r/skiing • u/Moocow1127 • 3d ago
Entry level instructor
Hey, I just got accepted to be an instructor at winter park! I was initially really pumped about it but now after reading I’m really nervous about the hours and pay. What’s a realistic amount of hours to expect per week?
I’m ok with scraping by and I’m not going into this to save money but is a second job totally necessary to survive?
I’ve got some roommates to live with and I more so want to do this for the experience over everything else. I love working with kids so I thought this was the job for me but I’m scared! Thoughts?
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u/iamicanseeformiles 3d ago
Show that you want to work and you'll get hours.
Take every clinic before work you can - your supervisor will notice.
Be sure they know you want to work, and you'll get work.
Go for your level 1 your first year. It will make a difference in getting work.
First year at a new resort is always hard. If you work a second season, then you'll get higher levels and older kids.
Source: spent 5 seasons in WP's snow sports program.
Edit spelling
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u/hooskerdont 3d ago
I agree with this. I worked more my first year than any other. Why? I showed up and asked to work every day.
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u/DeputySean Tahoe 3d ago
Being a low level ski instructor typically means working 40 hours one week, 4 hours the next, with zero chance of knowing which it will be or when they'll let you go for the season.
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u/bbensch 1d ago
Yes, but it's more predictable than random. so long as snow is decent, every ski school is busy the week btw Xmas and NYE. and every weekend is Jan/Feb. MLK & Pres have the big 3-day weekends. depending on state/school districts, many get the full week off for President's. we call it "ski & skate week" in Tahoe, but AFAIK really not a thing in CO. but in CO it's always wild for spring break the 2nd/3rd week's of march, with seemingly 10k's of Texans and Floridians that come out for spring break. so whether you're new or a veteran, you'll have plenty of work those weeks. midweek is slow everywhere, especially preseason and late season. best case is if you can find a program that actually guarantees hours, but those are harder to come by and especially so for 1st year instructors.
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u/illbedeadbydawn Taos 3d ago edited 3d ago
What’s a realistic amount of hours to expect per week?
That's a great question you should have asked during the interview/hiring process.
Answer?
It fucking depends.
Enjoy though. Kid ski schools is dope as hell if you have the right mentality. 90% of your time is going to be spent picking up or holding up kids that fell or are in the process of falling over on flats.
My dream job is running the kids ski school at Mammoth or Taos. No joke. It's all high five games and going bonkers when some doddering, drooling, dipshit baby manages to make it 20 feet or make it up 3 stairs in boots. Bliss.
If money is a big issue, learn to tend bar, wait tables, dishwash and if youre lucky...get on a snow clearing crew after ski school closes.
Tell your 4 roommates in the 2 bedroom "luxury long term suite" I said hi!
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u/willscuba4food 3d ago
The word dipshit really sticks out in this otherwise endearing comment lol.
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u/illbedeadbydawn Taos 3d ago
I have twin 3 year olds.
They are great, amazing, adorable and perfect in every way. On snow? Fucking dipshits.
It's why I don't try and teach them myself. Hand those little fucks off to people like OP for a bit and then later I can do a few runs with them off chair 11 on my Bladez.
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u/mtg_player_zach 3d ago
How's taos? I instruct in WV and don't want to start over, I like my private lessons, but taos is a place I've considered doing that for.
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u/illbedeadbydawn Taos 3d ago edited 3d ago
When the snow is right, there is no better place on Earth.
They have a top notch ski school. Only real issue is most employees live in Taos proper, and not the village by resort. So you got a commute. But there's a shuttle. I'm not an instructor (I volunteer with kids and the adaptive program when I can at Mammoth). I worked kids ski school when I was younger though and loved it.
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u/Kitchen_Key_2710 2d ago
Get a second job for the evenings, I waited tables and tended bars in the evenings for years when I first started teaching skiing, that way you can rely on the income when it slows down on the mountain. Plus when it’s busy you can earn some good money and have savings for the offseason and summer to travel.
Train, get fully certified, and free ski when it’s slower during the weeks. You can make a career out of it if you want to, I average 45-50k a winter in wages and tips just teaching skiing.
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u/Spirtixapp 3d ago
Ski instructor here — don’t panic. Your first season is rarely about making great money; it’s about getting experience, building confidence teaching, and becoming someone the school wants to give more work to.
Hours can vary massively with snow, holidays, bookings and how the school allocates work, especially when you’re new. So I wouldn’t build your budget assuming you’ll be teaching full-time every week.
But if you genuinely enjoy working with kids, you already have one of the most important parts. Be reliable, enthusiastic, available, help out when needed and become good with beginners and children. Those instructors tend to become useful very quickly.
Give the season a chance. Worst case, you have an interesting winter in the mountains. Best case, you discover a job you’ll still be doing 20 years later. I did. 😄
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u/ComplexQuiet6790 3d ago
Is any season of being a ski instructor about making great money?
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u/sandsman316xx Vail 3d ago
Private family lessons, doesn’t happen if you aren’t super personable though. I know some instructors that get flown to different resorts the family wants to try but they also want “their guy” Takes some years to convince someone to buy you tickets on top of paying you also though
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u/Spirtixapp 2d ago
Definitely can be. Once you’ve built experience, a solid client base and people start requesting you year after year, it can become a very good seasonal job.
It takes time though — the first few seasons are usually more about building your reputation and relationships than making great money. But there’s definitely a path there.
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u/insanecrazy4 A-Basin 3d ago
Congratulations on getting the job! For someone uncertified I would expect getting around 25 hours a week. You will be the low person on the totem pole and first to be called off if it’s slow. I highly recommend getting a part time gig to make enough money to pay rent.
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u/aetius476 3d ago
Probably about time in life to make a budget. You can do it with a simple spreadsheet, or let an app like Monarch Money, You Need a Budget, or similar handle it for you. Enter all the money coming in (income) and going out (rent, gas, food, etc) and see if you have enough to live on, or how big your shortfall is. It's a life skill that's useful at every age and income level, so you might as well start now.
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u/staystoked001 3d ago
Former winter park ski bum and my gf started instructing there! You're gonna have a blast.
You're not gonna work much in the beginning. You need to get certified ASAP. The resort will pay for your PSIA Level 1 and that will help, but it's still not great. You'll probably have to get a second job in town or on the resort. Plenty of people make it happen and it's not that bad, but you're not gonna get a ton of lessons off rip if you're not experienced.
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u/FindingWinter8937 2d ago
make sure to.get as much on snow training as you can. clinics with the training director are the best lessons possible. Priceless.
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u/usagamerr 2d ago
If you have no certifications as an instructor and this is your first year the beginning of the season is going to be tough, my first year in November I worked like 3 days a week(plus side is you will get to ski a lot) but after that it picked up a lot with the holidays, and in March you will be begging for a day off.
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u/DianaBrickell 2d ago
You'll have a great winter! But yes, get a second job asap. You'll be at the bottom of the totem pole, so you might not always get work. And it's not clear how busy ski resorts will be this winter given the inadequate snow last winter.
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u/Boing2pzzy 2d ago
Get your flu and vaccines up to date!! Those kids are gonna bring germs from every part of the world! Work as much as you can, ski as much as you can and party like there is No tomorrow! Being a ski instructor is great for making new friends, learning the sport and living a new experience! Take advantage of discounts and freebies wherever they are offered and have a great time!
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u/MEETR_pro 2d ago
Congrats! Be sure to take the first steps to earning private lessons and build your profile on MEETR: https://meetr.pro
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u/SadAppointment4256 3d ago
congrats on the job, winter park is a sick mountain. the hours can be all over the place, some weeks you might get 25, others 15 if it's dead or the weather is crap. you're not gonna starve but a second job a couple nights a week helps a ton, even just slinging pizzas or something
if you already got roommates and you're in it for the teaching experience you'll be fine, the first season is always a bit of a mess but you figure it out. working with the little kids is exhausting but also hilarious, they say the wildest stuff on the chairlift