 Poster: A snowHead
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| Mjit wrote: |
| Yep, many regard NP as one of the best general resort jobs - you're likely to get more hours on the snow and end with more money in your pocket than your fellow seasonares doing 'day' jobs. The flip side (and reason you tend to end up with more money in your pocket) is that you miss out on a lot of the social side - you're working while your fellow seasonares are out spending faster than they are earning. |
People who've been a NP have said that you have 0 social life, and while I prioritise skiing, I don't think that's a great experience so a KP with shifts allows for ski time and social time... plus the job itself is actually with other people. Wouldn't you agree?
I think it's harder to get a NP job as well, more experience needed.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My only regret in life is not doing a ski season when I was younger.
A lot to be said for working, gaining experience, meeting folk AND skiing. You'll have a blast, meet new folk and ski plenty (everyone gets jaded by the end of the season - you'll get enough snow time with the right job).
Anywhere, regardless of the snow, can be a lonely and dull place if you simply turn up to ski on your own! I don't think turning up on your own without any network at 18 would be a great plan. FB groups help, and you will meet new folk eventually but it's much harder than if you're working there. I'd happily do it now (at 47!) but I'm a) happy on my own and b) have enough of a network in a few places that I'd have folk to ski with some of time.
I think you've got the right idea:
- Get some experience over the summer
- Show how keen you are in as many ways as you can
- Be honest but tailored with applications (always have the "why me?" question in mind when writing)
- Be bold when writing to Neilson - tell them their staff were crap last year and you could do better - it's a bold move but if you did it right it would make me laugh and I'd give you an interview 
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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?
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@Dashed, Agree with that - but also it's important to not act too entitled, if offered a job as a night porter better to say you'd have some questions and concerns over whether you are the right person for that sort of job rather than saying "nope - not interested in that sort of job". Last thing hospitality businesses want is people not prepared to muck in.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@some skier guy,
You are 18, have bug all experience & have never done a season before - you can't afford to be picky with regards to which job or company you apply for. Apply for anything you may be remotely qualified for & if the employer thinks you can do the job they'll interview you.
Consider taking any job offered. Lots of people change job when in resort.
DO NOT say last season's staff were 'crap' as
a) they could quite likely offering interviews & doing the interviewing
b) you'd come across as an arrogant c*nt
c) no employer wants a trouble maker out in resort
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 12-04-22 17:34; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I’m with @Dashed, show’s courage and initiative to call out poor customer service and explain how you’d do it better. Most 18yo’s just want to go out there ski and drink and the recruiting people know it
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I don't think turning up on your own without any network at 18 would be a great plan. FB groups help, and you will meet new folk eventually but it's much harder than if you're working there.
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I've seen plenty of young clueless 18 year olds turn up in Canada for a season. 99.9% of them work it out and have a great time - when push comes to shove and they don't have mum and dad to fall back on they are a lot more resilient than people think!
I've never worked in a resort, and even as someone not particularly outgoing meeting people has never been a problem. The key is staying in a hostel where you can't help but meet lots of people.
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Internet advice, you have to laugh.
I do think it's perhaps worth the OP figuring out why those seasonal workers aren't as enthusiastic as he is.
Perhaps it didn't turn out to be the long paid holiday they thought it would be?
Prospective employers aren't looking for specific "skills" (!) when they ask for "experience", they're looking for some evidence
that you can cope with real work at the bottom of the food chain. So experience of cleaning bogs, pumping gas, serving people,
Saturday work.... is all going to be good. It's the one time when being ordinary gives more plusses than being rich.
Experience of holidays is irrelevant - it's not a holiday.
It's better for you to find out that you hate serving people before you commit to a season
of doing that in some foreign land. Or you could end up like those unenthusiastic people... 
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| @Dashed, Agree with that - but also it's important to not act too entitled, if offered a job as a night porter better to say you'd have some questions and concerns over whether you are the right person for that sort of job rather than saying "nope - not interested in that sort of job". Last thing hospitality businesses want is people not prepared to muck in. |
| Kenzie wrote: |
You are 18, have bug all experience & have never done a season before - you can't afford to be picky with regards to which job or company you apply for. Apply for anything you may be remotely qualified for & if the employer thinks you can do the job they'll interview you.
Consider taking any job offered. Lots of people change job when in resort. |
I understand that I can only take what I can get, and I will apply for more than one position, and ask questions and convey concerns in the interview.
| Dashed wrote: |
| - Be bold when writing to Neilson - tell them their staff were crap last year and you could do better - it's a bold move but if you did it right it would make me laugh and I'd give you an interview |
| Kenzie wrote: |
DO NOT say last season's staff were 'crap' as
a) they could quite likely offering interviews & doing the interviewing
b) you'd come across as an arrogant c*nt
c) no employer wants a trouble maker out in resort |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| I’m with @Dashed, show’s courage and initiative to call out poor customer service and explain how you’d do it better. Most 18yo’s just want to go out there ski and drink and the recruiting people know it |
Obviously I'm not going to say the staff were 'crap', but saying that having experienced Neilson holidays I know what's expected and where I've felt staff were lacking would surely be a good thing? Additionally, the staff this season were clearly 18 year olds on a season and it shows that it can't be that hard to get a job with them, the more experienced and older staff/reps were good though.
@Kenzie, not sure what you meant by "they could quite likely offering interviews & doing the interviewing".
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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.
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| philwig wrote: |
Internet advice, you have to laugh.
I do think it's perhaps worth the OP figuring out why those seasonal workers aren't as enthusiastic as he is.
Perhaps it didn't turn out to be the long paid holiday they thought it would be?
Prospective employers aren't looking for specific "skills" (!) when they ask for "experience", they're looking for some evidence
that you can cope with real work at the bottom of the food chain. So experience of cleaning bogs, pumping gas, serving people,
Saturday work.... is all going to be good. It's the one time when being ordinary gives more plusses than being rich.
Experience of holidays is irrelevant - it's not a holiday.
It's better for you to find out that you hate serving people before you commit to a season
of doing that in some foreign land. Or you could end up like those unenthusiastic people... |
I'm definitely going to go out an get some experience before applying, so if I really do hate it I won't apply. I also don't mind doing something like a KP, as much as it might be annoying and not that fun but I'll be able to do it when I spend half the day skiing. When it comes to working behind a bar/waiting, harder for me to do and I'm not quite the charismatic outgoing person who knows every wine etc, so probbaly less enjoyable for me with higher expectations.
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@some skier guy,
Tour Operators (TOs) tend to employ ex-seasonnaires in their head offices, especially on recruitment, as they 'been there, done it'.
As an aside I did 5 seasons - 1 working in Meribel, 4 as a ski bum in Tignes. Ski bum is the 'job' all seasonnaires want.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Kenzie wrote: |
@some skier guy,
Tour Operators (TOs) tend to employ ex-seasonnaires in their head offices, especially on recruitment, as they 'been there, done it'.
As an aside I did 5 seasons - 1 working in Meribel, 4 as a ski bum in Tignes. Ski bum is the 'job' all seasonnaires want. |
How was your experience in Meribel? What job did you have? Don't think I'll be able to be a ski bum.
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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.
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The idea is cool, but firstly this is something you do because you want to do it and you want experience not because you want to go skiing, and secondly I'm not that interested in marketing and retail so it's probably not something I would want to do regardless.
Thanks anyway, maybe it would be cool if I could find something similar that I find more interesting.
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You know it makes sense.
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I actually did this a long time ago. I was just turned 18. No Money. Uni a year later. I wrote to about half a dozen big hotels in Switzerland in various resorts in the German speaking part (I spoke a little german) and asked them if they had jobs. I got offers from a big hotel in st moritz to work as a swimming pool attendant and a hotel in Wengen to work as a general dogsbody. I chose the latter. Spent the season there. The good thing about hotels is that they include accommodation and food. Pay was minimum wage but I got to ski 3 hours every afternoon and two days off. And even saved a bit. Good luck!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@some skier guy,
Had a great time in Meribel.
I was the accountant for the Ronnie (Le Rond Point) bar/restaurant, then part of the Mountain Trading Company, a subsidiary of Mark Warner TO - three leads for you there, as I believe the Ronnie is now independent.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
| My 15 year old grandson works Saturdays in a pub (mostly in the kitchen but also sometimes behind the bar, which is not even legal). |
So Grandma Supports exploitative child labour. 
Yet somehow doesn't support altruistic volunteering opportunities that helps people do snow sports.
Fascinated to see the twisted justification for that...
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