Ski & Snowboard Instructor courses

There are recognised qualifications and courses on offer from a wide variety of training organisations that will suit budding ski and snowboarding instructors, or people who want to improve in their chosen sport.

Courses run from 5 days for a basic qualification or a short period of intensive coaching, or up to 3 months for more comprehensive requirements and snowsports based gap years. Most British operators have large European programmes, and gap year options further afield in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. If you want to instruct professionally make sure your chosen course delivers an internationally recognised qualification.

Having a ski or snowboard instructor qualification doesn't guarantee finding a job but if you do manage to get employment instructors normally get a decent wage, a free lift pass and a great opportunity to hone your abilities. Formalized instruction methods and teaching principles are at the heart of all good courses. Most are designed to give you the qualifications you need to work anywhere in the world but it is essential to check the credentials of the school or camp you are considering attending. You should also be prepared to have any delusions you may have of how good you are shattered by unimpressed instructors!

Ski instructors are trained to standards recognised by their own national organizations (i.e. in Britain this is BASI). These organisations then offer an ‘International’ level qualification which is overseen by the International Ski Instructors Alliance. Don't hesitate to ask about the qualifications and languages spoken of the instructors in a school you are considering.

Ask a stupid question!
To save you doing it, we asked the leading British and Canadian Snowsports training organisations some daft questions. Read the answers they had to give us on our ski instructor course questions page.

Latest snowsports courses

Gap year ski season travel insurance

Accidents involving evacuation and hospitalisation from ski slopes in Europe start at about the £2,500 mark and in the French Alps local medical centres can deal with well over 100 accidents per day in peak season! Whether you are working or on a camp or instructor course insurance will probably be offered to you. You are not generally obliged to stick with any of them and are quite entitled to shop around for a more comprehensive policy. That's not to say that the insurance that they provide is not up to scratch but it is advisable to check. We have found several companies that offer very competitively priced travel insurance.

If you are insuring a season long trip or course make sure that there is no limit on how long any single trip can be, how many days are covered for activities (such as skiing would you believe it) and that if you are planning on doing a bit of ice climbing as well, that other activities are also covered.