Top Tips for ski instructing in the UK

Hi,

I’m Ollie Roffey, in 2005-2006 I took the NONSTOP 11 week instructor course in Fernie.  (NONSTOP have asked me to write this post to give you some advice). It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, as I not only achieved Level 1 & 2 CSIA, but I made some life long friends and had an incredible season in arguably the best snow conditions in the world.   I was due to start at the University of Edinburgh in September 2006 and on my return I was able to easily secure an instructing job with the qualifications I had gained through NONSTOP, and 3 years down the line I can now give some insights to anyone thinking of teaching in the UK.

So here are my top 10 tips on working as a ski instructor in the UK:

1. It is useful to take some time to get your technique working on the dry ski slope before you begin teaching as it can take a bit of adjustment from the awesome powder snow in Fernie.

2. The ski slopes are really helpful and are used to working with part time instructors  and are more than willing to work round your university schedule, it’s even possible to take weeks at a time off if you feel bogged under by work. It’s the ideal student job in more ways than one…

3. …£10 per hour!!! The starting pay for a part time instructor (at least at Hillend in Edinburgh) is around £10 per hour, and so you can easily make up your beer money for the week in a few hours work here and there.

4.  It has really helped me hone and perfect many of the skiing and teaching techniques I had picked up with the NONSTOP instructors.

5. Getiing a job on a dry ski slope is relatively simple you just need to contact them and then provide proof of your qualifications and a Disclosure form from the police showing you can work with kids.

6. It’s a great way to keep up skiing till the next ski holiday comes round, and it’s free skiing for instructors any time, and they always have events to get involved with! (Such as big freestyle air bags to practice your jumps).

7. It’s a great way to meet like minded skiers who are stuck in ‘snowless’ Britain, there really is the opportunity to make great friends and have a  bit of a laugh outside of the university environment.

8. The instruction is actually far more varied than I realised it would be. I was able to take many different standards of skiers, in groups as well as private lessons. Beyond that I took many ski racing sessions, and my personal favourite was the Super Sliders Course an adventure instruction lesson involving obstacle courses and all sorts every Saturday with the little’uns.

9. They have a few extremely experienced instructors who can tell you what they know and help you develop at no extra cost when you both have an hour or so off.

10. Last but most definitely not least the girls (boys if you like that sort of thing) at university absolutely love getting to know a ski instructor

All in all if you’re thinking of teaching skiing in the UK in any capacity but especially at university I would definitely recommend it as a dream student job. For me there’s no better Gap Year to university combo.

Ski hard..Ollie

If you want to find out more on NONSTOP’s ski instructor courses simply click on the link.