 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi all.
An Aussie dad who is doing some research on behalf of his daughter here - she’s not a member of this forum.
She finishes school in 2022 so this planning is long term.
Emily is very much into her French studies. She also loves skiing. She intends on continuing her studies but is considering delaying uni so she can spend a winter/spring full season in France.
What is the process? Can those who have experience with this point me in the right direction.
Emily will not be 18 until May 2023. Will this pose a problem? Obviously she will need a visa and permission to work in France. I’m sure we can work our way around that.
It appears positions for kitchen hands/bar staff etc are relatively available. What about accommodation? Do any jobs provide lodging or will it be up to her to find her own place to stay?
She’s a smart, hard working and sensible kid. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@sbooker,
Age - that may be a problem, but would depend on the employer.
Visa etc - check via the French embassy in Oz.
Some jobs come as a package (especially UK tour operators), with accommodation, lift pass, ski/boot/pole hire as needed, meals, insurance & transport between the UK and resort. Some, especially 'in resort' jobs, don't.
I would advise Emily to list in order the resorts she would like to do a season in (considering what she wants from a resort eg long season, snow sure, challenging runs, off-piste, partying, doorstep skiing etc), then she & yourself investigate what work is available in them, starting with her top six.
At this point I should mention the tour operators generally don't give applicants a choice of resort, or even country, they'd be working in. But there are TOs that only run holidays to a few, or even just one resort.
When Emily has made her list then other than on snowheads she should also look & ask questions on the relevant resort seasonnaire groups on Facebook (to give egs I'm a member of both 'Tignes Seasonnaires' and 'Tignes Seasonnaires 2022' groups).
Be interested on which resorts you come back asking about. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Kenzie wrote: |
@sbooker,
Age - that may be a problem, but would depend on the employer.
Visa etc - check via the French embassy in Oz.
Some jobs come as a package (especially UK tour operators), with accommodation, lift pass, ski/boot/pole hire as needed, meals, insurance & transport between the UK and resort. Some, especially 'in resort' jobs, don't.
I would advise Emily to list in order the resorts she would like to do a season in (considering what she wants from a resort eg long season, snow sure, challenging runs, off-piste, partying, doorstep skiing etc), then she & yourself investigate what work is available in them, starting with her top six.
At this point I should mention the tour operators generally don't give applicants a choice of resort, or even country, they'd be working in. But there are TOs that only run holidays to a few, or even just one resort.
When Emily has made her list then other than on snowheads she should also look & ask questions on the relevant resort seasonnaire groups on Facebook (to give egs I'm a member of both 'Tignes Seasonnaires' and 'Tignes Seasonnaires 2022' groups).
Be interested on which resorts you come back asking about. |
We've had very limited experience skiing in France to be honest. She is a decent skier and would only get better so a hill with some challenge would be preferable. Of course Tignes/Val would be a dream. As would Paradiski/Cham/Three Valleys etc.
Thanks for the tip on the Facebook page thing. Will get looking.
If it happens she can't work because if her age I would seriously consider matching her dollar for dollar (she has a part time job) so she can do a few months in a ski hill in France without having to work. But making friends would be more difficult that way I would think?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@sbooker,
Those would have been the first ones I'd have said, but in order Tignes, Val D'Isere, Paradiski, 3 Valleys, Chamonix.
Making friends as a seasonnaire is easy - don't forget there will be a lot of newbies in a resort also looking to make friends, even if you are a ski bum & others have jobs - ski bums get the most mountain time, so who do you want to spend your presious ski time with than those who know best where the decent skiing is?
One thing I could suggest, if possible. You & Emily get out to her chosen resort(s) and go around the in resort employers so she can see whether she likes them & then sell herself to them. That is the sort of thing that would impress employers. April would be best, as by that time of the season most will have decided which employees they are retaining for next season & hence what openings they have.
I know it would be a real drag for you to force yourself to visit some of France's top ski resorts, but no-one said it'd be easy being a great dad.
For the record I did one season working as the accountant in a Brit run bar in Meribel, and four seasons as a ski bum in Tignes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
If she is a keen French speaker then she might consider the Suisse Romande French-speaking part of Switzerland: Geneva, Vaud and Valais. The French actually make fun of the Swiss because they speak French relatively slowly and precisely - and I do find it easier to follow Swiss French. The obvious highlight resort is Verbier and its Quatre Vallées satellites of Bruson, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz and Veysonnaz, around 450 Kms of linked pistes and of course, famous off-piste skiing. CH isn't in the EU, so working regulations are arguably easier for non-nationals, or at least, no more difficult. Anyway, perhaps worth researching. And yes, Switzerland has a reputation for being relatively expensive, but staying in any premier Alpine resort is going to be that. One thing about CH - there's very much a division between federal (state) and cantonal (regional) authorities, so you may have to get a federal visa first, and then a cantonal work permit: I assume there's more information available from the Swiss embassy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kenzie wrote: |
@sbooker,
Those would have been the first ones I'd have said, but in order Tignes, Val D'Isere, Paradiski, 3 Valleys, Chamonix.
Making friends as a seasonnaire is easy - don't forget there will be a lot of newbies in a resort also looking to make friends, even if you are a ski bum & others have jobs - ski bums get the most mountain time, so who do you want to spend your presious ski time with than those who know best where the decent skiing is?
One thing I could suggest, if possible. You & Emily get out to her chosen resort(s) and go around the in resort employers so she can see whether she likes them & then sell herself to them. That is the sort of thing that would impress employers. April would be best, as by that time of the season most will have decided which employees they are retaining for next season & hence what openings they have.
I know it would be a real drag for you to force yourself to visit some of France's top ski resorts, but no-one said it'd be easy being a great dad.
For the record I did one season working as the accountant in a Brit run bar in Meribel, and four seasons as a ski bum in Tignes. |
Yes. The plan is to escape the worlds largest island prison in late March to ski somewhere in the northern hemisphere. The ideal for us would be to fly into Zurich or Milan and fly out a few weeks later from Paris. If that happens a week in Tignes will be on the cards. I guess the Snowheads family bash may also be a possibility. I’m hoping by then Oz has sorted it’s Covid stuff out. I’m from Queensland so right now I can’t even get back into my own state if I leave……
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just musing and doing research here. If Emily cant get a work visa because of her age and therefore will be bumming it we might investigate perhaps more financially friendly options.
I’m thinking a real town may give more of an opportunity to have the full French experience. Is Bourg Saint Maurice a real town? What about Brides Le Bains?
I’m sure Briancon is but is there a ski bus to the lifts from the centre of the old town in Briancon? Any other French town suggestions?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| sbooker wrote: |
I’m thinking a real town may give more of an opportunity to have the full French experience. Is Bourg Saint Maurice a real town? What about Brides Le Bains?
|
Full French experience? Maybe you should move to Seine St Denis to experience modern day France rather than some anglo-saxon chocolate box version of France.
Brides les Bains is a small spa "town" so if you want to experience a small community oriented towards tourism and the "spa" industry it's great for that.
Bourg St Maurice is another small town on the road to nowhere which caters principally for local agriculture and the tourist industry.
Both towns are Savoyard so you not particularly getting the "full French experience" - baguettes, berets and Beaujolais as they only became part of France in 1860 and the culture is different to some extent.
Just to note that not many people under 18 work in France. If they do it would be part of an apprenticeship or in a family business.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@sbooker, there is most definitely a bus from Briancon old town to the ski lifts. It's a fair old hike back up the hill at the end of the day otherwise. There are a couple of hoteliers in the area who have had Australian staff working for them over the winter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Back to the Swiss option: has she considered the potential to do some sort of further education course in Lausanne? It's a cosmopolitan, international university city on the shores of Lake Geneva. It's relatively near to many Alpine winter and summer locations. Close to Geneva, which is a major hub for European flights and rail. An alternative large town would be Martigny or Sion (the Valais Cantonal capital). Just a thought.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@sbooker,
Consider Geneva for your airport.
Bourg Saint Maurice is a good option as a small town with good access to Parsdiski, but loses out on the ski resort vibe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| LaForet wrote: |
| If she is a keen French speaker then she might consider the Suisse Romande French-speaking part of Switzerland: Geneva, Vaud and Valais. The French actually make fun of the Swiss because they speak French relatively slowly and precisely - and I do find it easier to follow Swiss French. The obvious highlight resort is Verbier and its Quatre Vallées satellites of Bruson, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz and Veysonnaz, around 450 Kms of linked pistes and of course, famous off-piste skiing. CH isn't in the EU, so working regulations are arguably easier for non-nationals, or at least, no more difficult. Anyway, perhaps worth researching. And yes, Switzerland has a reputation for being relatively expensive, but staying in any premier Alpine resort is going to be that. One thing about CH - there's very much a division between federal (state) and cantonal (regional) authorities, so you may have to get a federal visa first, and then a cantonal work permit: I assume there's more information available from the Swiss embassy. |
Residency permission for non-EU person is under national authority rather than EU level, and CH is way more difficult. In short, unless you're an EU citizen, the Swiss is painful to deal with.
For under 18, the only visa that would remotely make sense is a student visa. But that would require her to study full time. Otherwise, she'd be eligible for a working holiday visa once she turns 18. Swiss work holiday visa has very specific requirements, such as enrolling in a vocational program and have work arrangement beforehand that fits in the subject of training.
On the other hand, the French work holiday visa gears toward the holiday more than the working. One just need to meet the financial requirements and some other basic eligiblities to get it. If she doesn't need to work, she can also get a French long stay vistor visa too. This option is not available for CH unless you plan to drop 150k CHF or more to satisfy the canton that you're wealthy.
Either way, it's worth waiting until she turns 18. She can't sign most contracts while under 18 so lots of problems in daily life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
I still think it's worth researching the Swiss opportunities. It'd be a shame to miss the chance to study or work in CH just because someone on a forum put you off.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sun 10-10-21 21:01; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| LaForet wrote: |
| Back to the Swiss option: has she considered the potential to do some sort of further education course in Lausanne? It's a cosmopolitan, international university city on the shores of Lake Geneva. It's relatively near to many Alpine winter and summer locations. Close to Geneva, which is a major hub for European flights and rail. An alternative large town would be Martigny or Sion (the Valais Cantonal capital). Just a thought. |
She intends to study sonography but will do the August intake here back home. I’m we’ve never considered her studying overseas.
If she is unable to work and will be ski bumming it I’m imagining CH will be too expensive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
The intention is I would rent the accommodation in my name for the four months. We would go over to France as a family in December and stay until the end of January when my lad has to go back to school her in Oz.
We’d let her do her thing for a while. Maybe she might have a friend or two visit. We’d then head back for the last month or so. Or something like that…..
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@sbooker, I don't know that much about French ski resorts as I've only been to a relatively few of them. I see you said that you were thinking of a real town to be based in (rather than a purpose built ski resort - when I went to Flaine which consists of mainly 1960s built concrete apartment buildings the tour operator on the coach said as we caught our first glimpse of the resort "Welcome to Benidorm on snow!"  ).
Hells Bells mentioned Briançon which is a town with a long history and of course part of the excellent Serre Chevalier ski area.
One ski town I've stayed at which has an original town centre (along with a weekly farmer's market) is La Clusaz. Quite a large ski area and it's not that far from Geneva airport either, maybe 1½ hour's drive.
Another market town which isn't a ski resort itself but is near to both Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes is Bourg d'Oisans
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@sbooker, I wouldn't want to be in a valley town without a car, you can spend a lot of time walking to the shops and back.
Add me to the list of people who recommend waiting until she is 18.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@sbooker,
More likely a 5 month rental.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Kenzie wrote: |
@sbooker,
More likely a 5 month rental. |
On that I’m browsing Airbnb. Is there any other options for long term rentals?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@sbooker, I ski with a wonderful bunch of friendly Aussies that fly over each Jan, and we do two weeks in Val Thorens Thorens; so I have a soft-spot for those from down-under.
I think that your daughter's age — 17 — will be the biggest issue, and I can't really see a way around that. Once she is 18, then as others have pointed-out, she can get a working holiday visa. And then there are endless opportunities to work in resorts, and many jobs will also come with accommodation etc.
But until then, you could consider her taking a ski instructors course that lasts 10 weeks or so? More info here:
https://www.icesi.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnoqLBhD4ARIsAL5JedLg39Tayiv8ZexAzX59jq7H2sd7eUJUJYMGo2cj-Gtpb1U8zCZt6WgaArlTEALw_wcB
Then she will end-up with a qualification that is usable across Europe, and she can earn whilst she skis!
The only other option would be for her to roll-up at a busy resort such as Val d'Isere, and then just trawl the bars, restaurants and hotels, asking for a cash-in-hand job with no questions asked. But perhaps those days are long-gone (others here would know much better than me); and it does throw-up questions around insurance and liability etc.
Note that there are some folks on Snowheads who run businesses in European resorts, and your best bet would be to ask them.
On a side note, it could be worth her doing some sort of bar training in Australia, as that is a skill you will always get a job in worldwide; but again, age could be the issue.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Mon 11-10-21 1:41; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
That’s a great site. Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| sbooker wrote: |
That’s a great site. Thanks. |
Yep, looks like a fab site, and I think they could answer all your questions about possible work for your daughter:
"If you have any questions at all about Live The Season, living, working, running a business or anything else in a ski resort then please don’t hesitate to contact us."
https://www.livetheseason.com/get-in-touch/
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Poogle wrote: |
But until then, you could consider her taking a ski instructors course that lasts 10 weeks or so?
Then she will end-up with a qualification that is usable across Europe, and she can earn whilst she skis! |
Not sure it makes sense doing a BASI qualification now, think there are similar IASI courses though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
