Before applying for an instructor position?

[slight_disregard]

What skill level do the resorts expect you to be before becoming an instructor? I would like to look into it but I get the feeling most of the instructors are pretty advanced and I don't want to embarrass myself. I'm fine with the basics and I can consistently land the small kickers... do the resorts expect more than that from instructors just teaching newbies?

[snwbrder3384]

when we hire we dont look so much at your riding, which we will show you that no matter how good you think you are you in fact, suck, but we look at your people skills. I've taken a guy who had rode for like 3 days and after 6 days of day long clinics i hired him, but iv turned down guys who could huck because they coulden't teach worth a damn.

[DragonUSMC]

yeah if you are looking to start as an instructor people skills are all that we really worry about. If you are trying to get into a big resort, IE Vail, Big Sky, etc. then you will need to know how to at least control yourself on every type of run.

if you are in the midwest... hell as long as you can put your board on your feet and kinda slide down the hill then i can teach you the rest.

[Fianny]

so what if you have a qual already? im looking at hitting BASI level 2 this season (if i get leave at the right time) and going to Canada / America in the 09/10 season... i take it having a qual al all will make it quite easy to get work?

[DragonUSMC]

yeah if you already have a qual.. then its a bazillion times easier. Because you are able to walk on and teach. If you already have certification up to date then all you really need to do is get the name of the head instructor and talk to them directly. They can get you on faster then having to go through HR and such.

[Fianny]

hmm... do most folk try get in without quals? just wondering how easy it would be to go out and teach, am i (and the mates im going out with, complete with quals) going to find it pretty easy to get work teaching?

[Cr0_Reps_Smit]

yes alot of people get in without certs as long as the mtn thinks they have good people skills. im pretty sure around here you need to have some on snow experience on teaching before you get your lvl 1s anyway. when i first started i had no experience in teaching what so ever and went through a 3 day training clinic the mtn puts all their new riders through.

[DragonUSMC]

yes we do as there are alot of people that come out for a season, teach, and then go home and never come back. The long term instructors are hard to find because they've got to WANT to be a ski bum the rest of their lives.

Which is why we are always replenishing the low level ranks... while the middle and upper level managers say the same for long periods of time.

[Fianny]

oh righty cool, spose thats the beauty of working on an indoor snow slope! year round snow so none of this working for a season nonsense haha!! defo keen to work on an actual mountain tho!!

[Leo B. Jibbins]

yo when i thought being an instructor was a good idea(which it isnt) i tried it out at heavenly.....and let me tell you son, there was people out there that looked like it was there first time out there riding.....and being your in sac, thats a good option, very good. they just want to kno that your serious about it, and will be there, cause late season they are dying for teachers......

[Cr0_Reps_Smit]

its not that instructing isnt a good idea, its just not for everyone. i love teaching and wouldn't want to do anything else but teach kids how to shred, sure its a little frustrating sometimes and you're bound to get those little buggers who just don't want to learn no matter what you try but for every one kid like that there's 10 more who love it as much as i do and catch on pretty quickly. plus now that i've been doing it for more then 2 years and my supervisors know that i ride park quite often they give me all the park groups.

[Leo B. Jibbins]

yo, wait till you get to cali son.....you think jersey, nyc, and long island kids are brats????? california kids bring it on a whole different level....espically at a top notch resort in tahoe....lol but then again, you seen once you seen em all

[slight_disregard]

Yeah I haven't had any experience teaching younger kids. I've taught plenty of my friends though and I thought it'd be fun to try.

[Fianny]

nah, a few weeks back i was working on a local dry slope, it was a mon-thurs snowboarding camp thing, cos it was school hols... only 2 kids were on this week and came in every morning, i took the beginner and the other instructor took the intermediate kid... i had to pull out all the stops getting this kid progressing (to be fair the mats are VERY difficult to ride on and very sore to fall on) some days we took a break early cos he was on the verge of tears... he was getting so frustrated that he couldnt do certain things (which he later got after doing a few wee excericises) and from hurting himself, but by the end of the week this kid was hooked! he might not have been the best little rider, he might never compete in any big events, and i got soooo annoyed with him sometimes when he couldnt get what i was trying to say, but the excitement in this kids eyes at the end of camp talking about coming back to ride some more, do other lessons, to go on holiday with his school and board instead of ski

i know thats a bit long but thats what being an instructor is about to me... this kid is hooked on it and i was part of that... if you get the chance to teach kids... you should defo do it, even kids with a bit of attitude... they soon lose that after a couple of bails!

[DaveESPI]

Being a good rider is not always being a good instructor and vice versa.

Then again, there are some of us who are both.

We don't teach for the pay, we do it because the jacket and pass is free and we like teaching.