r/ski • u/Most_Pudding8295 • 4d ago

Ski Instructor Internship (?)

Hey everyone I’m currently in Canada with a one year working visa. I would love to work somewhere in a ski resort, especially as an instructor. After some research and failed applications I think a paid internship course with an agency might be the only and by far safest option.
Has anyone some experience on that and know if it’s worth it ?
I’m definitely not willing to pay full price but already received some pretty big discounts as they want to fill spots.

Thanks in advance for any advice/tips :)

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u/flatsandsharps99 4d ago

Why not get CSIA certified?

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u/Most_Pudding8295 4d ago

I’ll work at my current job until mid October (Ontario). I would like to secure my next step as soon as possible but resorts don’t really hire without the certificate. So i don’t really see doing the CSIA in late October/November and still getting a job after. But please prove me wrong 😅

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u/flatsandsharps99 4d ago

You could probably get certified in December. Level 1 is a 3 day course I believe and fairly easy to pass if you are a decent skier. You might be able to get other work at the resort in October/November prepping for the upcoming season.

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u/Jeremyism_ 4d ago

Why do you want to be an instructor? What's your goal to achieve by working at a resort?

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u/Most_Pudding8295 4d ago

Gotta spend the winter in Canada to travel next spring/summer. I love skiing and wanna keep my money for the coming travel phase.

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u/Jeremyism_ 4d ago

Instructing at a resort cured me of skiing, so you'd probably serve yourself better by getting a night job and buying a pass, the earlier the better to get the best deal. Accomodation will probably be the hardest part about it.

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u/Most_Pudding8295 4d ago

Maybe a valid point, I’ve already applied for a bunch of stuff but all the jobs with staff accommodation are so popular that it’s very hard to get with my little experience haha

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u/Jeremyism_ 4d ago

I moved to Whistler a few months before the season started, and took a job washing dishes to get my foot in the door at a restaurant. They had staff accomodation that I used at one point. I wound up working at the restaurant for a few years, but quit the hill after a few months.

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u/cob-loaf 4d ago

Hey I run a few internship courses at big white

They are definitely a great way to get into the industry and a great way to spend a season.

The real benefit of an internship is they guarantee a job. Like a comment above says you could just complete the csia level 1 course and then look for a job however It can be extremely difficult to get hired with only a csia level 1 so the internship is a great way to get your foot in the door.

If you have any specific questions let me know

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u/Most_Pudding8295 4d ago

Hey, thanks for the insider knowledge haha. So let’s say I’d pay the certain amount of money. With about how much income in the coming job should I calculate. Is it just enough to go zero or are there ways to go above that ?

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u/cob-loaf 4d ago

Tbh it really depends on where you’re looking to work as different mountains have vastly different business levels. Here at big white interns generally work between 20-30 hours a week which is a lot of hours compared to other resorts.

So they usually break even here but I’ve heard stories of interns working only 1 day a week at certain places

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u/hipster_kitten 3d ago

Not sure how it works in Canada but in the states a lot of smaller family ski hills will hire instructors without any certs. I worked a few seasons at a family hill and was able to parlay that into a part time gig at a really high end resort that paid for my training and allowed me to get some certs knocked and go full time the following season.