Just as for skiers, unfortunately, there isn't a single internationally recognised snowboard instructor qualification, so you'll need to do some research and decide which course you would like to take. The three that we have listed below are about the best and are all of a similar standard.
Any one of these qualification should allow you to teach in a number of countries around the world, though having the qualification of the country you are planning to work in, sometimes gives you a slight advantage.
POPULAR SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR OPPORTUNITIES
Japan, Canada, USA, New Zealand or Switzerland
Want to get turn your love of skiing or snowboarding into a career?
Become a ski or snowboard instructor. Receive world-class training, gain internationally-recognised qualifications and get a guaranteed paid job offer at the ski resort of your choice.
Details & Apply..
Canada
Become a qualified ski instructor in Canada this winter.
Choose from 10 world-class resorts across Canada. Receive world-class instructor training. Gain an internationally recognised qualification. Get a guaranteed paid job offer at your chosen resort. Details & Apply..
France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland Various
Looking to get paid to teach people how to ski and snowboard this coming winter? At OutdoorJAC we help recruit for multi-resort tour operators and small specialist independent ski holiday companies. Share your CV with us to improve your chances of a job offer! Details & Apply..
Canada Banff, Big White, Castle, Lake Louise, Mount Norquay, Revelstoke, SilverStar, Alberta, British Columbia, Kelowna and Vancouver.
Become a qualified ski instructor in Canada this winter.
Choose from 10 world-class resorts across Canada. Receive world-class instructor training. Gain an internationally recognised qualification. Get a guaranteed paid job offer at your chosen resort. Details & Apply..
Japan Canyons, Hakuba, Hokkaido, Evergreen, Niseko, Rusutsu, Shiga Kogen
Japan is the perfect place to start your snowsports career this winter. We've been running Ski & Snowboard instructor courses in Japan for over 10 years and have availability at 9 world-class Japanese resorts. You will gain international certification and a guaranteed paid job offer at your resort. Details & Apply..
Japan, Canada, USA, New Zealand or Switzerland Choose from 27 Ski Resorts in 5 Countries
Want to turn your love of skiing or snowboarding into a career?
Want to receive world-class training, gain an internationally recognised qualification and get a guaranteed paid job offer at the ski resort of your choice?
Fast track your instructor career with EA Ski & Snowboard Training. Details & Apply..
Switzerland Saas-Fee, Nendaz & Anzère
Join our team of international staff in Switzerland for an incredibly rewarding experience in a beautiful mountain resort. Take on this varied role and enjoy working with an international clientele, gain teaching experience and be a part of mountain life in a Swiss ski resort. Details & Apply..
Canada, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland N/A
Do you want a career that will take you across the globe? Do you want to live and work in the world's top ski destinations?
Become a ski instructor with EA Ski & Snowboard Training and fast-track your career in the snow industry. Choose from 30 resorts across five countries. Details & Apply..
Japan, Canada, USA, New Zealand or Switzerland Choose From 27 Ski Resorts in 5 Countries
Want to get turn your love of skiing or snowboarding into a career?
Become a ski or snowboard instructor. Receive world-class training, gain internationally-recognised qualifications and get a guaranteed paid job offer at the ski resort of your choice. Details & Apply..
Snowboarding is huge and getting bigger every season. High profile events in the Winter Olympics boost interest and increase demand for qualified instructors. Find out how to get your instructor qualification here.
Level 1 Snowboard Instructor this course makes sure you are comfortable riding and teaching in from of a group of beginners. It qualifies you to teach entry level snowboarding in Australia, Canada, Japan and the USA. More details and an online workshop can be found here: casi-acms.com.
Level 1 Snowboard Instructor this is qualification you will receive if you train in New Zealand. Covering all aspects of beginner tuition, including how to manage a class of students, your own improvement, and of course safety. It allows you to teach in Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.
Level 1 Snowboard Instructor course only qualifies you to work on artificial and indoor slopes. To work in a ski resort you will also need the Level 2 Snowboard Instructor qualification. Level 2 allows you to work in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada, and Switzerland. It is a well recognized qualification and smaller resorts may also help you with your visa.
If you want to teach in Italy and France it gets a bit more complicated. Some resorts in Italy are not as strict, though will often limit the amount of time you can teach. If you want to teach snowboarding in France, you'll basically have to be an outrageously good snowboarder (or skier - they don't recognise foreign snowboarding qualifications but they are quite happy to allow ski instructors to teach snowboarding!?). You are looking at perhaps BASI Level 4 before you can even contemplate teaching in a French resort.
You have a number of options when it comes to the amount of time you would like to spend on your course. Some may be UK based and part time, such as weekends, others may be a month or six weeks, but there is also the option to spend the majority of a season on a course. Short courses generally last a few weeks and are designed to be quite intensive, perhaps allowing you to train and begin teaching in the same season. If you want to have the time to qualify at a more leisurely pace, with more time to practice your technique, you may choose to take a longer course, lasting several months. Don't forget, there are training courses available here in the UK too.
Which ever course you choose, your time will be split between practice and theory, and also between developing your own snowboarding skills, and your teaching technique.
"After completing my university degree I wanted to spend some time in New Zealand, and indulge my passion for snowboarding. As part of the task of getting out there I decided to sign up on a Level Two course, having already completed Level One during the summer holidays in my second year. I thought I was already pretty good, but the Level Two course was even better than the first in that it gave me more confidence and made me realise that I wanted to take the job even further. The tuition was really good, the guys knew exactly how to show me how to get the best from my riding style. After I qualified I spent most of the season getting experience and even managed a bit of teaching, so that I can start my Level Three next year."
