Introduction

The service we provide at Base Camp does not end when your Instructor Course ends. After one of our courses we will be happy to provide you with support and advice to help you find a job in the industry.

The qualifications you can achieve on one of our courses are internationally recognised through and are accepted in different places throughout the world depending on the schools and countries you intend to work in.

At Base Camp we have a good understanding as well as an extensive network of contacts in the snowsports, watersports, and adventure sports industries. Whether it is helping you find work at your local dry ski slope whilst at uni, in the Med over your summer holidays, or starting a full time career instructing, we are here to make the process of finding your first job in the industry as simple and as easy as possible.

How Do I Find A Job?

Through our online Recruitment Service you can search and apply for various jobs. Be aware that once you have finished one of our courses you are in effect in an open and competitive job market. In addition to having an internationally recognised qualification it helps if you can demonstrate to a potential employer that you are trustworthy, reliable, good with clients and a good team player. Obviously the more languages and the more experience you have is important as well.

We would also be happy to help you with writing a CV, providing you with a reference and answer any other questions you may have. There are many resorts worldwide and quite often smaller ski schools in less well known resorts are more likely to take on an entry level instructor without much experience. Larger more popular resorts usually have full-time staff returning year after year.

References

Base Camp Group will be happy to provide you with a reference folowing a course. Please call our office for more information.

CV Advice

A CV should help a potential employer decide if they want to inerview you. It is likley that a potential employer will only glance through your CV so you want to make sure it is clear, easy to understand, reflects your main attributes and is relevant to the job you are applying for.

• Keep it short and simple
• Prioritise information that is important to you
• Put your most recent jobs first.
• For each job you have listed it is a good idea to include a brief description of your role.Try and describe the skills that you learnt and how you benefitted from the job.

Interview Advice

• An interview is a two way thing. Do not be afraid to ask lots of questions about what the job entails. Remember you are finding out if the job is right for you as well as them finding out if you are right for the job.
• Punctuality is important if your job requires it.
• Presentation - you should be concious of how you dress and how you come accross. For an instructors job maybe trousers, shirt and a smart fleece will be fine.
• Any research you do before going to an interview can only help – It is worth checking out the company website and searching the interent for any relevant info.
• If you have a tricky question then take a little longer to answer it. This will be better than a garbled response. Also, do not be afraid to say you do not know something.

VISA Information

EUROPE

UK citizens do not need a visa to travel or work in Europe. If you do not hold a European passport we suggest you contact your local embassy or foreign office before booking a trip or applying for jobs.

NORTH AMERICA

If you are not intending to work, UK citizens can enter the USA and Canada without a visa and stay for up to 6 months. On arrival you will have to pass through Canadian immigration and will be asked to show evidence of a valid onward ticket or return ticket to the UK. You may also be asked to provide proof of funds to sustain your stay.

To work in North America you will require a working visa. On successful completion of your level 2 and one season work under your belt, Whistler-Blackcomb will sponsor you to come back and work for the following winter seasons.

If you would like to work full time as an instructor for the winter season following one of our courses, it is a good idea to gain additional experience over the summer. This can be as an instructor at your local dry ski slope or a similar outdoor activity company. Although it is not the most glamorous of instructor positions, it will give you a big advantage when applying to ski resorts for the winter season.

Our shorter courses take place at the start of the winter to give you the opportunity to go on and work for the remainder of the season. The instructor positions available to Level 1 instructors will most likely to be with Whistler Kids and you would need to have a valid work visas.

We suggest that you apply ahead of time in order to have a working holiday visa when you arrive because they will not offer jobs to people without a visa.

If you have a working visa, the mountain will offer jobs based on the feedback from the examiner and your Base Camp instructors. Needless to say, they will be interested in instructors who enjoy working with children and will rely on the conductors to recommend applicants.

Whistler Kids Ski School places more emphasis on a candidate’s ability with children than it does on certification. For example, they will frequently hire candidates who were only successful with the teaching portion of their exam. If it was deemed that their children's ability was greater than their technical ability, then they will still consider offering them a job. When this is the case, they ask you to teach low end lessons until you re-sit the skiing portion of the exam.

The majority of North American resorts will require all employees, intending to teach kids, to have a criminal record check completed at their own expense and it must be no less than 6 months old at the time you start work. If you intend on seeking employment after the course, we strongly recommend that they have one done before you leave the UK - it is extremely time consuming to try to have one done from abroad.

Most North American ski schools will have a few work placements for foriegners that include visas each winter. There are also various organisations, such as BUNAC, that can help you arrange a visa. BUNAC will issue you with a SWAP Certificate of Participation. Upon arrival at a Canadian Port of Entry you will then be issued with your Canadian work visa - the Open Employment Authorization document, valid for six months.

For further information please visit the Canadian High Commission website or the US Embassies and Consulates worldwide. For further information on Bunac please click here.