Courses
Gap Year
You've put in the hours, got the grades and are all set to take on university, but before you do why not take a gap year with a difference and spend some time in the mountains?
The ultimate Gap Year experiences
At Nonstop we pride ourselves on being able to offer the ultimate, and most popular, gap year experience. We have courses to cater for all varying in length, aim and cost. There is one thing all of courses have in common though; you'll make great friends for life, gain internationally recognised qualifications, learn more about skiing and snowboarding than you can imagine, and you most definitely won't want to come home! Check out some of the options below.
The benefits of a Gap Year
- Gain new Skills - A Gap Year is a great chance to develop your non-school skills! If you have a passion for something whether it be photography, history of art, teaching, skiing or snowboarding, then a Gap Year is the perfect time to become an expert in your chosen field.
- Gain qualifications - Gaining qualifications may not be that high up on your priority list when planning your Gap Year, which is not surprising when you have had exams every summer for the last 10 years! However, if you can incorporate a few life time qualifications along the way you never know when they may come in useful.
- Enhance your CV - This is where those newly gained qualifications really come into play. Imagine what it is like for an employer to have to read through literally hundreds of C.V.’s that all say exactly the same things. Suddenly one jumps out and wakes them up! “In my Gap Year I spent a season in Canada where I qualified as a snowboard instructor and travelled around South America where I became fluent in Spanish…” - I think you’ve just been invited for an interview!
- Increase confidence - We get lots of feedback from our seasonaires and from parents to say that a year out has greatly increased their and their child’s confidence and communication skills. This can only be positive – right? Training to become an instructor will increase your confidence as well as your leadership group management skills.
- New outlook on life - Being stuck in school with the same old class mates for years and years may not give you a particularly broad outlook on life. Well it’s true…you don’t exactly meet a wide cross section of society at school do you? Whatever you do on your Gap Year you are bound to meet and mix with people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. We believe it’s essential not to spend your Gap Year with people of just the same age as you. On our courses we tend to find that people of all ages mix socially and become good friends. We’ve no doubt, and our past clients all agree that this mix can only enhance your experience. We frequently see 18 year old Gappers, 23 year old graduates and 35 year old career breakers all going out for beers together!
- Universities & employers like them - Increasingly universities and employers are attaching value to the enterprise, initiative and sustained commitment that a Gap Year brings to an individual. When talking about Gap Years UCAS state that “experience compliments education”. Surely learning outside of the classroom has got to be a positive for future life? A once in a lifetime opportunity that will make you more interesting and open doors to future opportunities! Enough said.
11 Week Canadian Instructor Course
The ultimate gap year experience and our most popular choice - more people come on our 11 week course on their gap year than any course on the market. You'll have an amazing winter that combines travelling to a new country, pursuing a passion, making a new friends from around the world and getting internationally recognised qualifications. Find out more about each of our course options:
11 week ski instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie and Red Mountain
11 week snowboard instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie and Red Mountain
3-5 Week Canadian Instructor Course
On our 3 and 5 week courses you'll iron out your technique, get to know the resort inside out and work towards your Level 1 CASI or CSIA instructor qualification. If you get your visa sorted out before you go out, you can then go on to work for the rest of the season.
3-5 week ski instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie
3-5 week snowboard instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie
6 Week 'MTM' Off-Piste Camp
If instructing doesn't appeal to you, but top notch training in the challenging off-piste and backcountry of Canada does, our 'Master the Mountain' course is the one for you. This course is perfect for intermediate to advanced skiers and snowboarders looking to take their technique to the next level and beyond!
12 week New Zealand Ski instructor course
Our 12 week course in New Zealand is ideal for those planning to head down to the southern hemisphere between July and October. With access to New Zealand’s best off-piste terrain, this is a free-ski focussed course that will transform your technique around the whole mountain. This is also an amazing course for wannabe instructors, with an unrivalled amount of practical work experience at the local ski school included, as well as the option to take NZSIA Levels 1 and 2.
Find out more about our 12 week ski instructor course in New Zealand here.
Banff is in Alberta, where the legal drinking age is 18 (rather than 19 in BC and 21 in the US), so it's perfect for Gap Year ages.
New Instructors celebrate their level 1 success!
Join in with local traditions
International Students On Nonstop Courses
Our courses become a social melting pot of different cultures with people on gap years from all around the world.
Read Jacob Fulton's story on why he decided to do a gap year. Jacob is from the USA where Gap Year's are not as common, he provides some excellent advice for those thinking of taking a Gap Year. (This can be found at Planet GapYear. Gap Year Options - free online gap year planning resources for U.S. students and parents)
Where to go next:
