Ski season in Canada 2011/12 advice

Hi there,
My boyfriend and I are looking at doing a ski season in Canada in 2011/12 and would like some advice. We are both currently based in the UK and are both able to get working visa's no problems. My boyfriend is an amazing skier and would like to become an instructor. I am an ok snowboarder and wouldn't mind doing the same but open to other opportunities too. We're really looking to maximise out time on the slopes and not really bothered about which particular resort we go to. Any help on the following would be great.

1. Is it best to organise a ski instructor course/job before we leave the UK, or is it best to organise this out there? In other words, is there any benefit in using one of these companies who organises it all for you?

2. If we chose to use a company to organise instructor course/jobs/accommodation, does anyone have any recommendations into a reputable company.

3. We are both IT professionals, does anyone know of any good job sites to search for professional jobs in the larger resorts e.g. Whistler. We'd like to maximise our time on the slopes and would be keen to see if working professionally would be possible.

3. If for example we choose Whistler and we go for instructor jobs, does anyone have any experience about the amount of work we can expect? Does anyone have any tips on resorts which offer more instructor work? Everywhere we look seems to say that it is variable, but I've not yet heard if we can rely on it to pay for living expenses. Does anyone have any first hand experience?

Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks so much

Hi Jules,

I can give Whistler related advice!

If you (or your bf) are already good skiers an instructor course might be an unnecessary expense... although you learn a lot in the course and your skiing will undoubtedly improve, you don't need to be a pro to pass a CSIA Level 1 exam - a few weeks independent practice & maybe a lesson if you're nervous is enough for anyone who can already ski well!

The "exam" is a three day experience where you spend the first 2-days with your instructor/examiner working on your skiing skills & learning how to break it down into teaching a beginner. A level 1 instructor only learns how to teach the absolute basics. The last day is your exam. It only costs $499 (see WB's website) for details.

I took my CASI L1 (snowboarding equivalent) after just riding around resort and it was no bother at all. If you want to do you Level 2 you will benefit alot more from a course though.

It's not that easy to get a job in Ski School (SS) however - I noticed Whistler Blackcomb's employment page is advertising for skype interviews right now for kids SS jobs - maybe get on that? They sometimes hire people for the mini's positions before they've done their CSIA if they are good skiers and have it booked...

As for living costs, you are much better off working as an IT person than an instructor! Instructors pay (especially 1st season) can be unfairly low as wages aren't great & it's hard to clock up enough hours.

Best advice on job hunting is to scour the Pique, Question and craigslist job postings, and maybe in your case, contact the bigger companies in town that might hire a full time IT guy? Last season a friend of mine put an advert in the local paper (the Pique) as an IT specialist... he didn't make enough to live on but it definitely helped (his other job was as a bouncer for Bills nightclub!).

We offer awesome accommodation in Whistler (complete with high-speed wifi as alot of our guests work remotely) if you are interested in pre-booking a room - other wise I would plan on arriving as early as you can to sort out a good place with a good price tag... if you arrive in November it is alot harder to find a place!

Let me know if you need any more advice :)

Keltie