Life after Nonstop - Instructing in New Zealand

In the first of three blogs from Wanaka, New Zealand, Nonstop graduate James Vause looks back at how he ended up living and instructing skiing in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Essential reading for anyone thinking of a career in the snowsports industry...

The view from Treble Cone

It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was sat where perhaps you are sitting right now, in front of a computer, browsing the Nonstop website and assessing the pros and cons of doing a season in Canada. I can vividly remember being sat at my desk in my university house, acutely aware that my time as a student was quickly coming to an end and I was facing the age old conundrum that terrifies most graduates: “What next?”

I’d known for some time that staying in the UK and looking for a ‘regular’ job just wasn’t an option for me - at 21, I wasn’t ready to go out and be an adult just yet. The notion of becoming a ski instructor and traveling the world was one that I used to only entertain half-heartedly. I’d skied in Europe a few times but, whilst absolutely loving every minute I spent on snow, I wasn’t exactly Franz Klammer and figured I’d need much more experience before going on to become an instructor. That all changed when I stumbled across Nonstop. This was a company who were able to provide me with all the tools I’d need to become an instructor and see the world. So when my time at Uni came to an end, I decided to indulge the little voice in the back of my head that had been telling me to just get out there and do it! I headed off to Fernie with no real plans to return home and fully intending, though not altogether expecting, to go on and “live the dream” as a ski instructor.

The 2012/13 Nonstop 11-week Course Participants

You don’t need me to tell you what an incredible experience the 11-week instructor course with Nonstop was. There are plenty of blogs, videos and testimonies of past clients on this website to explain all that for me. All I can add to those is that it truly was the life changing experience I hoped it would be.

After the course, me and a bunch of Nonstoppers travelled to Vancouver for a few days to see some more of what had quickly become our favourite country - we also managed to catch the last 4 days of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival at Whistler which was awesome! Amongst our group were seasoned travellers, those who were just starting out on their adventure and even some who’d caught the travelling bug and decided not to board their return flight to the UK!  Over the 11 weeks we’d been transformed from average skiers, and strangers to each other, to a close-knit group who were now all fully qualified to teach others how to ski (CSIA Level 2 and Adaptive Ski Level 1 in my case).

Towards the end of our time in Fernie, Nonstop had helpfully put on a “Working as an Instructor” workshop, providing those who were interested with some useful information regarding ski schools in the southern hemisphere. The message was pretty clear: applying to ski schools online wasn’t likely to bring much success, it’s much easier to find work if you turn up in person. I was quite taken with the idea of going to New Zealand, particularly the South island - I’d heard great things about the scenery, skiing and the Kiwi people - but travelling to the furthest point on the globe from home without the guarantee of a job was, to put it mildly, somewhat of a gamble. Still, I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t give it a go and the fact that a few of my friends were thinking about doing the same thing definitely helped me make up my mind. We parted ways in Vancouver; We all had separate travelling plans and things we wanted to do, but a few of us vowed to meet up in New Zealand just in time for winter.

Walking around Wanaka

Helpfully, I wasn’t the first Nonstop graduate to arrive in New Zealand. Me and my friend had spent the last month road tripping down the West coast of America and so we were beaten to it by a couple of mates who had made the trip halfway across the globe directly from Vancouver almost a month earlier. One had already managed to secure an instructor job on the North island and one had based himself in the little South Island town of Wanaka, possibly the most beautiful place on earth. I opted for Wanaka, knowing it was surrounded by 4 ski resorts all within 90 minutes drive of the town.

I should’ve been worried about getting a job but, to be honest, it was hard to be worried about anything in a town like Wanaka. The people were so relaxed, the nightlife was lively and the stunning scenery made me realise I’d made the right choice in coming to New Zealand, regardless of whether I went on to be a ski instructor or not.

Beautiful Lake Wanaka

A bit of research revealed that the nearest ski mountain of Treble Cone was running a snow sports instructor hiring clinic in late June to fill their remaining job vacancies - a chance for all those aspiring instructors who fancied their chances in what was to be, essentially, a three day long interview on snow. After a short time deliberating on what to do, I decided to pay my $250 and book a place on the clinic.

Over 30 people turned up in he hopes of filling, we were told, only 12 job vacancies. The clinic was structured so that the first day focused on teaching children, the second day on adult lessons and the third day was an assessment of our skiing and our ability to give sound demonstrations. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a nerve wracking, intense and ultimately exhausting three days. There were people who had years of teaching and coaching experience and some who could ski to an incredibly high standard. The sessions were led by the senior instructors at the resort and the ski school director would occasionally drop in to observe you teaching a practice lesson which only added to the pressure we were all under. At the end of the three days I felt sure I hadn’t done enough, especially in the face of such stiff competition. Nothing had been disastrous, I’d just tried to apply the skills I’d been taught with Nonstop, but I felt my lack of teaching experience would ultimately be my downfall. You can probably imagine my shock and elation when my name was called out as one of the successful candidates! I can remember someone patting me on the back and saying: “Congratulations... You’re a ski instructor!”. Wow, I’d done it!

I can still remember the names of my first ever students. My supervisor had handed me a tricky first assignment - a high end adult beginner group who were looking for an instructor to help them make the transition from skiing the nursery slope to heading up the main chairlift and skiing their first ever green run on the mountain - a run I was barely familiar with myself! With more than a little apprehension; me, Carol, Amy, Diane and Tanya headed up thechair.

Ski Instructor James

From the top of the run I pointed out the incredible views from up here and it suddenly dawned on me just how awesome it was that someone was paying me to do this! 20 minutes into the lesson was all it took for me to get really into the swing of things and by the time the two hours had come to an end I was absolutely ecstatic with how things had gone. I was happy, my supervisor was happy and, most importantly, the students had an awesome time. It was a really rewarding moment and one I’ll probably never forget. I learnt so much in that first week as I was asked to teach a varying range of ages and abilities, each day presented a fresh challenge and I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t believe I was finally living the dream!

Like what you've read? Check out the second and third installment from Jame's time in New Zealand.