‘Which SnowSkool course is for me?’ and ‘Am I too young for the course’ feature in our FAQs! (Click to see more frequently asked questions).
How to choose a SnowSkool instructor course or internship? It’s different strokes for different folks! The SnowSkool courses have been created to appeal to different people in terms of what they want from their course, their future plans, their age and/ or their experience level.
SnowSkool instructor courses in New Zealand
SnowSkool New Zealand is unique in that it runs during the southern winter/ northern summer, with a start date in July and an end date in September. This timing gives you the opportunity to train and get qualified ready to work the northern winter starting in November/ December. So, for those in the northern hemisphere, you can finish School or Uni, do a season and then start working as a ski instructor in Austria, Canada or Sweden within six months! The NZ course is also popular as a starting point for those embarking on wider travels. (Minimum age: 18)
SnowSkool instructor courses in Canada
Canada is popular for the adventurous skiers & riders with the promise of powder! Banff is set-up for the younger crew; it’s our longest & busiest course, it’s set in a busy, vibrant town with great nightlife and, as a result, the average on this course is 19.5 years old. Further west in the heart of beautiful British Columbia, you will find Canada’s largest ski-in/ ski-out village: Big White. Where the younger, gap-year crowd head to Banff, Big White tends to attract a slightly older age group (normally with an average of around 26 years old). To cater for this group, we have some nice ski-in/ ski-out apartments with private rooms available, the meal plan is flexible and the resort is fun & lively if not super-busy & party-focussed! (Minimum age for Banff: 17, for Big White: 18)
SnowSkool instructor courses & ski internship in Europe
The Euro courses – Three Valleys in France and Zell am See in Austria – tend to be more favoured by those looking for a career in instructing, given that the BASI qualifications are most widely-recognised in Europe and, when Brexit issues settle down, that is where Brits should be able to work most easily. The France course attracts a mix of guests, approx. 50% are School leavers or Uni graduates but the same number are changing, or taking some time out of, careers and there are normally a couple of retirees too! It’s a popular course – world’s largest ski area, great training & amazing nightlife. The course in Zell am See is an internship and so customers will train, sit exams and work all in one season. It is a relatively unique all-round skiing experience and places are strictly limited so it does get booked up pretty quickly! (Minimum age for France: 17, for Austria: 18)
Want to compare more details?
We’ve put together a full guide, so you can compare and contrast courses in the five locations we currently offer, and get a feel of what to expect.
You’ll find details on:
- the towns,
- the resorts,
- the terrain,
- the accommodation,
- the SnowSkool course,
- the qualifications
- and the people!
Hopefully this helps you on your way to booking a SnowSkool instructor course!
View our ski instructor courses here, our snowboard instructor courses here, or our ski instructor internship here.
Browse our blog for literally hundreds more articles on every element of our courses - from finding an instructor job, to being a good roommate! If you still have questions, get in touch by calling, emailing [email protected] or filling out this form.