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Gap year plan to be a ski instructor in Whistler

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Not me, alas. 66 Major, looking at the 2018/19 season. Accommodation isnt a problem.

I've done a little bit of looking into this today. The resort employs level 2 instructors, but AIUI will take level 1 instructors through its partners. The partners offer 3-4 week L1 CSIA courses.

The CSIA website says you can do an L1 course in 3 days. Which sounds right: I did mine in 2.

So what on earth are these three+ week courses? For people who can't ski on day 1?

Right now I'm thinking the better option is to have her do her L1 this Easter and then her L2 next Feb.

What's the catch?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Bump. Anyone?
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Yep broadly - if you can ski decently well you don't even need an external course to pass CSIA1 you'll probably learn enough over the official course/assessment to pass provided you can adapt and learn in real time. The 3+ week courses are generally for kids that might be athletic but have done very little skiing previously.
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I'm not sure I know what a '66 Major' is. A retired miltary man? An obscure American vintage car? Anyway, I digress.

I know less than nothing about your question. However, talking to a friend whose son did a 3-4 week course in Andorra. Possibly BASI. He said that the course didn't really qualify the son for anything much. Well, to be fair, the son was qualified but the qualification didn't enable him to find a job. He said he'd have had better luck if he's been qualified for skiing and snowboard instruction. Anyway, my miserable contribution to answering your question is ... check if a job really is likely, and bearing in mind what has been written here about the earning capacity of instructors in Vail do check what it's like at Whistler.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Been through this and minijake is now a supervisor in ski school there.

1st off you can not ENTER into most evening entertainment until you are 19 in Canada so unless she is 19 in the planned time frame I would say she is going to be very lonely at night. It is not like here where you just don't drink 2 x photo ID to get in everywhere and very strict.
Next she would have to get a IEC visa which is not as easy as you may hope. Current system is that you enter a pool and they randomly select from that pool to offer visas. The Visa is now 2years and you can only have one of these. Pool opened Nov and they started pulling invites out late Dec. They will all be gone by March this year. Once you have the visa you then have a year to activate it. Hence apply now for going over in October for next season...... VERY IMPORTANT to be on the ball 10 months early and then may be disappointed.
Daughter had BASI 1 but they would not take that as a qualification over in Whistler. You can use it in some American resorts but not many of them. Squaw valley for example. Drink is even worse over there though - 21.
The best plan is the Intern type course offered by Yes (https://www.yesimprovement.com/programs/whistler-ski-instructor/wbssu) amongst others, as after the 4 weeks you will get a job. If you then have a job with them they will employ you the year after too, even if you only stick at CSIA 1, though the program with Yes takes you up to L2 by the end of the season.
Most importantly, in Whistler, it gets you somewhere to live at a reduced cost. There are loads of jobs in Whistler, 15 on WB website now which is not normal, because there is a housing crisis. With social media they could have a huge issue in the future as more and more people are getting the message that "its a great place, but you can't afford to live there" so are just not going. They have expanded though and need more staff - catch 22.
Yes you really need the 3 weeks course to get to the standard to pass the exam. The exam is 3 days both theory and practice. It is not easy - people do fail. You need to be a strong skier before you start. The steep bump runs they send you down for the exams are not easy and no fun for me to get down, let alone with some style and control.
If you just try the exam on your own you will not have a clue what they are looking for and fail. The reading matter is about 100 pages alone that you need to know inside out.
Because of VISA issues we ended up doing a 7 week course L1 & L2 and then year after she managed to get a VISA and a job there the next season. Start of many happy years but definitely not profitable ones - even with "cheaper" housing. Now in the pool trying for a Permeant Visa so she can go back next year.

Happy to help on anything specific.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Thanks for all this.

A 66 Major is the eldest child of the family. She will be 19 before the season starts and will have somewhere to live. Those bases are covered.

We will find out this Easter what the job situation may hold were she to present herself with an L2 qualification. I think we will look to set this up during our summer 2018 holiday, and if it all works she will stay out there rather than return home with us.

I'll get her into the IEC visa pool this year. If she were to get it in March, she could activate it in March 2018 which would still leave plenty of life in it.

I'm with Dave on the utility of the three/four week course. Unless CSIA L1 has changed a *lot* since I did it, it sounds like that course is for taking raw non skiers and turning them into basic instructors. That's not where 66 Major is.

Cheers all!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Handy having somewhere to live as that is the biggest issue. Is it spare now as I know someone who could use it wink

Absolutely worth going and having a chat with Ski School - Daughter is in the kids bit so could point her in the right direction of that section otherwise not sure; but I guess she could try and get you a contact to speak too.

I am not worried about the skiing prowess as it sounds like you go a lot (same reason we went with Whistler for our, she knew the place so well) but the written/indoor lesson stuff is half the marks. Also the beauty of doing the training/exams over there is you make contacts in the ski school. Daughter had a hard job getting a job first year and only a personal contact with the head of ski school got her in. All Instructor jobs wanted 2 seasons experience along with L2 minimum. Good news is they are more desperate now so I think it will be much easier. Fingers crossed. Not sure where you were going to do the CSIA in Summer - do they do it on the glacier? Or are you thinking of a different qualification in southern hemisphere?

Yes do the IEC application now, if you get one fine. If not get in the pool for the year later and then you would still be ok if you get one. Note, currently, is completely random hence no idea of success other than the odds seem to be 50%. Caveat. This system has been in place for 2 years and could change for next year - it was very different before that with dates that kept moving about.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Afraid the accommodation isn't free right now! We have a place out there which we rent out. We ummed and ahhed about whether to let her use it, bearing in mind a gap year is about finding independence and self sufficiency, but decided in the end that it would just be churlish not to. So it will come off the rental agent's books for that winter.

This Easter will be L1 and some making of contacts (hopefully), then this summer will be a "dry run" speaking to whoever we can about the best way to present herself for a job the following year. Then L2 will be done in Feb 18. Good point about experience - it reminded me that my examiner said the very next thing I should do after getting my L1 was to do some hands on teaching. One of this things to explore this summer will be whether someone with qualifications but zero experience is actually a non-starter. Another is to look at what other jobs might be available - waitressing is an obvious one but I expect there is a surplus of applicants, and clearing tables/kitchen grunt work might be more realistic.

It seems that one can't start the IEC process until you're 18. So that's bookmarked for later in the year.

Young 66 major is also keen to go elsewhere (having spent two holidays a year in Whistler/West coast) for as long as she can remember she justifiably would like to see some other spots. At least YVR/SFO/LAX offer some good jumping off points for SE Asia and Aus/NZ.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@greg66, I'm still curious about this '66 major' expression. When I googled it to see if it was some well know expression I was unfamiliar with it just directed me back to your post! Is it common? Where does it come from? How can 'young 66 major' also be the eldest child in the family? Am I missing something here?
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
It's an old saying used a lot in public schools and Monty Python/ Ripping Yarns Mick takes.

Fridge Major is my eldest son, Fridge Minor the youngest not sure about any inbetween as I don't have any.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Dare I say it but part of the learning process is working out how to achieve your own aims. A few bumps and scrapes along the way tends to round off the corners. It also helps to produce a teacher who has more experience to offer as opposed to one for whom Daddy just bought the licence. Harsh words maybe but I speak as one who finished up spending most of my working life teaching.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Not sure I'm going to "buy the licence". She is paying for the courses and will have to acquire (or not) the qualification herself. And then, umm, teach. Apart from saying "everyone's life would be better if it had been as tough as mine" I'm not too sure what your point is.

And yes, the major/minor/media thing is a school way of classifying siblings, where pupils are referred to by surname only.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If your daughter is going to Whistler, she will make lots of new friends and have fun for sure, even if she is under 19. Lived there for 3 years. Lots of work. Lots of accomodation. I remember one friend of mine lived in a sauna. I ran a house on Rainbow and rented rooms to others. Whistler is stunningly beautiful and Vancouver, too. Lucky to live here wouldn't live anywhere else.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@greg66, Actually I didn't have a tough time at all, it was all rather fortunate. My point, and I apologise if I didn't make it clear, was that when it comes to teaching there are times when you have to think on your feet and use your intuition so surely this would be a golden opportunity for her to start to do just that. I spent a time training commercial pilots and we could always spot the ones who were having it handed to them on a platter as opposed to those who were grafting through the process of qualification. It was almost invariably those from the latter that made a success of things. And by the way: I also spent a few years teaching skiing.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@greg66, We are out before you but Daughter will still be there until May and happy to show her round - I think she can even get some money for "finding" her ! Yes they still have vacancies.

Opps should have thought about the 18 thing for IEC sorry. PM sent
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Jake43 That's very kind. Have PM'd you back.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
esaw1 wrote:
@greg66, Actually I didn't have a tough time at all, it was all rather fortunate. My point, and I apologise if I didn't make it clear, was that when it comes to teaching there are times when you have to think on your feet and use your intuition so surely this would be a golden opportunity for her to start to do just that. I spent a time training commercial pilots and we could always spot the ones who were having it handed to them on a platter as opposed to those who were grafting through the process of qualification. It was almost invariably those from the latter that made a success of things. And by the way: I also spent a few years teaching skiing.


I think that is another way of saying that you can always spot the difference between people who have gone into teaching because they want to teach, and people who've gone into it because they can't think of anything else to do. FWIW 66 Major loves skiing, loves working with small kids, and loves the idea of being able to help them enjoy skiing more. Having been through countless weeks of Whistler Kids herself she knows the difference between the teachers that made the weeks really enjoyable and those who made it humdrum, and is really quite enthusiastic about being the former.

By contrast, 66 minor is an antisocial thing who hated Whistler Kids on almost every level and couldn't wait to be out of it! She is two years younger, and has eavesdropped some of these convrresations, and has no interest in doing an L1 or teaching! I think she'd rather earn a ton of money then ski the season on blue sky powder days!

Horses for courses. Never have understood how they are so different.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
foxtrotzulu wrote:
@greg66, I'm still curious about this '66 major' expression.....



Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

OP was greg66.

66 major is the his oldest child.

Same as me saying Minime#1

Or DL#1

Musher and the Mushettes.

Did they not have internet slang in your public school wink
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First postscript: 66 major is now Level 1 qualified!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
greg66 wrote:
First postscript: 66 major is now Level 1 qualified!


Brilliant. Do hope the chat helps. It is worth her while trying to get some experience shadowing or working in a UK fridge as it does show commitment. The website does say that they need experience but Jake Major (keeping your naming convention) did not and just plagued the head of Ski School etc by email.

Hopefully she can get some contacts and a meeting with ski school whilst you are over there. Always worth presenting ones self up front, as seeing people, and making contacts is half the battle whilst you are over there. Maybe she can even shadow over there for a little too? Can't hurt to ask.
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