 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm considering going back into ski teaching on a full-time basis, so I'm trying to research what pay rates are around the world (not France though as I'll never be qualified to work there). I am qualified as BASI ISIA (grade 2 in old money).I have taught since '90 and worked 9 seasons during the 90's for ski schools, tour operators and ski shops. These days I currently teach part-time in a large fridge! 
I'm interested in info on pay rates, visa requirements (if any), living costs (including ease of finding reasonable cost accomodation), average hours worked per season (no point having a good hourly rate if you don't get enough hours), and of course any contact details of ski schools that would hire someone with my qualifications (not for this season I'm working on a plan for future years). Any other relevant information will be gladly received. Please do not post any 'rumours' on pay levels, I'm after hard facts. I appreciate that some may not wish to publicly divulge pay rates, so if this is the case then feel free to PM me.
As I work in IT part of my plan maybe to get into contracting for the summer months, so if anyone is an IT contractor and can give me some advice it would be much appreciated. I do server and desktop admin with exp of windows 2000/2003 server and the usual windows client os's. I am a qualified MCSE on 2000 track.
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skir67, As an ISIA you could work in France as a stagiare. Why rule it out? Stagiares are paid as well AFAIK as non-ISTDs in austria and Switzerland. For instance you would probably work around 650 hours for the European ski school here. I'm not sure of the wages because they negotiate individually according to the person concerned. So what other languages do you speak? Do you have a second discipline? Etc. These are also questions that are likely to be reflected in the rate of pay.
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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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easiski, you have to pass the Test Technique now to get in as a Stagiare... And the TT is much tougher than it used to be BASI recons 150-170 FIS SL points...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| easiski wrote: |
| I'm not sure of the wages because they negotiate individually according to the person concerned. |
Blimey  imagine trying to get that past the unions in the UK.
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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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FenlandSkier, its 2008 loads of places do that now.................
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skimottaret, Yes, and I don't have the time or money to train enough to pass it. Plus at 41 I'm well past competing at that level and I have no inclination to go on to the even tougher speedtest. I need to earn a living not be spending lots of money on race training and not earning anything at the same time (makes race training doubly expensive). So unfortunately France is out of the question (much as I'd love it).
So any instructors from the rest of the world got any info for me? As I said PM me if you want.
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skir67, a friend said 30-35 Swiss per hour in Verbier was roughly the going rate for ISIA last season. Given your experience i would think the higher end would be very achievable.
I know what you mean on attempting the TT. I am coming around to thinking working in France isnt going to happen. 170 FIS points is damm good and next to impossible for us 40+ types. I might have a go at the AVMS though at some point...
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skimottaret, Yes and that of course is just so you can be a stagiare you'd still have to get through the speedtest after that. Anyway I have a mortgage to pay so I cannot afford extended periods without work to train for something that would probably take several years and a good dollop of luck to get through (TT and ST).
The Verbier info is interesting as this is one of the places I'm more seriously considering.
To everyone else pls keep the info coming.
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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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skir67, if you want accommodation in Verbier for next season you should start thinking about sorting it out well in advance. I heard this weekend that availability for this season is now down to a caravan in Le Chable with no running water for 500CHF a month.
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Steve Sparks, yes I'm sure reasonably priced accomodation is difficult to come by in Verbier and le chable even.
Do you get a roof on your caravan for that price?
skimottaret, any idea which ski school that was or is that the general going rate across all schools?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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altitude was the one he worked at but he was talking in general terms. Summit hires ISIA in Zermatt
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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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skimottaret, thanks for the info, Zermatt would be pretty high on my list too, any idea on the quantity of hours he was getting per season and what level of lessons (I appreciate that a fairly large percentage will be up to and including plough turns) as its always nice to get some higher level groups (variety keeps you out of a rut).
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| skimottaret wrote: |
| Summit hires ISIA in Zermatt |
and L2s.
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You know it makes sense.
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skir67, sorry dont know exact hours etc. but both guys i refer to got just enough work to live on as L2's (mainly during busy weeks) and the vibe i got from them was at ISIA you could expect work pretty steady and come home with some dosh... I think an experienced ISIA like yourself would be pretty high on the totem pole in Switzerland and would get a good level of clients... but i am speculating on that.
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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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skimottaret, fair enough and of course the more seasons you've been working for a school the higher you will be on their priority list (assuming you do a good job and keep selling the schools products).
Steady work throughout the season is key, but of course there are certain factors you can't do much about - like our current global economic situation - but of course self promotion and treating your clients properly will help there a bit.
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Poster: A snowHead
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skimottaret, skir67, John Nelson was 46 when he passed the eurotest, (about 4 years ago) and he still hasn't finished his ISTD!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski, im rubbish though so stand no chance.. However AFAIK with Eurotest and ISIA you can teach in France permanently within a ski school, ISTD to be an independent.
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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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easiski, where did he pass his speedtest?
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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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skir67, Would recommend the USA, though not sure what the sponsored visa situation is like these days. Worked in Park City for a winter back in 99 and definitely felt you could make a good living, certainly after a year or two building up a client base (the ski school pay on a 'ladder' type scale but top dollar is for request privates - encouraging you to get out and sell yourself/ rebook clients etc).
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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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PS can't remember what the dollar/hour rate was though...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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offpisteskiing, the number of Visa's has been halved apparently making it real difficult to get in unless you have a US passport...
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offpisteskiing, I know that at least this year the h2b visa situation is not good and resorts in the states have only been able to take on people getting extensions to their existing h2b's owing to a big cut in the new ones being supplied by the US govt. Do you remember what you got private requests per hour?
Also where tends to best in terms of getting work, general pay and the ability to generate private requests would you say west coast, colorado and the like?
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skimottaret, I thought you had to have ISTD and speedtest to work permanently period, have the rules changed to allow ISIA's to work permanently for a school if they pass the speedtest? (not that I'm ever going to pass the thing of course, just interested)
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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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skir67, Park City was good (pretty sure there's still some Brits there). Have mates who have worked in Aspen, Snowmass, Mammoth, Copper Mountain. All got a good rep from a work point of view.. Know a few folks who worked East Coast, but damn chilly, and not as good earning potential by all accounts. Other option is somewhere like Whistler, but you will be one of hundreds of instructors..
Sorry can't remember what the private request rate was at PC (its all disappearing into the mists of time - though i can still remember partying to Prince's 1999 on New years Eve 98/99...)
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skir67, thats my understanding of the rules in France but i could be wrong... ISIA + Eurotest allows permanent work in schools... ISIA + TT gives you 4 seasons to get Eurotest while working in a school with training centre status. Dave Renouf at BASI told me this but there seemed to be a bit of a battle going on within ISIA and the Eurogroup countries over this so i wouldnt bank on it. BUt as you say kinda academic for us old guys....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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offpisteskiing, OK so west is best in that case, I'll bear that in mind. I like the idea of the states for no language barriers and the americans often innovative teaching ideas. Downsides are probably pretty poor hourly rates(I could be wrong there) , excepting private lesson requests and the visa situation i.e not being able to guarantee you can work there for the next 20 odd seasons.
Anyone else got any info for me?
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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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skir67, I know a Level 2 who was in Park City last winter and should be off there again this week
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slikedges, Any idea what kind of pay rates he was getting, hours taught over the season and the types of clients and lesson levels he was getting to do?
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You know it makes sense.
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skir67, I did ask about the rates but didn't commit to memory  - I'll try to find out for you. I know that he had no problem getting hours and that he had lots of higher level lessons but he is a good skier, working towards ISIA and only just failed his (Grade) 2Tech (he did I think 3 seasons at Mount Snow before Park City).
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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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slikedges, good to know that he didn't just get given the bairns and the beginners all the time! Don't get me wrong I like teaching anyone, but as they say variety and all that.....
Be pleased to receive any info on rates.
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Poster: A snowHead
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skir67, I've PM'd you.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skir67, I'm not sure, but probably ADH which would be our local one. It took him a good few gos, but he pluggesd on and got there in the end. Still has ISTD tech to do I think. Just goes to show though. There's a french guy here who passed his Teste de Capacité when he was over 40 too.
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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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pollittcl, thanks for the info
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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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easiski, Having worked a season in ADH many years ago I think the piste they use is a pretty fair one. The one I did was a nasty run in Morzine which had 2 90 degree changes of direction within the first 300 metres, not many passed that day!
However I do not have the time and/or finances to commit to 'possibly' passing it. A guy I trained with took 6 years to get through the speedtest and he is now an ISTD (so obviously a very good skier - and he always was even before finishing his quals, and he was a better racer than I was).
So I'm just going to have to look for opportunities elsewhere and do lots of sums to see if its possible to make a plan financially work.
Anyone else with info for me, as I said before feel free to PM me if you prefer.
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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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anyone else out there with more infor for me? 
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