UKC

Hi all I'm after some advice my 21 year old son really wants to get a job in a ski resort, he's not that fussed what he does bit hasn't any idea where to start looking or who to contact any help would be greatly appreciated
Cheers Daniel

In reply to daniel baker:

natives.co.uk is a good place to start - lots of good advice on there.

Daniel - your son should give some thought to what skills he has eg. language skills (French, German or Italian?) or does he have a trade? Either will make him significantly more employable. He will need to be realistic / broadminded in terms of where he works since many of those looking to get to the Alps want to go to the big resorts, but there are only a finite number of jobs out there - and that number is significantly lower than the quantity of people wiling to to them!

I would second the shout for www.natives.co.uk, which is a good place to start for those looking for casual seasonal work. He'll have a good time wherever he goes and whatever he does - I know I did and even with the long hours it certainly beats working for a living!

In reply to daniel baker: Neilson are quite good for looking after staff skijobs@neilson.com

It's probably too late to apply this year to a tour operator as they will be training staff rather than recruiting at present.

The best bet is to concentrate on a resort like Meribel where there is a large resident population of ex-pats who have set up bars and businesses. Get numbers off the website and get him to call them up. If they answer in French, don't be afraid of trying to speak French, or at least say bonjour they will soon work out he are English.

I agree on the Natives advice, a good start. He needs to get his backside in gear very quickly.

In reply to daniel baker:

Sorry for a slight hijack OP.

Has anyone got any experience of doing a ski season when they are slightly older (early 30's)?

Potentially taking a year long career break and this is one of the things I wished I'd done but didn't!

In reply to Fickalli: Speak to the Ski Club of GB. They have a preference for recruiting more mature staff since it's a better fit with the guests who holiday with SCGB. Alternatively you may wish to look into a position as a chalet host - particularly if you can cook. Many of the higher end tour-ops will look to older staff (and couples) to run their chalets since again it's often a better fit with the kind of guests who are paying hundreds if not thousands of pounds to be there.

In reply to Bootsy:

Thanks. Will have a look. Won't be till next season at the earliest so I've got time...

In reply to Fickalli: Should be fine, im in cham and have friends in their 20's 30's 40's and 50's who do seasons here. As said some imployers prefer someone not straight out of school/uni and probably a bit more responsible.

In reply to daniel baker: Two routes he could take..

Apply for jobs online with large companies who have jobs in lots of resorts which will probably involve getting your food and accomidation but very little pay, an easy option for a first season and there will be loads of similar aged people doing the same thing.

Or pick a few resorts he would like to go to and google them, find bars, hotels, resturants, transfere companies, cleaning companies, or what ever jobs his skills would fit and email them all about jobs, then find a place to rent. Pay will be better but expenses will be higher.

There are also some jobs that you wont find online but just hear about, like labouring for cash and also a lot of people dont make it through the season an jobs become available so it can be worth just going somewhere and looking when you get there.

In reply to daniel baker:

If it's a year away the best advice I'd give is start saving and working like billyo now and get as much money as possible to do as little work as possible when he's there.

If he get's it right he can have accommodation/ski pass/insurance/kit covered and just have to do a cpl of nights bar work a week for food and beer.

It also means he can pick his resort and head there and look for work, rather than getting placed somewhere shitty.

In reply to daniel baker:

Hi check all the usual people, crystal, neilson, thompson bla bla. Don't worry about it being short notice, worst that will happen is he won't get a job till january which is when most people drop out cause they miss home! Come the 29th im off with crystal for a second season and couldn't reccommend it more. good luck to him!

In reply to daniel baker:
Thanks to everyone for there advice hopefully will get something sorted

In reply to daniel baker:

daniel. like others have said there is always quite a large staff turnaroung after new Year when loads of people realise that workingin a chalet.ski resort is hard work and they just want to party, cold and they don't like snow, etc etc. get registered on natives and with a few larger copanies as a reserve, or head to a big british resort and put the work around and something will come up.

To fickali,
I'm 29 about to be 30 and did my 1st season 7 yrs ago and not quite made it back. You'll be really in demand as a rep in charge of a resort for a chalet company, or could get a job in a ski school office etc, brush up on a local language though as you'll stand out from the others...