Seasonairing
Searching for Work:
Timing:
A lot of recruitment only takes place a few months before a season starts.
The start date for every resort varies depending on the conditions that
each resort experiences. Sometimes a resorts season may start in September,
in other places it may not start until December. For Alpine resorts it
is probably good to start looking for work around July. However, many
employers require staff throughout the season due to high staff turnovers
so if you would like to turn up and search you are likely to be successfull.
Accommodation can be expensive to pay for while you look.
Accommodation:
Affordable accommodation is often the most difficult thing to find in
a resort unless you find a company that provides you with it as part of
your pay. By example, Queenstown in New Zealand is almost impossible to
find cheap accommodation around the start of June when the ski slopes
are about to open. Just before and just after this time finding accommodation
is fine.
Types of Work:
The kind and amount of work availiable depends on the the ski resort and
its culture. For example, Chalet hosting jobs are abundant in the French
Alps, where as bar work or waitering/waitressing is abundant in Andorra.
To give an idea of the kinds of jobs you could look for, there are hotel
jobs, jobs with lift companies, ski hire/repair, nannying, ski instructing
and guiding, airport transfers and many others.
Search:
The internet has an abundance of opportunities available. Many companies
advertise jobs on the net and also there are a couple of agiencies that
can place you in work. A simple search on "Winter jobs" or "Seasonal
Work" will bring you loads of information. If you are interested
in Chalet Hosting, a lot of companies will ask you to provide a weeks
menu plan. Otherwise, Snowline
and VIP don't
require one as they have their own people who write the plan and you get
taught everything you need to know when you join the company. See the
links page. If you decide to fly by the seat of
your pants, you can head out with the intention of finding work when you
get there. In the first few weeks of the seasonthere are always lots of
jobs available. Make sure you have enough cash to survive 2 or 3 weeks.
Searching for Work
Useful Links
A Day in the Life of a Chalet Host
