Ski Jobs

An instructor I was talking to when we were in Bulgaria said that in the summer a lot of them go off to the Black Sea resorts and teach windsurfing etc.

I would have thought there'd be summer work as well in France etc. at the seaside resorts.

I live close to the sea here in Wales, and in the summer there's a great shortage of seasonal workers to work as cleaners, behind the bar, waitresses etc. because we have an enormous influx of tourists during the summer staying in hotels, campsites, self-catering holiday cottages, and B&B. And of course all these workers get paid at least the minimum wage, if not a great deal more.

I guess it all depends on how much money one needs to live on. I can live on very little - but then I am tea-total, and I don't like eating out, or buying clothes etc. etc. (pretty boring person generally). But I don't know if Amanda, or anyone else, :lol: could live like me.

I know someone who gave up an extremely well paid IT job to work in a ski resort for practically nothing, except his keep, and he's very happy doing it.

And my own sister was happy for years doing yacht deliveries for practically no money.

Amanda,
I think it all depends on your priorities, and where you are at the moment in life. And as Ise says, you must have a well thought out plan. Anyway, I hope whatever you decide to do works out for you,

Ally

I am the antiAllyG, I think a good balance is important.

I would love to be able to ski every day but on the other hand I like being able to see something I like and buy it.. or at least have the option to think 'I can save for that without missing meals'.

AllyG wrote:An instructor I was talking to when we were in Bulgaria said that in the summer a lot of them go off to the Black Sea resorts and teach windsurfing etc.

I think you've missed the point of your own anecdote. So the instructor was someone who was qualified to tech skiing in the winter and qualified to teach wind surfing in the summer, they'll have earned more in both locations than someone doing unskilled work. Even then, you're talking about 4 or 5 months actual work at the very best.

AllyG wrote:I would have thought there'd be summer work as well in France etc. at the seaside resorts.

I live close to the sea here in Wales, and in the summer there's a great shortage of seasonal workers to work as cleaners, behind the bar, waitresses etc. because we have an enormous influx of tourists during the summer staying in hotels, campsites, self-catering holiday cottages, and B&B. And of course all these workers get paid at least the minimum wage, if not a great deal more.

They're pretty fortunate to be getting minimum wage, most UK staff in ski resorts don't when their actual working hours are taking into account. The ability of ski companies to behave like that in France particularly explains why so many companies are based there and so few in Switzerland where they're supposed to follow the actual law of the country.

AllyG wrote:I guess it all depends on how much money one needs to live on. I can live on very little - but then I am tea-total, and I don't like eating out, or buying clothes etc. etc. (pretty boring person generally). But I don't know if Amanda, or anyone else, :lol: could live like me.

I know someone who gave up an extremely well paid IT job to work in a ski resort for practically nothing, except his keep, and he's very happy doing it.

until he retires I presume :lol: there's no end of people living hand to mouth like that, you can't do it for long though.

Pablo Escobar wrote:I am the antiAllyG, I think a good balance is important.

I would love to be able to ski every day but on the other hand I like being able to see something I like and buy it.. or at least have the option to think 'I can save for that without missing meals'.

I think that's about right. You can certainly give up luxuries like new large screen TV's or flash cars, my car is now 4 years old and the TV about 10, and I don't intend to replace either soon :lol: But, I'm just about to buy another camera and I don't intend to give up luxuries like that or going out for dinner.

I'd also be be really wary of believing people who reckon they can live for very little, particularly they're telling you the real story. They might own their properties, not have debt and actually have enough financial security not to worry about making provision for old age and be able to live without burning any of their capital.

Being a chalet girl in Verbier and marrying a rich client after 10 years would work well :D that's a good plan

Ise,
How do ski companies get away without paying the minimum wage in France? I thought it was an EU law, and therefore should apply equally in Britain and France.

We used to employ an agricultural student, and I used to have to work out his hours each week, make sure I was paying him the correct wage for his age (determined by the Agricultural Wages Board), spend about 10 minutes working out his N.I. and tax contributions and making a record for the tax man, and then pay him.

I agree one can't live hand to mouth, in a ski resort or anywhere else, for long, but it is a fun thing to do at certain stages in one life - either when you're young or semi-retired. And I also agree I'm unusual. I'm a very difficult person to buy presents for, because as one of my friends said, I'm not actually interested in material possessions. The kids used to give me presents like 'be good' vouchers, which I was allowed to produce whenever they were behaving badly, or tea making vouchers etc.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Ise,
How do ski companies get away without paying the minimum wage in France? I thought it was an EU law, and therefore should apply equally in Britain and France.

with the greatest of ease, the numbers of hours worked isn't what's stated and they include accommodation or lift passes or tips to make the money up. Mostly by just be being off the radar. The effects on the local economy are dreadful obviously, it's a scam that relies on a steady stream of staff prepared to be exploited and customers to accept poor service, unlike other countries the UK is able to provide both.

AllyG wrote: agree one can't live hand to mouth, in a ski resort or anywhere else, for long, but it is a fun thing to do at certain stages in one life - either when you're young or semi-retired.

So now this isn't a life choice but an extended holiday. Personally I'd find the idea of cleaning toilets for a couple of months to ski a couple of half days each week then go back to the UK pretty unsatisfactory.

Ise,
I was thinking more of a time period of up to 5 years. My sister was doing yacht delivery for about this length of time. The real problems start when you have kids. Children are very expensive to keep. It begins with nappies and cots, and moves on to shoes and school uniform, and then progresses to computers, holidays, and trendy new clothes and ipods etc.

I think it's totally disgraceful that the ski companies get away with treating their British employees like that. I had no idea - you are quite right, I seem to be a total ignoramus on this issue. Thanks for enlightening me.

Ally

baillie353 wrote:Hey guys and girls! I haven't posted on here in a while...

I hope this year (Come September 2009) I can take up on the opportunity of working abroad for a season in a ski resort, of course..
I've been keeping an eye on the Ski Jobs section of J2Ski and have noticed that the start and finish dates are of last/this season's.
Does anyone know when these dates will be updated and when a good time to start applying is?
Anybody any experience or any knowledge of this?

Thanks guys! :)

This is right up my alley.

The Downside_
I worked at a ski resort south of Cleveland Ohio. I was a lift operator for two seasons (this and last, and I was also trained on maintenance) From my perspective. It's one of the most dangerous jobs on the resort. The lifts that I worked needed some serious welding and the resort walked a VERY fine line between saving the resort a few pennies and seriously injuring employees. I can go on for about a day on this. PM me if you wish. I'm a mountain of info.

The Upside (because there really is one) Skiing, skiing, skiing. I met alot of people, whom I dear fully miss. I miss my guests. I wasn't just a worker. I got to be their friends. The comradeship I needed to share with other as coworkers was a necessary part of the job. I wasn't just a piece of meat to my co-workers. I was a sister and I felt like I was needed. When you see one of your guests take a hard fall, you help them and they appreciate it. Usually every resort worker is privy to free skiing. My ski patrol guys were fricken' awesome that's always a bonus. You also get to deal with happy people.