 Poster: A snowHead
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My daughter is 18 & has decided that together with another girl She wants to take a year out before uni, they want to
work & are hoping to spent winter in a ski resort working in chalet & then summer in perhaps a beach or yachting resort.
We are talking about the 10/11 winter season. They have been looking at some cookery schools who claim to have a 100%
success rate in placing students in chalets but they seem pretty dear at around £800 for a week's course?
Can anyone suggest what route She should take & who to talk to etc. ?
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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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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EXPERIENCE - get her waitressing, working in a kitchen/ hotel etc
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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that will help, but bear in mind it will probably be v tough next year unless the market picks up. TO's dont tend to take many 18yr olds as chalet hosts, they do take them as general hotel assistants though and smaller companies may take them too - good luck to her, she'll have a great time 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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alternatively she could work her butt off for the next 12 months and just go skiing for a season...without work...or get a bar job
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Work for a year then spend the entire season snowboarding/skiing like i will be in 6 weeks time 
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Not an option, she's at school- do keep up
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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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provenjohn, A friends daughter did a fantastic course - I think it was supposed to be for a month, but they liked her & kept her for 6, helping other students & helping them run the place. Think it was in the Cotswlds somewhere. She then worked as a chef in La Ros last winter, with a company whose name escapes me at the moment. I can find out more details if you 're interested.
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Nadenoodlee, have a look at Ballymaloe Cookery school in Ireland. I don't think it's cheap but I know quite a few girls who have been there and worked plenty since. Not sure if that reflects the norm for that school but they certainly enjoyed it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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provenjohn, the ain problem, asNadenoodlee, pointed out, is that most of the better chalet operators won't take 18 year olds. I know 22 year olds this year with cookery courses who failed to find work - the recession has hit!
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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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provenjohn, given her age and the current state of the resort job market, I would forget the cookery course as a waste of dosh better reserved for ski gear and cash to get through to first pay packet. The kitchen/waitressing experience is great, and if she can land some chambermaiding as well she will be very marketable indeed - it's a major project teaching 18-year-olds what constitutes 'clean', and probably the majority of complaints to TOs at least mention that 'the rooms were never cleaned' even if it's not the main problem.
With that kind of experience she should apply for clubhotel staff positions, but could also try for chalet assistant (ie helping the host but not being responsible for cooking). Some companies which run hotels are:
Skiworld
Skiplan
SkiBound
Total/Esprit
Neilson
Ski Olympic
Ski Val
Mark Warner
TUI (Crystal/Thomson)
Personally I'd start with Skiworld, SkiBound, Skiplan, Neilson. TUI and Total would be a last resort, and MW get very mixed feedback from staff. If she signs up for the forum on Natives she will find plenty of discussion regarding which jobs/resorts to go for and which employers people recommend.
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She should register for snowHeads then she can do her own research! Kind of important for someone considering a year travelling the world
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You know it makes sense.
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genepi, Yes please, that would be of interest
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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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18 is young but having done quite a few winters I see plenty of them that still get hired by the bigger TOs, TUI in particular seem OK with it. When I was 19 they gave me a 12 person chalet to look after by myself. Idiots started my addiction.
The cookery course might be overkill, esp at £800. All you need to know with cookery is a few basics and then how to follow a recipe.
Sounds like an awesome gap year to me...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RELEVENT EXPERIENCE is the most important thing - as everyone has said.
When she's applying for work (maybe not with the bigger companies - this may just apply to us!!) make sure she sends her CV which should show an interest in skiing/snowboarding/winter sports/mountains...some sort of passion for the subject in hand! along with a covering letter about why she wants to do a season, what sort of resort she wants to work in (another decision she should make before applying) and what she hopes to get out of it.
I am pulling my hair out at the moment - hundreds of chalet job applications coming in from Season Workers, applying for a job where the job spec points to the fact that it's important to us that our staff are passionate about skiing, etc. and being in the mountains....and 90% of those applying mention NOTHING relevent at all - not in their interests or anything. THey could mention it even if they've never skied before "never tried but am desperate to learn...."blah, blah...
(and some people give me a kiss at the end of their email!).  Me? or inappropriate when applying for a job???
XXXXX
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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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Joanne Mountainsun, Nah, its like totally appropriate.. I mean like... gis a job... that'd be wickid xxxxx
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