Take a Ski Instructor Course – Your Passport to a Satisfying Career
To succeed as a ski instructor, you need to have the drive, patience and the required skills. You also must love to be outdoors, even in the cold, and you should be sporty and competitive. It is actually an interesting job as well as being well-paid and satisfying. However, this cannot be achieved just by practicing all day. You will need to get qualified which means undertaking some sort of ski instructor course.
Once qualified, new graduates are paid between US $ 11 and $13 an hour. Those who have attained a higher level of skiing skills receive around US $25,000 in a 4 – 5 season month. On top of that, they also get a considerate amount as tips. There are even times when the client may requests for individual tutoring for which they will need to pay a higher rate.
Nevertheless, you need to possess the skills which you can acquire by enrolling in a ski course or school. When you enroll you have to prepare yourself to submit all your documentation that proves your current level – the school will give you a test to check this. Once qualified, before you can get a job as an instructor, you will need to be a certified member of the governing ski association in the country where you undertook your ski training. The association will categorize your level of ability to qualify you as an instructor. Your certification level will then determine your level of instruction.
The Professional Ski Instructors Association classifies instructors on the following certification levels.
Level 1 certified instructors have proven their capability to teach the beginners’ course, which is Learning Levels 1-3 (concentrating on the basics).
Level 2 certified instructors have the ability to teach Learning Levels 4 – 6
Level 3 certified instructors have gained the skills needed to teach Learning Levels 7 – 9. Level 3 certified instructors are also assigned to handle beginners’ courses, as they have better experience for doing this.
You can skip the training if you prove to possess the skills and just take the test to be given by the membership association. Nonetheless, taking a training course is still advisable, as it will both enhance your skiing skills and teach other necessary skills such as first aid and the proper way of handling students, providing motivation and constructive criticisms.
Taking a ski training course usually takes between 3 and 18 weeks – depending on the level at which you want to instruct. You may be good at skiing, but to be a good instructor you must possess teaching skills as well or you will end up with losing all your students. You are given a test at each end of the course to obtain your certification.
It is, of course, better and more profitable if you hold a higher certification. However, this requires excellent skills in teaching and skiing; thus, you need to have a more rigid and concentrated training. This is not impossible though if you persist, look for a relevant ski instructor course and check that you have the necessary abilities to achieve the highest ski instructor certification level. Once you have attained that level, you will realize that you have made your passion a fruitful and enjoyable profession.
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