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Doing a Ski Season in Alpe d'Huez
| Jobs, Courses & Qualifications |
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Living and working in the mountains doesn’t need to be a pipedream. Whether you are looking to fill a gap year by doing a ski season, or if your ambitions lie more for the long term, there are a whole host of options for you to consider. In this section, you can find information on the types of job available, what types of courses and qualifications may help you land the job of your choice, and how and when to apply. You can also use our job finder service to help you land that perfect job. |
| Doing a Ski Season |
Do you ever think about packing it all in and heading out to the Alps for a season? Maybe it’s the weather at home that’s getting you down, or perhaps one weeks skiing a year is simply just not enough! What if you’re just leaving school or uni and aren’t really sure what you want to do next?
For many people, doing a ski season has become the ultimate glamorous dream. 5 months spent in a spectacular mountain resort, skiing waist deep powder every day, riotous parties every night, tottie galore…….. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? And it is! However, there’s a bit more to the actual reality of doing a ski season than its glossy image will have you believe. For starters, most people need to get some sort of job when they’re here which will inevitably impinge on your powder skiing/Mutzig drinking/tottie grabbing time! Working in a ski resort can be very tough with long hours, demanding clients, notoriously bad pay and shared accommodation with people of very dubious personal hygiene standards. A paid holiday it is not!
However, with a bit of thought and forward planning, doing a season can be one of the best decisions you will ever make and it may open up a whole host of opportunities that you would otherwise never have considered. And it’s true - when you’re here all the time you can take your pick of the powder days, get to know the bar staff at all the best parties, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something strangely alluring about a goggle tan and knitted headwear….. |
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last updated 22-Feb-2008 |
| Where do I start? |
A ski resort is a vibrant and varied environment to work in and depending on your skills; there are a multitude of jobs to consider. Inevitably, a large percentage of them are for British tour operators as chalet hosts, resort reps and hotel staff etc. Working for a tour operator generally means that you would spend the majority of your time with British guests and co-workers but certain positions require good language skills or catering qualifications and can lead onto managerial and long term career opportunities. Many of the larger tour operators also have an office based overseas and look to hire staff with accountancy, office administration and operational skills which can be a good option if you are looking to boost your career during your season.
If you already speak the language well then you could seek work with a locally run establishment such as a bar, restaurant or hotel. If improving your language skills is a priority for you, then working in one of the smaller, less well known resorts where English is less commonly spoken might prove more beneficial. Many resorts these days do not require you to have any knowledge of the local language at all to go about your daily business, however, you will certainly glean more from your season (and integrate yourself better with the locals!) if you at least try to learn!
Thanks to the internet (and sites such as ours!) it is now much easier to look for work before you actually get to resort. Websites such as Natives and Gravity Recruitment are dedicated to helping people find seasonal resort work and provide an excellent source of information and advice on how to go about it.
However, if you prefer to just get out there and look for work once you arrive, then the larger resorts will have more opportunities to explore. To maximise your chances, make sure you arrive in plenty time prior to the start of season (mid/end November) and come prepared with enough funds to tide you over until you secure work and get your first pay cheque. Having some knowledge of the local language will be a big advantage here and you should prepare several copies of your CV (and references) in advance so that you can hand them out in as many places as possible. Be prepared to get knocked back a few times, but if you’re outgoing and friendly (and obviously qualified for the job in question!) then you may just find yourself in the right place at the right time and land a great number! The main thing is not to give up; the more people you speak to, the more people know you’re available. Invariably with the nature of working in a ski resort, people can get injured (or homesick!) and have to go home at short notice, leaving an employer looking for an immediate replacement that could be you! |
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last updated 22-Feb-2008 |
| What should I expect? |
For many people one of the hardest things to deal with is being away from friends and family for an extended length of time, especially if it is your first time away from home. Only you will know if you can bear to be apart from your family or that “special someone” for 5 months or more but you should give it some serious thought before committing to a season away. Explaining to your employer that you want to return home after a month because you’re homesick will generally not be very well received. Neither will requests to go home for your granny’s birthday or best friends wedding, so unless pre-arranged with a very understanding employer, expect to miss out. It is often the relationships with boy/girlfriends left back at home that are the hardest to sustain. We’ve all seen the documentaries on TV to know that there is a certain amount of hanky panky that goes on in resort, and whilst these programmes give a pretty bad impression of what seasonal life is really like – sometimes temptation is just too hard to resist!
If you’re planning on working during your season then expect to be doing a 50-60 hour week with only one day off. Hours are long and often unsociable and certain jobs can effectively require you to be on-call at all times which is exhausting. The nature of hospitality and tourism work can (and will) test your ability to be “nice” to people, that in many instances you wouldn’t normally mix with. It’s quite startling how thoughtless some guests can be and “grinning and bearing it” will become second nature to you at times.
Invariably, despite your long working hours, you will still try and cram as much skiing and partying into your spare time as humanly possible. Regardless of whether you are knackered or have the hangover from hell, you will still be expected to get on with the job at hand. Once you reach meltdown point through overindulgence and exhaustion, you will learn to strike a happier balance between work, play and fun. We can tell you now that you won’t be able to do all three forever, but you will only actually learn that for yourself! |
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last updated 22-Feb-2008 |
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