 Poster: A snowHead
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How do you do it? how did you do it? how did friends do it?
Just started getting involved with this forum and have been really impressed. Those who i've met at hemel already know my plan. The young lady and I are planning to move out to Austria at the end of the year to live. We're making the bid for a great life but no money while we're still young and have nothing to tie us down.
Im an ok ski instructor and looking to get through lots of qualifications in order to get a permanant job on the Hintertux Glacier or in a smaller resort, suplimented with odd jobs in the evening. The missus is also a ski instructor and looking for other jobs at the end of the season. Plan is to use the bit of money we have saved up to buy a place after a few years (when the german has been perfected) to rent out to set up a standard income (i know mortgages are huge as well).
Starting to get a pretty/very nervous though, it's still a big risk, I'm looking for any advice about moving to resorts, especially Austrian ones, tricks to surviving the first couple of years, what to look out for, good jobs, qualifications, contacts, experiences seriously.... anything!!! There's an amazing wealth of knowledge on here any help will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers MATT  [/b]
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I don't know if they still do it, but Kitzbuehel used to run a 3-month course involving learning German and getting Austrian ski-instructing qualifications with a guarantee of a season's work.
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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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Cheers Gordyjh, , but I should have really explained myself better.
I speak pretty reasonable german and have worked there for almost 3 seasons now. Its more the issues with actually moving out there for good and what do do for the off seasons.
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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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| Quote: |
it's still a big risk
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Is it? You say you have no ties - presumably no kids, mortgage, other financial obligations etc. And you aren't sinking a fortune into a dodgy business venture either. Sounds like the worst that can happen is you have to go back to the UK for a few months over summer and do some grotty temping job to tide you over.
Try posting on Natives - there's a girl on there who worked in Mayrhofen last season and was there for part of the summer, might have some advice. I think she found it pretty hard to get into the local job market, but not sure why.
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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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Cool, will try there,
I know its not a huge risk now (i already hate my job), its just what do in the unlikely event that i do get older? do i just have to accept that i may never be tied down to a place?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wow, good luck dulcamara,
If only I was 10 years younger I would have loved to have gone down that route.
Hope all works out well for you both, dont be nervous, lifes for living,
if it dosnt work out then you can always come back to the UK 
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dulcamara, quite possibly. But is that really such a problem?
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Lizzard, Not for me I'm currently experiencing the evilness of the 9 to 5 and more than happy to escape it, but the young lady might not be happy living out of suitcases in friends cupboards every spring and autumn.
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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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dulcamara, just do it... don't worry about the ins and outs as they have a habit of not going to plan.... things will turn up for the off season.
One piece of advice if you can live a little out of resort, it will be cheaper and therefore your winter earnings will see you further through the inter-season...
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dulcamara, As others have said, just do it! You dont seem to have any ties to the UK other than family and friends!
As you have experience of 3 years under your belt already you should know the pit falls if any. If you cant get work in the summer, go somewhere that you can maybe even back to the UK each year to get some funds together and see those friends and family!
I doubt that you will earn enough as a ski instructor to give you the life of a Russian oligarch, but I doubt you are interested in it. Do it for the love and adventure! Has the "mrs" ever done a season. If so she knows already what to expect. If not, take her this year as a rehearsal for the real thing!
Go and do it!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Ouch, that's not pretty bedtime reading!!!!!!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Boredsurfing, I like that story better. Guess Austrian tourism is gonna be based on what the rest of the continent do. Everyone else pull your fingers out so you can afford a number of holidays to mayrhofen and fund my dirty habit of eating daily.
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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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dulcamara, There always seems to be another easily found contra to stantons posts 
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Poster: A snowHead
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None of these 'experts' has any clue w=hat's going to happen next anyway. My advice re the practicalities of moving would be to get a nice big vehicle. And do not then sell it and try to leave resort in a Clio. I may start charging people rent for my loft space.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thats one choice down. excellent, we were in between a van or citreon C1, van it is... more please
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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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People round our way (locals, rather than expats) seem to survive partly by working extraordinarily hard all season (zero time to ski...), picking up odds and sods here and there at other times and, above all, by keeping their living costs low. Live over/under the shop/restaurant,bar during the season then shut the shop during the off-season (the majority of the year) and go and live in valley town somewhere with better employment prospects. Several generations of the family live together (in built child care, if they're at that stage), they drive ancient Fiat Pandas and they make lots of genepi and myrtille jam. Several of the ski instructors I've met have been farmers/farmers wives, one is a builder in the summer. Go to bed early, socialise with family and friends. I suspect their average overall income is a lot lower than the average in the UK.
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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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pam w, Where's that? guessing not chichester???
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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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dulcamara, when we were thinking about it we reached the point where we decided that logically, financially, career, family, friends wise etc etc etc we could justify why we shouldn't do it.
We had the 4 bed house, we had 3 cars, we had very good jobs, we had a lot of friends, we had a dog, we paid someone to walk our dog, we slept at weekends.... so we sold up and decided to wing it..... 2 years later we're still winging it.... you'll never get financially rich living out here but everyone is in teh same boat and during the summer makes Scrooge look generous.. but are we the better for it?
Bet your life we are!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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dulcamara, I've written some response to your PM but haven't got round to shooting it over yet. I will soon!
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marcellus, very true! Well done and am pleased life is looking after you! After all life is what you make it. Weigh up the options and jump!
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dulcamara, no, sorry, not at all clear. Small French ski resort where we have an apartment and spend 3/4 months a year. We love it when there's nobody else there, and everything is closed - but then we're not trying to make a living (being OAPs  ). One possibility might be a two-centre way of life. Half the year in the mountains, half somewhere where you can make some money.
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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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Choose your location wisely, and you can stay there all year round, and find work in the summer too.
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parlor, as much as i take the mickey i am very grateful, cheers
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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dulcamara,
Make an effort to make friends with local people. If you speak German already, then you're already on to a good thing.
During the winter in Mayrhofen I imagine it would be easy to only hang out with English/English speaking people as there are so many around. When the summer comes, if you know some local people then you're much more likely to find work and cheaper accommodation. A lot of job and apartment vacancies are advertised through word of mouth - if you don't know any locals, then you won't hear about them.
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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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| SaraJ wrote: |
dulcamara,
Make an effort to make friends with local people. If you speak German already, then you're already on to a good thing.
During the winter in Mayrhofen I imagine it would be easy to only hang out with English/English speaking people as there are so many around. When the summer comes, if you know some local people then you're much more likely to find work and cheaper accommodation. A lot of job and apartment vacancies are advertised through word of mouth - if you don't know any locals, then you won't hear about them. |
Top tip..... it's very easy to be a part of the "Brit ex-pat community" but it doesn't improve your language skills and you won't hear of the jobs and properties!
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Good advice cheers guys,
The plan is eventually to buy a little place to rent out. Anyone had a go at this? I notice you do this already marcellus, how easy was this for you set up? Is it as steady an income as it could be? are there any big pitfalls we should avoid? dont really have enough to make mistakes so hoping to learn from others....
Does anyone here follow the winter to the southern hemisphere? Is it a good idea or just a massive pain in the backside to buy expensive tickets at the end and start of each season?
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You know it makes sense.
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dulcamara, once you are living in the Alps for the winter, however much you may love the snow, you may be craving some green grass and warmer air by April.
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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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| Quote: |
The plan is eventually to buy a little place to rent out.
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We have had such a place for years. Never made any money from it. If you think about it an apartment costing £100,000 will generate about £3,000 (or in the best of years £4,000) a year rent with outgoings of about £2,000. The only other money you make is capital appreciation, £60,000 in 20 years, or £3,000 a year average.
On that basis, you are better off with investments almost anywhere else. If you provide an extra service (catering, equipment rental, guiding, teaching, etc.) it might give a living.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you're heading out to Hintertux then drop me a mail, I'm based in Mayrhofen for the season with the missus and happy to show you guys around the Zillertal!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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the_doc, I'd love to meet up,
I'll also be in Mayrhofen this year though this will be my 3rd full season there. That said i'm not so hot on the smaller areas of the tal, and as that's where we would more than likely move to during the summer, if you have any good recomendations on wheres seems ok to live i'd be really interested in that.
What you doing out there for the winter?
beequin, thanks for putting some numbers to that, actually the first time anyone has, really helpful.. yeah was planning on addind teaching/guiding/cooking services to it.
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