Top Tips for your Assessment Day

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Top Tips for your Assessment Day 

So, you’ve decided you want to embark on a winter season and have been invited to an assessment day. That’s fantastic, assessment days are vital tools for both candidates and employers to get a good feel for each other and the applicants suitability to their chosen role. 

We have put together some top tips for your assessment day to help you shine and showcase yourself in the best possible way. Enjoy and good luck! 

Our top tips for thriving on  your assessment day

  1. Dress to impress – first impressions do count! They are almost instant judgments we make about others when we first meet them and they can’t be undone. Put some effort into maintaining good eye contact, start with a confident introduction and a handshake. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather, job role and sector you’re applying to work in. It’s easy to do and it makes a big difference. 
  2. Be prepared – before leaving home to attend your assessment day make a list of things you should bring with you. You’ll never look silly for bringing a few extra copies of your CV and application, but arriving without these vital pieces of information could spotlight you negatively to your potential employer. 

Think – are there any role specific activities you need to complete, have you been asked to bring anything with you as part of the assessment day?

  1. Ask questions – asking questions is integral on an assessment day, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you’re not entirely sure about a task. Your interviewers don’t want to trip you up, and are often trying to get the best from you. Additionally, asking well thought out questions shows a genuine interest in the company and that you’ve done some extra research. 
  2. Speak and listen equally – the goal of an assessment day is to stand out and be noticed, however, they are often used to assess how you interact in a group setting. Communicating your ideas and opinions effectively is an essential skill, alternatively talking over other candidates and not listening will not reflect well. When you’re part of a team, negotiating and supporting your teammates is integral to a happy working environment, therefore everyone in the team must have an opportunity to speak. Remember – being louder doesn’t always equal being better and your interviewers know this. 
  3. Prepare well for your individual interview – try to plan for questions you think may arise in an interview. How is your experience of work relevant to the role you are applying for? Do you have gaps in your CV that could be explained? What do you want to get out of a ski season? By planning framework answers to a few basic questions you can communicate yourself effectively. 

Generic answers like ‘I need the money’ or ‘I just love to ski’ will not inspire a positive image to your interviewer. They know that you love the mountains but do you have a goal that the season could help you achieve? Are you looking to push yourself? Have you dreamt of doing a season ever since you watched Chalet Girl? All of these examples provide genuine positive outcomes from your season and highlight that it is something you’re committed to seeing through for the whole duration of the season.  

  1. Market and company research – why have you chosen to apply for this specific company, what is their unique selling point? Good knowledge about the company, the clientele and how the company positions itself in the market can help you think about how your experience makes you an ideal candidate for the company. When you have good knowledge about the company, you can tailor your experience and service expectations to perfectly fit them and their target market.

How did you hear about the company? What has piqued your interest, has there been new development and growth within the company or are they a stable and reliable company that you’d like to personally grow and develop in?

  1. How to stand out in a group – be assertive, not dominant – in most jobs in ski resorts you will be a part of a team therefore illustrating your ability to work well in a group on your assessment day is key.  A simple ‘I see where you’re coming from’ or ‘that’s a really good point’ can go a long way in a group discussion. Highlighting yourself as a good team leader and delegator by asking other, quieter applicants to provide their opinions will make you stand out. Assessment days are your opportunity to illustrate and evidence what you have said about yourself on your CV. 

Now you know our tips and tricks to acing an assessment day, why not apply to Ski Famille and take your new skills for a test drive?

Ski Famille and Ski Vertigo have chalets and hotels spanning the French Alps. If you fancy a winter in The 3 Valleys, Tignes, Val-d’Isère, La Plagne or Les Gets then we are the company for you. What makes us different? Well, since Brexit many seasonal employers will only accept EU passport holders but we review all applications regardless of your passport. We have an experienced office team here who will do all of the hard work and support you through obtaining your VISA!

We have been operating since 1990 and have valuable experience in recruiting fantastic teams and wonderful applicants who continue to surprise us with their skills year on year. 

Here is a link to our jobs page with all of our available roles – www.skifamille.co.uk/ski-jobs/

Apply now to [email protected] to get your application started today!

Chalet hosts are required to submit a 2 minute video answering some questions (which can be found at www.skifamille.co.uk/ski-jobs/) along with their CV.

Come and join us for the best winter of your life! 

 

How to get a ski job in the EU after Brexit (updated July 2022)

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Want to do a ski season and have a British passport? Or perhaps you don’t know if it’s still possible? Yes, it is!

Not much has changed from the update below that we posted (with thanks to Dan Fox) , however the system last year was very slow and there are hopes that this will be speeded up this ski season, however the process of applying for work visas cannot be started unti until 3 months before the contract starts. This means that from September onwards the ski companies HR/Legal departments are going to be very busy (!), many companies have started their job adverts already and they can be found HERE.

Below we have the current situation from Dan Fox at Ski Weekends

A part of my role in S.B.I.T (Seasonal Businesses in Travel) we have released this summary of what has changed to make this possible.

We are an organisation called S.B.I.T and for the past 4 years we have been raising awareness of the impacts of Brexit on UK staff “working a ski season”. We have also been working closely with the French and UK authorities to enable UK staff to continue to work a ski season in the Alps.

Up until recently, the prospects were not looking good and many ski companies were not even looking at job applications from UK staff, however, a few things have changed in the last few months which have improved the situation considerably.

First the basics

Now that the UK has left the EU, to work in France you will need a work permit and a work visa before you can enter France to work. Last year this was a very difficult, paper-based and long process The work permit had to be applied for by the UK companies that employed you, with no guarantee of success and then you needed to apply for the work visa. This was causing many UK firms to only consider staff with EU passports for ski season jobs.

Earlier this year, however, and after many meetings between SBiT and the French authorities, the application processes have been put online and in the last few weeks, several UK travel companies have already started to receive work permits for their UK winter staff.
In other words, if you are thinking about working in a French Alpine Ski resort this winter (for example as a chef, chalet host, bar staff, hotel assistant, or in a childcare role) then get applying as there are many UK companies that want to employ you.

Here is the process

  1. Apply for and secure a job with a UK Ski company
  2. Your employer will apply for a Work Permit for you, you cannot do this yourself
  3. Your employer will help you apply for your Work Visa.
  4. Start watching the snow forecasts and get excited about your season!

The process can take some time, so don’t delay applying if you want to work a ski season, there are only 3 months until the season starts.

Many of us in S.B.I.T have worked multiple winter seasons and the amazing experience of working a ski season is one we will never forget and has led to wonderful careers in the travel industry.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity while you still can.

 

Dan Fox is the MD/Owner of Ski Weekends

What recruiters want

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Mt Hotham skierWhat recruiters want

By Liam Campbell
As someone who manages recruitment for a ski holiday company finding seasonal workers each year fills me with both joy and dread.
I recruit around 30 members of seasonal staff each year and for those positions I receive over 1,500 applications!
Whilst I love nothing more than speaking with people who share my passion snow sports and the mountains; it still proves to be a slog to get through the applications and complete the recruitment process.
Most of those applications don’t make it through the sifting process. Those who proceed to an interview get the opportunity to really show what they have to offer are and live the dream out in the mountains!
So how can you boost your chances of being able to work a season and your chances of getting an interview?
Here are my 5 tips for your application to work a season:

1. Work experience

It all starts before you send the application in. Recruiters are looking for people with a good set of skills in the area they are recruiting for. If it’s a customer facing role, they will look for a history customer service and hospitality experience. If you haven’t already get a job in a similar style venue or job before you send in your application. Seek that experience and it will help open the door to you being able to work a season. It also means you will have a few quid more in your pocket when you get out there!

2. Research

Found your dream job position? That is great, now how are you going to make sure you get it? Do your homework. Read the job description, fully understand the role and all its requirements. Do you have the right experience? Is this what I want to do? Why do I want to do it? Learn about the company you will be working for?
Recruiter’s love hearing about themselves. That doesn’t mean they are vain, but it shows you’ve done your research. So, make sure you know about the company, what resorts do they operate in, when were they founded, how did they grow, what makes them different to the rest of the industry and most importantly of all, why do you want to work for them rather than anyone else.

3. Well written CV

If someone sends a one page CV with little to no explanation of what they have done, the recruiter probably won’t even bother reading it. If an applicant can’t be bothered to put the effort and attention to detail into writing a proper CV; why should they put themselves out to read it? You only get one chance to make a first impression; if your CV suggests little time and effort has been put into its creation, it’s natural to assume you lack energy and enthusiasm and what does that say about the effort they would likely put into their job.
Recruiters are not looking for your autobiography and what you have for lunch on a Tuesday in February, but you need to paint a picture of what makes you tick. Two pages tends to be more than enough. Explain your previous roles and responsibilities but keep it succinct, keep it focused, keep it punchy, and keep it you.

4. Covering letters

Don’t just send a CV and hope for the best, you will just be a name on top of a piece of paper with some jobs written below it. It isn’t very interesting and unlikely to grab the attention of the recruiter.
They want to know who is applying! Introduce yourself, why you want to work for the company, show them your relevant work experience, what your passions are and why should they pick you.

5. Be personal

There is nothing worse than having a bland and generic application sent to you. It is so obvious when you copy and paste an application and send it to 50 different companies. You don’t have to rewrite your whole CV and covering letter but tweak it to keep it relevant to the role and company ethos to every position you apply to. Make sure to read the job description and understand what the key skills are the company want you to show and demonstrate them in your work experience.
It takes a little more work, but I guarantee it will help you stand out from the crowd.

So that is 5 things you can do to increase your chances of working a season.
Anyone can do it but few actually do.

If you put a little bit of time into and focus on these points then suddenly you stand out head and shoulders above the rest and that gives you a better chance than others who haven’t made the effort.

Will Brexit stop less affluent workers getting a ski job?

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Why the end of free movement will be harder on less affluent seasonal workers

Blog written by Liam Cambell

Working ski seasons were some of the best years of my life. The chance to live and work in a foreign country, ski almost every day and earn money whilst doing it was the best experience any young person can have. However, the prospect of shrinking job opportunities with complicated and potentially expensive visa’s this could be devastating to the community of seasonal workers who travel to Europe every year.

 

I am from the North East of England and at the age of 10 my parents took me for my first ski holiday to the far-off resort of Glenshee in Scotland. I was a minor celebrity when I got back in my class, I was one of the few kids who had ever been skiing before, I felt as cool as any 10-year-old could when describing wearing ski goggles and going incredibly fast down a ski slope. Tall tales aside I realise now how lucky I was, a few years later we got out first trip abroad to the alps going to Italy and from then on, I realised a bit of my heart belonged to the mountains.

Photo by Liam Campbell
 

The opportunity to ski from a young age is something I took for granted for many years. Especially so in my first season. As the years went by and the more seasons I worked, the more I realised that, for many of my co-workers this was their first ever experience of the mountains never mind snow sports. They never went on family ski holidays and never joined the school ski trip for the simple reason their parents couldn’t afford it.

 

Working a season in the ski resorts of Europe gave them their first experience of the mountains and they got to share in the sport and cultures I love. As seasonairres we pride ourselves on the fact it doesn’t matter your age, background or race we are all united by our love of travel and adventure as well as a willingness to work hard.

 

With the end of free movement that puts this inclusive atmosphere in jeopardy. Whilst our attitudes will hopefully not change, the putting up of barriers of visa’s and permits creates significant issues for seasonal workers from less affluent backgrounds.

 
A visa to work in some European countries is around £50 just for submitting the applications and most importantly after applying receiving a visa is not guaranteed. For a number of countries like France their application process requires the submission of the applications in person at their embassy.

So for someone like myself in the North East of England my visa application will cost me the cost of a visa and a train ticket meaning I could be paying £150 for a visa which is not guaranteed after completing my application. Many cannot risk throwing away £150 on a dream of working a ski season and as a result many seasonaires from less affluent backgrounds may choose not to apply.

Pricing out seasonairres from less affluent background will be a devastating loss to the whole ski industry on a cultural level. We run the risk of skiing regressing back to the years of the 70’s and 80’s of it being a pursuit solely reserved for those from money and making it off limits to those without.

 

There needs to be an alternative from the current procedure of visa application for seasonal workers but that can only be done by both the UK and EU governments making changes to the current trade deal. Write to your MP and tell them of the risk to the 25,000 British seasonal workers and the increased impact to young people from less affluent backgrounds.

Brexit, Covid-19 and the season starts !

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Well there has never been a year like this and we certainly hope that we do not see another again ..ever!

But where are we right now in terms of getting jobs / starting seasons and spending a winter in the Alps?

Lets tackle Brexit first as it’s been around longer and unfortunately this is something that has been brought on by ourselves (probably not actually us, but you know what I mean).

In terms of employment, the pretty much accepted way to employ UK staff was to second them from a UK company to work on a short term contract in the EU. With Brexit looming in just a couple of weeks things are changing and from 1st January 2021 UK companies cannot send staff to work in the EU like they used to. The caveat for this is that if an employee is already on contract and in situ by 31st December 2020 then that member of staff will be able to continue working as per their contract until its end date.

Now that all sounded like it could be a way to squeeze one more season as per normal before the whole working visa system needed to even be tried, but along came Covid-19 and buggered the whole thing up for the world (and seasonairres looking for work in winter 2020/21).

So of course the dreaded pandemic means that some EU countries are not opening the ski resorts as yet, although some would correctly say that a government cannot “close” a resort as these are communities that live in the resort not a theme park!

With the start of the season delayed this now of course means that the vast amount of resort based business’s are not in a position to open, let alone employ staff ! So unfortunately the whole “contract in place before 31st December ’20” is not likely to be applicable to many people this winter!

So where does this all leave us ?

Well the snow is falling (in fact Courchevel had too much to allow the World Cup Ladies GS to run on day 2 this weekend), we are sitting tight and waiting to see what Boris and the EU can work out with working visas.

But which resorts are open/opening now ?

Well Finland and Sweden are opening up, The Spanish Pyrenees have stated resorts opening but with some curbs on travel. Switzerland has opened up but with cases rising that could change, or pop over to Slovakia / Slovenia as they are opening up too.

Of course the other curveball the EU just threw is that from 1st January 2021 we may not be allowed to travel to any EU country due to the UK being a “Third Country” now and we have too high covid-19 rates!

Time will tell, all we can say is keep the faith ?

 

Please note the above is all my understanding of the current situation, things change and we all need to be ready to adapt so keep an eye on the real news not all the fake stuff.

7 Things I wish I’d done before going to a new resort.

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Starting a job in a new resort is somewhat more involved than starting a new job in many other professions. Mainly because in other professions your job doesn’t revolve around knowing the place like the back of your hand, or often being in a completely new country. As I went about my season, there were several things I realised I could have done before heading out that would have made me feel that little bit more secure and in the know.

Welcome to the guest blog from Ori Lister from skiinstructordiaries.com

Check out my 7 thoughts, how do they compare to yours?

1. Learn the resort map

Now a days it’s incredibly easy to jump online and find a decent resort map of your new work place. If it’s a huge location you will probably struggle to memorise the map, and even in smaller resorts transferring your map knowledge to snowy runs can sometimes not be all that simple. However having at least a rough idea of where things are on the mountain, and the best routes to get down/back to base, will make that initial orientation that much easier for you. If you can learn where most the bathrooms on the mountain are your guests will thank you for it later!

Sahoro Piste Map

2. Message people who worked there last season

Talking to someone with hands on experience can be utterly invaluable, whether they let you know the best pizza spot in town, or just give you a better idea of what to expect, having the chance to chat is something we should all be keen for. The easiest way I’ve found is to hop onto instagram and search by location, scroll through enough posts with your resort tagged and you’ll find the instructors. All you can do is pop over a message and ask! We’re a friendly bunch.

3. Try and find people working there this season

Now this one is harder than finding someone who has already worked there before. Unless there are official facebook groups for your workplace, your best bet is to just post into ski/snowboard job groups asking if anyone’s working there this season. It can help to be able to match a name with a face and if you’re both from the same home country, travelling together can make it seem that bit less intimidating. I found G months before we went to Argentina together, if I hadn’t had reached out and messaged her first who knows if this site would exist today! Ski Instructor Diaries Instagram page

4. Find out your work and dorm situation

Before I had even left for my season, one of my friends already wanted to come visit around Christmas time. Because I was contracted and entitled to holiday days I naively expected to be able to book those days off and just have them stay in my dorms. In retrospect my brain was FAR from engaged and should have known I would have NEVER gotten those peak days off, but at the time I just didn’t think that much about it. When I realised that wasn’t going to happen I soon also realised my dorm rules were strict, no guests past certain hours and all that jazz. So before you go making arrangements for people to come visit, get a rough idea of how time off at your job works and what your regulations are, save yourself the embarrassment down the line.

5. Attempt to learn a little of their language

Despite being in Japan I was in a mainly English speaking resort. Over my season I picked up hello, good morning,thank you, yes and let’s go. That was it. Looking back I am ashamed that I didn’t put more effort in to respecting my host country. I wish I had learnt just a little bit more Japanese before I had left the UK, I have found that no matter where I go in the world, the very effort of trying to converse in the locals language will be seen as respectful. I’m not saying we should all get fluent, that we have to be perfect, but it would have been nice to have been able to know a few more phrases to bust out and have a better basis to pick up some in the future and be able to properly thank and respect my local colleagues.

Learning Languages for a ski season

6. Planned my workouts accordingly

Before I left for Japan I was always working out. I’d cycle for a couple of hours every other day, focus on my mobility and lower core strength. I thought I could just keep it up on my season and didn’t make a plan to maintain my mobility and fitness. We had a completely free gym for use whenever we weren’t working and I stepped in it maybe twice. Mostly because I hadn’t even thought about how I would go about maintaining my level of fitness when I was on my feet skiing all day. Next season I will be planning shorter mobility and flexibility sessions I can fit around my lessons, and change from stamina focused to power and intensity focused, shorter sessions that I can make work with my busy schedule.

7. Thought about what I’d miss from home

When you’re diving head first into a new experience the last thing on your mind is the little things you will be leaving behind. If you haven’t been out of your home country for any considerable length of time you might not even realise what little things you will come to miss! After a couple of months abroad I had intense cravings for marmite, only satisfied by buying and shipping a couple of jars to where I was working, at a ridiculous price I might add. Bringing along small items can really help combat homesickness or just satisfy those cravings that come about! Whether its friends and family you bring along in picture form, hobbies you can alter to do abroad, or just your favourite snack, the worst that will happen is it stays unopened.

Food you miss from home in a ski resort

Many thanks to Ori for her fantastic blog and we hope it inspires you to look for a job in a ski resort … Good Luck

Top 5 tips when applying for a job

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Top 5 tips

Top Tip number 1

Prepare your CV

The writing of CVs has changed dramatically over the years, no longer do you need to list page after page of work/life experiences. For a typical ski season job you also don’t need to heavily focus on your educational qualifications either.

In fact the real skill is to get your CV noticed in the first 15 seconds that a prospective employer spends looking at it!

So, think about what job you are applying for with this CV and tailor your wording to what the employee is looking for.

Then get the CV proof read by someone, because even if you have spell checked it there could well be some grammatical errors. If you are reusing last year’s version then ensure the dates are all correct.

Top Tip number 2

Think about the job you are applying for

Have you really got the skills to take you to the hills? If the job says Chalet Chef then don’t apply unless you can prove you can cook for up to 14 guests, we are talking a three course meal from scratch with canapes here .. not knocking out sandwiches at the cricket pavillion.

But also think of the skills and experience that you may have but automatically consider would be an advantage in the mountains. For example if you have retail experience and have a solid skiing background then potentially working in a ski hire shop could work.

Nothing will annoy a potential employer if you haven’t read the job requirements properly and that includes minimum ages plus if a company requires UK national insurance / bank etc .

Top Tip number 3

Consider your online presence !

Trust me, a potential employer will spend 10 minutes googling you if they think you have potential. If you put on your CV that you are a non-smoker and your facebook profile is you toking away then expect your CV to go straight in the rubbish bin. This may seem really harsh but there is a TON of competition out there and when someone is looking for their next employee it can be the smallest thing that makes you lose the opportunity.

Also lets think about your email address , you may have thought is cool when you got F***[email protected] etc but when that email lands in the inbox what will a prospective boss think ? I would advise setting another one up for your application process.

Top Tip number 4

Prepare for the interview

Nothing says you don’t care more than if you rock up ill prepared for the interview. You should bear in mind that your future employer may have spent time and money flying back from the Alps to hold interviews. Do your research before, it’s pretty simple to look up the company and find out about them for example:

  • Which resorts do they operate in
  • How big is the company
  • Are you meeting the owner , if so research their history too

Arrive with plenty of time to spare, public transport and hold ups can scupper your chance of a job so ensure you get there 30 minutes before .. BUT my advice would be to wait either in a cafe nearby etc until 15 mins before interview time.

Arrive appropriately dressed for the job/company and ensure you bring any relevant documents you may need (sample menus/proof of driving qualifications etc).

Top Tip number 5

Aim high but not necessarily the dream !

Whilst we would all like to get the creme de la creme of jobs in the Alps, you may be best advised to look for a job that you know you can do and do well. This will get you the opportunity to be out in resort for the winter gaining experience and nothing looks better on that CV than EXPERIENCE !

As the seasons go on you will find yourself applying for the positions you dreamed of a few years previous and generally loving life when you get that DREAM JOB !

So good luck and what are you waiting for ? .. Get searching for your next job HERE 

Courchevel in January – What to expect

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view of courchevel saulire

As the craziness of the start of the season and the festive period settles down, what can you expect from the start of the new year in a ski resort (and we are looking this time at Courchevel) ?

Well this can certainly be one of the best months of the season , if you are out working in resort you will have probably fully gotten into the stride of your job and this should be leading to more time on the slopes. With January being one of the coldest months the snow tends to hold up pretty well and with the snow-making facilities in Courchevel running at full tilt this means that the base layer of snow is being added to every night.

While the resort may feel a little quieter than the last couple of weeks , lets not forget up in 1850 things are gearing up this week for the Russian orthodox Christmas this week so expect to see a lot of Russians (well more than normal!) Russian Christmas in Courchevel

Weather-wise we have had a brilliant start to the winter season and the conditions are superb at the moment , currently the sun is shining and the pistes are empty so its all good. This is a great time to make the most of no lift queues and head out across the 3 valleys.

Towards the end of the month if you want to see some racing then head over the hill to Meribel to watch the mes giant slalom (Coupe d’Europe) on 28th & 29th January !

Skier in a Giant slalom race

If you are still looking for work then do not despair at this time of the year as a few jobs start to appear again over the next week or so due to injuries or staff not really working out in their role etc.

Keep an eye on our job page .. just click HERE 

Ski and Snowboard Festival

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This October (24th – 27th), Battersea Evolution will transform into an alpine arena to host The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival for the fifth year running. With 17,000 visitors in 2018, and the highest number of attendees since its move to Battersea Evolution in 2015, the 2019 festival will mark 46 years of the popular event, making it the longest running winter sports event.

 

Over four days, The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival will unite ski, winter sports and destination experts from across the globe under one roof. Packed full of information for novices and ski fanatics, the event has taken inspiration from some of the best large scale ski celebrations in the mountains to create an exciting festival right here in London.

 

Marking the beginning of the ski season with an exciting line-up of 200 exhibitors including Sierra Nevada, Crystal Ski Holidays and Ski Vermont, The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival is the perfect place for travellers to get inspiration and advice from a host of international professional athletes and The Telegraph’s own-award winning journalists. This year, these will include The Telegraph’s ski technique editor Warren Smith and Team GB’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic stars, all of whom will be on hand to inspire guests with a multitude of incredible stories, experiences and advice that is sure to encourage travellers to book their next ski holiday. It is also the perfect place to shop the latest kit in preparation for a ski or snowboard holiday.

 

Henry Druce, editor of The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard commented, ‘’We are so excited to be back this October at Battersea Evolution for The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival. The show has gone from strength to strength each year, and with a selection of new attractions and offerings for 2019, the event is expected to be one of the biggest and most exciting yet.  The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival will certainly be a day to remember and is a great opportunity for visitors to get excited and inspired about the ski season ahead.”

 

Taking place during the October school holidays, the show will also feature a full schedule of activities, games and entertainment that is perfect for the whole family over the half-term break including an artificial slope, ice skating, face painting, Halloween themed entertainment and more. New features for this year include craft beer tasting, curling on the ice rink and sports taster sessions, as well as an authentic Street Food Village serving delicious alpine food and drinks, competitions and a fantastic line-up of live music, DJ sets and comedy. With more entertainment to be announced soon, the show will also offer two nights of après entertainment to bring the atmosphere of the slopes to London to provide a true ski holiday experience.

Tickets to the event start from £21.65 per person (including access to the Après event).

For more information on The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Festival, or to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.telegraph.co.uk/events/event/the-ski-snowboard-festival-2019/.

 

Bar jobs in ski resorts and how to get one

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Bar jobs in a ski resort : how to get one and what to expect

Riding all day in powder then working in the evening , with live bands and great mates … sounds perfect ? There’s a whole lot more to working as bar staff in the alps then just pouring pints and having a great time.

So you turn up in resort and there’s snow on the ground , you can’t wait to get your pass and hit the slopes  .. HANG ON A MINUTE !

What you can expect in those first few heady days in the snow

To get your ski pass you’re going to need your new boss to provide you with your contract , and lets face it they are probably mega busy right now.Don’t expect it to be put in your hand the second you arrive .If there is snow on the terrace the best thing you can do is ask your boss if they want it cleared and start digging … always seems like fun for the first hour ( just try doing it in a blizzard at midnight ) , once you have teamed up with some of your new work buddies and shifted some neige ( try not to put it on next doors terrace !) the boss will probably have printed your contract off and signed it , you just need to scoot to the lift pass office with your readies and all the paperwork and you are off ..OR ARE YOU ?

Realities of bar job in the alps Bar job staff day off

Well you kinda thought you would be doing shifts from say 7pm til close 6 days a week so you could get some serious park time in , BUT in reality working/riding and partying will burn you out in 2 weeks flat , plus the bar is open from 10am …so they need you to cover shifts over lunch / apres ski and evenings ( the classic triple split shift ) .

To be honest even working day shifts can be great , if its dumped then throw your work gear in a backpack and hit first lift and do a few loops on the nearest chair/bubble lift , then fly into work and get grafting. You will be the one with the biggest smile on your face all day taking the first lines before half the resort actually got on the slopes .

Bar job responsibilities clearing snow from chalet

So what can you expect in terms of work , well most bar/restaurants need you to be able to multi task , so don’t expect to be hanging round serving drinks if the kitchen is flat out .Be prepared to jump in with the KP’s and help wash up ( plonge !) , ask chefs if anything needs chopping /peeling etc .. the chefs can be your best buddies ! If its snowing then get ready with the snow shovels and move blackboards in so they don’t get wrecked etc. Stock rooms need tidying , stock checks need doing , glasses polished , Vin Chaud making , Knives & Forks polishing , restaurant mopping .. TOILETS CLEANING … yep you name it and you will be doing it …” if there’s time to lean , there’s time to clean ”  … but when the band kicks off and the beers / jagers are flowing then the bar is the best place on earth to work !

Nothing beats that feeling at the end of the night when you have just persuaded the last punter to go home after a staggeringly busy night , you all look at each other and think S**T did we just get through that ?! The stories all come out about who left with who , and which chalet girl is not going to make it up for work in the morning etc etc

Of course then you guys need to grab a beer at the local club and do it all for yourselves ….. but don’t forget , lifts open at 9am and you are on a split shift tomorrow !!

Take a look at these positions on the site right now :

Bar Staff Courchevel 

Bar Staff Les Arcs

Bar Staff Wengen

Bar Staff France

Latest jobs are all found HERE