Ditch your city life and travel the world as a ski instructor

Do you dream of chasing powder and travelling the world when you’re staring at your computer screen?

Sam left London city life for the mountains, joined our 11 week ski instructor course, and has gone on to reach the top of the game, working in Australia, Japan, Canada and the Austrian Alps. If you’re considering a career switch, he’s got some invaluable advice.

Profile

Name: Samuel Tomlin-Kedge
Sport: Ski
Nationality: British

Course: 11 week ski instructor course
Location: Whistler, Canada

Qualifications: CSIA level 4
Worked in: Canada / Australia / Japan / Austria

Time for a change

For some people, ‘doing a season’ is a gap year before university or a break from studying. For others, it’s a career choice and the chance to become fully qualified in something you love doing.

Before I went on the Nonstop course I’d been living and working in London for five years after finishing a geography degree at university, and was beginning to feel that there must be more to life than tackling a never-ending build-up of paperwork and emails.

For some people, ‘doing a season’ is a gap year before university or a break from studying. For others, it’s a career choice and the chance to become fully qualified in something you love doing.

A colleague who felt the same suggested going on a ski course in Canada. He’d heard about Nonstop, so we decided to attend a preview day to find out more. That decision changed my life.

Nonstop offered some incredible trips with the opportunity to challenge yourself, learn something new, and gain a qualification – the perfect recipe for a career break. They also turned out to be friendly, informative and professional, which made-up our minds straight away.

Living up to the hype, the Nonstop course was amazing: great skiing, fantastic people, and the quality of the coaches really stood out. Training was four days per week, leaving the weekends free for extra training, free skiing or resting the legs. The season was incredible and made my mind that I needed to pursue instructing properly.

Rookie season in Australia

After I passed my level 1 and 2 CSIA exams with Nonstop, I applied for a job at a ski school in Falls Creek, Australia. I had to attend a hiring clinic – essentially an extended ski interview – and, thanks to my Nonstop training, I was selected for a job. No more boring job in the city for me.

I can still remember teaching my first ski lesson. I had prepared and planned exactly what I was going to teach and I was so sure that it would be the perfect lesson. When I arrived at the top of the mountain there was 10cm of new snow, thick fog and howling winds – needless to say, with ten cold, frightened, screaming children it wasn’t the perfect lesson. I’m pleased to say it only got better after that.

The new routine

A typical working day at Falls Creek began with the first lift up at 9am, then free skiing or training with my fellow instructors for an hour. From 10am-12pm I was teaching, then depending on work I would have up to an hour’s lunch break for more free skiing. After that I'd teach until 3.30pm. Quite the life, if I do say so myself.

The people are great too, and every instructor is different. Although everyone wears the same red uniform, you’d be amazed at the variety of personalities. This makes for a wide and varied group of friends from all walks of life.

Four continents later

After that first season, I was determined to keep going in the industry: back-to-back winters and training for my full certification. And three years after finishing my Nonstop course, I’d achieved my level 4: it was hard work but worth every turn.

I’ve been lucky enough to teach across four continents, in Canada, Japan, Australia and Austria. Today, I’m based in Kitzbühel in the Austrian Alps, working with a ski academy and training instructors.

Since completing my Nonstop course I’ve been lucky enough to teach across four continents, in Canada, Japan, Australia and Austria. Today, I’m based in Kitzbühel in the Austrian Alps, working with a ski academy and training instructors.

Australia is a great place to spent southern hemisphere winters. The mountains aren’t big but the terrain is ideal for teaching and training. Falls Creek has been my base here ever since I did my first working season.

I think Japan is a rite of passage for every instructor. Of course, people come here for the crazy powder, but the culture is what makes the experience unique.

Canada is where my journey as an instructor began and nothing quite matches its big mountains, terrain and backcountry. British Columbia is the place to go.

Austria is the best of all worlds. It combines the fun of Australia, with the mountains of Canada and sometimes the powder of Japan. And the summers aren’t bad either, with hiking, biking and wild swimming the order of the day.

Lifestyle, career or both?

Becoming a ski instructor has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and earn a living while doing it. Pay is dependent on your level of certification and the country of employment.

Once fully certified, you can expect to earn a good income and not have to work between seasons.

While money can be tight when training towards your full level 4 qualification, it’s definitely worth the hard work. Once fully certified, you can expect to earn a good income and not have to work between seasons.

But whatever wage you’re earning, you’re still getting paid to do what you love, which is a pretty sweet deal.

Words of wisdom

For the best experience, I’d recommend travelling to resorts that aren’t well known by English tourists. Stepping away from typical English resorts like St. Anton or Val d’Isere, and travelling to places like Japan is a real adventure. 

If you’re going to work in a non-English speaking country then really try to learn the language. This means learning more than “Guten morgen” or “Une bière, s'il vous plait”. Once you can laugh and joke with the locals in their own language it’s so much fun, and if you’re on a gap year, learning another language could really enhance your employability in the future.

And my advice to you if you’re thinking about doing a Nonstop course is: do it. I’ve never looked back since my Nonstop days – for me it was quite simply the best thing I ever did.

Like the sound of Sam’s life? Take your first step towards becoming an instructor and book one of our 11 week ski instructor courses / snowboard instructor courses.