualification, and that will allow you to teach people, but why stop there? If you keep improving, both as a skier, and as a teacher, you are going to become a much better candidate, and you will have more chance of getting those top paying positions. Read the following story by someone who gave up accountancy and got addicted to ski instructing - my journey to BASI level 4.

Learn a language

If you are heading for the USA or New Zealand, then English will do just fine, but if you want to work in the Alps, some parts of Canada, Scandinavia, or Japan, then you are going to encounter some different languages. Even if you are teaching exclusively English guests, in a French resort you will be interacting with French speakers, and you will get more from the experience, and discover more chances to earn, if you can speak and understand French.

Move to the mountains

This may seem like a risky move, especially if you do not already have a job. Indeed it will not even be possible without a job in some countries, however if you are stuck in the UK, writing letters and filling in application forms, you are going to be less appealing than the candidate who is already living in or near to the resort and who is ready to work at a moment's notice. Trust us, if the company can employ one of two candidates who are fairly equal, and one of them doesn't require a plane ticket...

Start your own business

Why not? Plenty of people have already done this. We speak to several each year who are fully booked a year in advance. There will certainly be more to arrange than just your transport, equipment and clothing, but once you are established you can take on as many clients as you like, set your own hours, and keep a hundred per cent of the profits. This option will take real commitment, and while there is greater risk, the potential rewards are much greater than if you are working for somebody else for four or five months each year.

Be a good instructor

By this we mean do your job well and it will pay off. Imagine you and a colleague are working for the same ski company, doing the same job for the season. You both spend your days teaching different groups. But imagine if they just go through the motion, whereas you, to use one of those silly marketing phrases, 'go the extra mile'. If you really work hard and try to get the most from your clients, then your earning potential will increase much faster. If you are working for yourself you will get repeat business and recommendations, or if you are working for a company, your gests' feedback will filter through to your employers and you could be offered a more senior position for the following season.

If you want to earn more money while teaching people to ski then the more effort you put in, the more you will get back in return. Of course we all want to get paid more, but not everybody wants to put in the effort. If choose to, then you immediately lift yourself above the competition. Whether you already have the basic qualifications or you are about to start on the path to becoming a ski instructor, we wish you luck, and hope that this website can help you with the next step, whether than is another course, or an instructor job.



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