Grays On Trays discussion board

Winter Park is offering a good deal for those desiring to be full-time instructors this season. We’ll train you.

They are hiring non-certified instructors, offering nine days of PAID training, and then paying for the new hire to attend a AASI-Rocky Mountain Level one course (ITC). You would start off the season as a certified instructor with a higher level of pay.

I just got more details from the Adult Program Manager this AM.

Winter Park’s offering:

1) Paid training – most resorts don’t pay you while training.
2) You must be available for training at the start of the season. Certification exams will be before Xmas.
3) WP pays for your ITC course whether it is at Winter Park or at another resort. This costs $$ and most resorts don’t offer this. This is a deal people! Here's the course schedule http://www.psia-rm.org/productcatalog.p ... &type=cert
4) Need to work full-time during the season.
5) Full-timers qualify for employee housing.
6) This is for people not requiring any visa sponsorship.
7) Need to be over age 18.

We have a new Adult Program Manager this season. I have worked with him during my past two seasons at WP. Chris is a great guy. He is a Rocky Mountain Examiner and a member of the divisions demo team. This deal applies for those wishing to be a ski instructor or snowboard instructors.

Winter Park is also looking for experienced part-time instructors. They are also considering inexperienced part-timers but only if you can teach mid-week.

For contact info, send me an email or PM. I can get you on the fast-track.

This is the year people if you have ever considered becoming an instructor!

Interesting. Maybe the visa situation really is driving resorts to new measures? In "real life," I write a column for a small newspaper read by members of the political class. Thanks to the comments offered up in person and online by Daysailer1 and SteveH, I'm working on an article about the impact that a shortage of H2-B visas has on the ski industry.

I wonder if the announcement from WP is one result. I may have noticed another when I opened up the bimonthly (?) magazine of the Midwest division of the PSIA/AASI. (I've done some occasional teaching around here, and joined AASI last year. I am not certified, though.) Right there in the magazine is a pretty big advertisement in there from Steamboat Springs, looking for instructors.

Well, if I was about 25 years younger, this WP opportunity might be one to consider. But now I've got family and other reasons to stay here for the winter.

It's driving most destination resorts to new measures. I think for the good for American instructors. Instead of focusing on inexpensive international labor, they are starting to put money into US citizens. Don't get me wrong, I really like my international snowboard buddies but this may mean the rebirth of the American ski bum.

I think smaller resorts will get their instructors pillaged by larger resorts. Western resorts will pillage Eastern resorts. If there is any major resort in the US other than Aspen & Park City that you have wanted to work at, I'd send in an application today. I wouldn't let the lack of any instruction experience make you hesitate.

That said, Winter Park has a terrific ski school and we want to keep our high standards. The above isn't an "official" statement by Winter Park. They are giving us some leeway to recruit talent for our school by referrals. We still prefer those with experience but we are willing to train those with a positive attitude and eager to learn.