What does it take to become a ski instructor?

Being a ski or snowboard instructor is an amazing job. It allows passionate skiers and snowboarders to live and work in a world that feeds their passion and fulfils their obsession.

The path to this nirvana is one filled with fun, thrills and epic times. It also involves dedication, skill and hard work. In summary a very cold university course.

Before you sign up to start your training you should ask yourself if you have got the skills to become an instructor?

Are you a good skier or snowboarder?

To be an instructor you need to be a technically correct skier or snowboarder and hold yourself to a high standard.

Your ability also needs to reflect the instructor qualification that you hold. The beauty is that you will improve every day.

This is different to the level you need to be to train to become an instructor as your training will get help improve to the right standard.

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SKI INSTRUCTOR COURSES

Are you passionate?

You will need a have a deep passion for snow sports to be an instructor.

It should stem further than just a love of skiing or snowboarding. You will need to love and respect the mountains and have a desire to experience and improve in all aspects of snow sports.

Level 2 instructors are expected to be able to teach a second discipline.

Do you have excellent communication skills?

Think back to your favourite teacher or ski instructor. What made them good? It was probably the way they manage to talk to you.

Skiing requires the instructor to communicate technical knowledge and skills to inexperienced students.

Often you would be expected to impart this information to people in a second language and in a hostile environment.

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How can I afford a ski instructor course?

Are you social & friendly?

Instructors spend a lot of time in the company of strangers who are looking to them to inspire and reassure.

To put people at ease on the slopes you will need to be friendly and outgoing.

You will also need to be able to chat and socialize on chairlifts, over lunch or even at apres time.

How experienced are you?

The more experience you have the better you will be at being a ski instructor. To start you will need to have some on-slope experience before you start out.

As your career progresses you will gain even more as you spend more of your time on the slopes.

How Dedicated are you?

To forge a career as an instructor you need to be dedicated to your journey.

The investment to becoming an instructor is similar to the funds needed to complete a university course.

At the beginning of your path, you may end up working for free to get the experience you need to progress.

Have you got the patience?

You will need bundles of patience for many reasons.

Patience when someone can’t master a skill. Patience when it takes 1 hour to ski one slope. Patience when it is a powder day and you have lessons booked. Patience when you have an unhappy child in your group.

Do you love to travel?

You will need to love to travel. Skiing is seasonal and you may need to be prepared to move to follow the work every 6 months.

Have you got a love of the outdoors?

If you hate the cold then this may not be the career for you.

Your office will be the slopes and chairlifts of the mountains and you will be expected to work in some extreme conditions.

Fairweather skiers need not apply.

PERFORMANCE COURSES

If you want to improve and become an amazing skier but don’t think an instructors course is for you then we have a great range of performance course that will take you to the next level.

What is a Performance Course? from Ticket to Ride Group on Vimeo.