Fancy being a ski instructor?
Yeah in your dreams!
Well it doesn’t have to be a dream.
If you can execute tidy parallel turns on an intermediate piste and you’re over 15 years of age, then you CAN train to be a ski instructor.
The same applies if you’re a snowboarder – if you are able to demonstrate comfortable and safe riding skills on intermediate terrain you CAN train to be a Snowboarding Instructor.
For the last 17 years Instructor Academy has operated in Soldeu, Andorra, making available excellent value, high quality on snow courses as a licenced provider for the Canadian organisations C.S.I.A and C.A.S.I. Many thousands of young (and not so young!) snow addicts have made it through our system and now teach in Europe, Canada, New Zealand and all over the UK on artificial surfaces.
It’s really easy to get involved. Firstly, don’t have any worries about stuffy old-fashioned attitudes and people covered in badges looking down their noses at you. It’s a blast! The groups are small, the Trainers are the best and they make sure you have a good time.
The four-day Level 1 course is ideal to fit into a week’s holiday and it’s amazing how much you can learn in that short time. The fast moving group will make sure you get plenty of miles under your skis, and there’ll be plenty of personal skills improvement work. At the end of the day there are off-snow workshops, videos and group chats.
If you are a student thinking of a gap break, we run 6 and 10 week Fastrack Courses. You start as a rookie and the aim is to see you leave us as a qualified instructor. You will have done First Aid and hours of ski school group lesson shadowing. The pass rate is fantastic and we have literally changed people’s lives forever.
This is the experience of Niall just 3 years ago…
My Story ….. In January 2010, I made the best decision of my life, which was to start training to become a Ski Instructor. It was a career I had always dreamt about, yet never thought I could ever do it – until I came across the Fastrack Course run by Instructor Academy.
On my first day of training, it became very clear that I was by far the weakest skier out of the group and I suddenly realised I was going to have to work extremely hard to get to the standard I wanted to be by the end of the season (CSIA Level 2). However, with the support and guidance of all the dedicated staff, I managed to progress from one of the weakest skiers in the group, to one of the strongest within 10 weeks, and had the honour of receiving my CSIA level 2 qualification.
The course was an incredible experience which I would recommend to any aspiring Ski Instructor as it teaches every aspect of becoming a successful instructor within those 10 weeks. During my season, I accumulated over 100 hours of shadowing other instructors which was hugely beneficial when it came to taking my own classes, and I believe the reason I feel so comfortable teaching a class is because I was given so many opportunities to learn from experience and accomplished instructors through the program.
I then went to Canada and was very fortunate to find work. For most instructors, the first season of actually teaching full time can often be daunting and can feel like they are out of their depth, but because of all the training I received from the Instructor Academy, I was 100% ready to start teaching. My first student of the season as a private lesson was with a 4 year old girl, and the parents were so impressed with my lesson, they booked me every single week for the rest of the season. I think this is a great testament to the high level of training I received, as my first ever lesson was such a huge success.
During my season in Canada, I became one of the most requested Instructors out of all the staff, something very unusual for a first time instructor, and at the end of the season, I received the award for “Rookie Ski Instructor Of The Year 2012”.
I would just like to thank everyone from Instructor Academy who helped me get to where I am today. I have found a job that I love, and a career that I can excel in. A special thank you to Gordon and Bethol for their constant support and encouragement, Nick Reader for making me as passionate about skiing as he is, because without these guys, I wouldn’t have passed the exams and wouldn’t have the incredible lifestyle I have now. I would also like to thank the Instructors in Canada for putting faith in an unknown rookie instructor, and giving me the opportunity to start my career.
To anyone who is thinking of doing this course, I cannot recommend it highly enough! The staff are great, it is extremely good value for money, and the training is excellent. Good luck!
Niall – Instructor Academy Student – Fastrack Course January 2011
This post was written for Andorra Resorts by Instructor Academy.
Full information is available at www.instructor-academy.com or ring Sandie on +44 (0) 1743 270000.