Ski / Snowboard

Ski / Snowboard

These will be the best days of your life! This job is a lifestyle and it’s about as far from the 9-5 desk job as you can get (while still working 9-5). Once you earn the red instructor jacket you will live your life being teased by snow reports around the globe and the promise of powder

POTENTIAL EARNINGS

Wages will depend largely on the location. A ski or snowboard instructor in Canada can earn between $12-17 USD. Go to Switzerland or France and an experienced and qualified instructor can earn up to $65/hour. There is also the opportunity to alternate your seasons by swapping hemispheres and working throughout the year. When the French are sunning themselves in St Tropez in July and August, head to Queenstown, New Zealand where you can earn between $12 and $25 USD / hour.

 

In some countries and resorts, you can rely on tips. You may earn more in European Alps but the qualifications are more demanding. Some companies offer a training program and then a job placement. You can often negotiation accommodation into a contract to make it more beneficial. 

HIGH SEASON

EUROPE – A handful of places will open end of Oct/ early Nov. High season is holidays around December and New Year. Expect a mad rush during the European half term break in mid Feb. Most resorts close from April/May

 

NORTH AMERICA -  High Season is roughly November through March. If you are looking for the best powder, end of Jan/early Feb is your best bet

 

SOUTH AMERICA – The Argentina and Chile season runs from mid-June to mid-October. Best dry powder is in July/August and sometimes into the first weeks of Sept

 

AUSTRALIA/NZ – June thru October. July is school holidays and high season in terms of people, but you often get the best snow in August.

 

ASIA – Opening mid-November, the peak season is Dec- Feb. Shoulder Season (the best kept secret!) is mid-Feb to mid-March. Go to Japan for lots of powder AND sunny days. You can ski into May in many places in Asia, but expect heavier and wetter snow with a lot of businesses and lifts closing from April.

 

AFRICA – The season in Southern Africa is usually the same as Australia/NZ. Northern Africa and places like Morocco run closer to European Season, usually from Dec to March