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Ski Instructor Job Shaming

COcanuck

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Try it first on a part-time basis on the weekends to see how idyllic it really is. Not this season, though.

absolutely! I've been starting the research a little bit about what I would need to do to start this up, do you have any recommended training programs?
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Living in a ski town I don't get too much condescension from locals, but more so from the actual students. We are often the hired help, happen to have more education than many other hired helpers, but definitely treated the same way, which is unacceptable in both cases.

Completely agree. I hear this from other instructor friends too. I haven’t had the opportunity to work with a younger instructor since my early days snowboarding. I sincerely hope that I would not let my assumptions and secret judginess show!

The golden handcuff of job satisfaction. Beats a desk job any day. Even with the critics. Their loss.

Here’s to having a career that you love. May we all be so lucky.
 

BackCountryGirl

Angel Diva
absolutely! I've been starting the research a little bit about what I would need to do to start this up, do you have any recommended training programs?
This may not be the season, but most snowsport schools will provide you the training you need. The PSIA-AASI website has some free material for new instructors if you like to read. That would be a good website to explore, www.thesnowpros.org. There is a page within the site for "work on snow" kit, designed for folks interested in a job in snowsports. It is sort of new so I don't know if it is actually worthwhile, but it should be.
 

COcanuck

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This may not be the season, but most snowsport schools will provide you the training you need. The PSIA-AASI website has some free material for new instructors if you like to read. That would be a good website to explore, www.thesnowpros.org. There is a page within the site for "work on snow" kit, designed for folks interested in a job in snowsports. It is sort of new so I don't know if it is actually worthwhile, but it should be.

Thanks, I'll check it out!
 

NWSkiGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ladies!

The longer I have been home after my season working as an instructor the more often I have experienced what can only be called job shaming.

When I tell people I am a ski instructor, and how much I love my job, I am met with shock initially. People then laugh it off and ask what I am doing next, they expect me to go back to academia or maybe get a job in finance. When I say no this is what I want to do, forever, then people get funny. Some get angry and just say that I'm wasting my education, they get frustrated telling me it will never work out, or they tease me for my low salary.

The joke is these are usually the same people who tell you to go find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. For me, it is confusing as to why when we go out and do this, that we are met with such resistance from our families, friends and sometimes even guests!

Have any other instructors here experienced similar? What are your thoughts on it?
Or even if you're not an instructor, why do you think this happens?

I'm sorry that's been your experience! I'm a part time instructor because I can't afford to do it full time. I've been impressed by the excellence I've seen in this field. It's a challenging and complex role. I think it's a "dream job," and maybe people don't know what to think of it. It's like being an artist! You're following your passion rather than climbing the corporate ladder. I think if you know that you want to follow your passion despite what our workaholic, "get ahead" society thinks of it, you will be golden.

Regardless of what people say, you get to be on snow every day with others who are passionate about the sport. And the only reason it doesn't pay very well is people would literally do it for free! I was on zoom ski movement analysis calls throughout this summer without being paid. It's that fun!
 

Stormila

Diva in Training
Very sad to hear that. Many people have this mindset programmed in their head that sounds like this:" go to a good college, get a degree and do a job that offers you a big salary even if you don't enjoy doing it." people need to start having some respect for all kinds of jobs.
 

scandium

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
oh gosh, I was hoping there might be someone on here who did that....so, I wouldn't be crazy to stop being a doctor to take up ski instruction??
Not crazy. I know a doctor who was planning to do a season on the mountain (South Island, NZ) at their clinic + use that to pay for her Level 1/2 instructor qualifications - so in my mind you could potentially do both while getting qualified. However in NZ the training pathways are a lot more flexible for non-surgical specialities and it's common to take a break and come back or not come back based on how you find things. Many women take a year of maternity leave and some jobshare during training (half-time, but often ends up being more like 0.6-0.75 FTE paid at 0.5), it was previously common for people to take 3-6 months unpaid leave for overseas travel with a job guarantee on return, and some locum for supplemental income while pursuing other careers.
 

NWSkiGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
oh gosh, I was hoping there might be someone on here who did that....so, I wouldn't be crazy to stop being a doctor to take up ski instruction??
I've been watching the Olympic skiers, and I was just sadly thinking today that I chose the wrong profession. Watching them all ski made me so jealous. They get to ski all over the world for a living, and to live on ski hills. And the sense of community they have is amazing.
Of course you have to be good - so there's that. :ski2:
 

Want2getbetter

Certified Ski Diva
Ladies!

The longer I have been home after my season working as an instructor the more often I have experienced what can only be called job shaming.

When I tell people I am a ski instructor, and how much I love my job, I am met with shock initially. People then laugh it off and ask what I am doing next, they expect me to go back to academia or maybe get a job in finance. When I say no this is what I want to do, forever, then people get funny. Some get angry and just say that I'm wasting my education, they get frustrated telling me it will never work out, or they tease me for my low salary.

The joke is these are usually the same people who tell you to go find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. For me, it is confusing as to why when we go out and do this, that we are met with such resistance from our families, friends and sometimes even guests!

Have any other instructors here experienced similar? What are your thoughts on it?
Or even if you're not an instructor, why do you think this happens?
I'm not an instructor but I think the people who tell you go get a "real" job do not remotely understand the skill and craft it takes to be a ski instructor. There are well paid ski instructors who coach the best in the business. There are those who work with special needs or disadvantaged kids. There are also those who use instructing as a stream of income after retirement to boost their earnings while doing something they love. Few people think about the breadth of opportunity in the field. And since you mention being home, maybe they feel you are leaning on your parents/partner and should be contributing more financially. At the end of the day, only you know what sacrifices you are willing to make to live your best life so don't pay them any mind. I can tell you this: I remember the name of every great ski instructor I have had, even if I only learned from them for a few hours or days. How many people leave such a mark on the people they work for every day? Follow your passion, embrace your ability to help people engage with a sport you love and keep smiling. Let your success be the answer to the cynics.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
Having switched careers before, I’ve experienced all kinds of job shaming. Maybe (?) not in the same condescending way, but you’d be surprised at the things people will say when your courage is in conflict with their inertia.

In my experience, people who complain about YOUR choices are frequently reflecting their own regrets… it has almost nothing to do with you, and almost everything to do with them.

I have two favorite approaches:
1 - less trolly - “thank you for your opinion”
2 - more trolly - keep asking them ”why“ questions about their opinions until they are flustered, befuddled and feeling pretty pathetic about their own choices

I deploy techniques depending on my personal emotions about that person.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Not crazy. I know a doctor who was planning to do a season on the mountain (South Island, NZ) at their clinic + use that to pay for her Level 1/2 instructor qualifications - so in my mind you could potentially do both while getting qualified. However in NZ the training pathways are a lot more flexible for non-surgical specialities and it's common to take a break and come back or not come back based on how you find things. Many women take a year of maternity leave and some jobshare during training (half-time, but often ends up being more like 0.6-0.75 FTE paid at 0.5), it was previously common for people to take 3-6 months unpaid leave for overseas travel with a job guarantee on return, and some locum for supplemental income while pursuing other careers.

Your post raises an important difference between the US and much of the rest of the world: In the US, most people need full-time jobs in order to have health insurance. That has a huge dampening effect on people's ability to create more flexible work-life patterns.
 

SkiGAP

Angel Diva
Over here in the Eurozone I've met plenty of people who are ski instructors in the winter and mountain bike / canyoning / hiking / climbing instructors in summer.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
absolutely! I've been starting the research a little bit about what I would need to do to start this up, do you have any recommended training programs?
I see you are in Colorado. Visit the ski school director at your local resort, the one where you'd like to work. Talk to him/her. Find out who you would be teaching, and how many hours you'd likely teach per day on the job. Ask about pay. You'll get way more information that way.

If you get hired, and you might easily get hired depending on a number of factors, the ski school will train you. If you choose to go full time, you won't get health insurance. You'll have to buy that on your own. Check out how much that costs. And you won't have a job in the summer. You'll have to find one.
 
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Stormila

Diva in Training
Very sad to hear that. Many people have this mindset programmed in their head that sounds like this:" go to a good college, get a degree and do a job that offers you a big salary even if you don't enjoy doing it." people need to start having some respect for all kinds of jobs. I love ski instructors. They live such a dream lifestyle. A ski instructor must explain skiing techniques to his clients and ski all day, don't even tell me that is not a dream job. As a result, each profession has its value and demands mutual respect to create a calm and healthy workplace. It's a necessary thing to archive in our society, to recognize the importance of each profession.
 

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