Working a Ski Season in Meribel

Do you ever think about packing it all in and heading out to the Alps for a season? Maybe the weather at home is getting you down, or perhaps one week's skiing a year simply isn't enough! What if you’re just leaving school or uni and aren’t really sure what you want to do next?

For many people, doing a ski season has become the ultimate dream. Five months spent in a spectacular mountain resort, skiing waist deep powder every day, riotous parties every night, tottie galore…… Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? And it is! However, there’s a bit more to the actual reality of doing a ski season than the glossy image will have you believe. For starters, most people need to get some sort of job when they’re here which will inevitably impinge on your powder skiing/ Mutzig drinking/ tottie grabbing time! Working in a ski resort can be very tough with long hours, demanding clients, notoriously bad pay and shared accommodation, on occasion with people with dubious personal hygiene standards. A paid holiday it is not!

However, with a bit of thought and forward planning, doing a season can be one of the best decisions you will ever make and it may open up a whole host of opportunities that you would otherwise never have considered. And it’s true - when you’re here all the time you can take your pick of the powder days, get to know the bar staff at all the best parties, and attain that strangely alluring goggle tan! 

The Package - what's included?

Many employers, and certainly all tour operators, offer an all-inclusive employment package to their staff. Although the salary guidelines given in the individual job descriptions may appear pretty meagre, you will generally find that the only outlay you have in resort is on new toys and gadgets and your “Beer and Fags Fund”! Everything else is usually provided for you and includes:

• Transport to and from resort - If you secure a position with a tour operator then they will normally take care of your outward and return travel arrangements for you. For the majority of staff, this invariably means a fairly arduous coach journey from Dover to resort; however, it does give you a great opportunity to meet and get to know some of your new colleagues before you arrive. Other companies (particularly some of the smaller ones) will fly staff out at the start of season. Return transport to the UK is also provided at the end of season, often using up empty return flight seats on charter planes.
• Salary - as mentioned above, salaries are notoriously low but they are sufficient to live on when you consider that everything else is provided by your employer.
• Accommodation - most companies have a number of staff apartments or rooms within their properties that they use to accommodate their staff. The standard of staff accom can vary greatly from company to company and resort to resort, but thankfully living conditions have improved considerably in recent years and staff are no longer housed in basement rooms with little or no natural light. You should, however, expect to be sharing a room with one or two of your co-workers (couples will get their own room) and invariably be sleeping on bunk beds. Depending on your job you may be living in close proximity to your guests and will have to modify your behaviour and noise output accordingly! If you plan to sort out your own accommodation for the season, you should expect to pay in the region of £3500 (€5000) plus for a studio apartment
• Food and drinks - in addition to your accommodation, your food and (non-alcoholic) drinks will also be provided. In chalet work, this will involve you sitting down and eating at least one course of the meal you have prepared with your guests each evening. For other positions, staff usually eat all together at a set time in one of the larger properties.
  
• Equipment Hire - You will be provided with ski or snowboard hire for the season. If you have your own boots, it might be worth taking them if your luggage space allows.
• Lift pass - your whole reason for being here and generally viewed as the most valuable part of your employment package. Don’t lose it or lend it to your mates as it will cost you in the region of £500 (€750) to replace!
• Travel and Medical Insurance - absolutely vital if you are planning on spending any length of time doing winter sports. Ensure you are familiar with what your policy covers you for (off-piste? Heliskiing??) and that it gives you sufficient coverage for any large or valuable items that you are taking with you (eg. your own ski/board kit). That way you can take out some additional cover if necessary. It is also advisable to buy the local Carte Neige insurance once in resort as this is instantly recognised by the French rescue services and will cover your costs should you require assistance to get off the mountain. Cost €40 - €60 for 12 months (October to October). You are also required to carry the new EHIC card that has replaced the E111 form. See our FAQ section and featured article on Ski and Travel Insurance for more information.

Visas & Passports

Not everyone requires a work permit or "autorisation de travail" to work in France, so if you fall into one of the following categories, you’re OK:

• You are a citizen of a European Union member country
• You are a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) state
• You are a Swiss national

Foreign nationals from any country other than those listed above must be in possession of a valid work permit and a long stay visa in order to secure employment in France. Both of these documents can only be applied for PRIOR to arriving in the country.

To work with a tour operator, most companies require you to hold a valid EC passport and a UK National Insurance number. If you hold an EC ancestral visa then you will probably find it easier to gain employment with a UK based company than a local French employer. 

Swiss Permits - working in Switzerland is a little different to France and non-Swiss nationals DO require a work permit in order to be legally employed. The official procedure is that you must first find a job and then your new employer will apply for your work permit on your behalf. Depending on your nationality, you may also require a visa to enter Switzerland in the first place. The latest regulations for working in Switzerland can be found here

What should I expect?

For many people one of the hardest things to deal with is being away from friends and family for an extended length of time, especially if it is your first time away from home. Only you will know if you can bear to be apart from your family or that “special someone” for 5 months or more but you should give it some serious thought before committing to a season away. Explaining to your employer that you want to return home after a month because you’re homesick will generally not be very well received. Neither will requests to go home for your granny’s birthday or best friends wedding, so unless pre-arranged with a very understanding employer, expect to miss out. It is often the relationships with boy/girlfriends left back at home that are the hardest to sustain. We’ve all seen the documentaries on TV to know that there is a certain amount of hanky panky that goes on in resort, and whilst these programmes give a pretty bad impression of what seasonal life is really like – sometimes temptation is just too hard to resist!

If you’re planning on working during your season then expect to be doing a 50-60 hour week with only one day off. Hours are long and often unsociable and certain jobs can effectively require you to be on-call at all times which is exhausting. The nature of hospitality and tourism work can (and will) test your ability to be “nice” to people, that in many instances you wouldn’t normally mix with. It’s quite startling how thoughtless some guests can be and “grinning and bearing it” will become second nature to you at times.

Invariably, despite your long working hours, you will still try and cram as much skiing and partying into your spare time as humanly possible. Regardless of whether you are knackered or have the hangover from hell, you will still be expected to get on with the job at hand. Once you reach meltdown point through overindulgence and exhaustion, you will learn to strike a happier balance between work, play and fun. We can tell you now that you won’t be able to do all three forever, but you will only actually learn that for yourself!

When to Apply?

If you’re serious about doing a season then you should get in early so that you can get the pick of the jobs. Most tour operators start recruiting as early as May/June for the following winter season and demand for positions is high. You can usually apply through the company’s website and will need to complete an application form either on-line or by post. Some companies will accept on spec CVs but you will generally need to fill out their own application form at some point so you may as well find out the correct procedure in the beginning.

Interviews are carried out throughout the summer months but jobs are offered out on a “first come, first served basis” so it is in your interest to try and see prospective employers as soon as possible. If you are successful and get offered the job you want, you may be asked to pay a commitment bond (approx. £100) to secure your offer. As it is quite normal for job seekers to “do the rounds” of tour operators, many companies adopt this policy as a safeguard that you will turn up at the start of season. However, the bond is usually fully refunded on the successful completion of the winter.

Don’t worry if you end up leaving it late to apply, many people for one reason or another, drop out as the season approaches and last minute vacancies are common.

If you decide to just head out to resort and take your chance once there, then ensure that you arrive in plenty time (mid/late November for winter and mid May for summer in the Alps). Be prepared to do lots of door knocking and have enough funds to tide you over until you secure work and get your first pay cheque. The more people you speak to, the more people know you’re available. Bar staff and tour operator staff are the ones to befriend, and check out any local notice boards and websites (like ours!) for positions vacant.

Where do I start?

A ski resort is a vibrant and varied environment to work in and depending on your skills; there are a multitude of jobs to consider. Inevitably, a large percentage of them are for British tour operators as chalet hosts, resort reps and hotel staff etc. Working for a tour operator generally means that you would spend the majority of your time with British guests and co-workers but certain positions require good language skills or catering qualifications and can lead onto managerial and long term career opportunities. Many of the larger tour operators also have an office based overseas and look to hire staff with accountancy, office administration and operational skills which can be a good option if you are looking to boost your career during your season.

If you already speak the language well then you could seek work with a locally run establishment such as a bar, restaurant or hotel. If improving your language skills is a priority for you, then working in one of the smaller, less well known resorts where English is less commonly spoken might prove more beneficial. Many resorts these days do not require you to have any knowledge of the local language at all to go about your daily business, however, you will certainly glean more from your season (and integrate yourself better with the locals!) if you at least try to learn!

Thanks to the internet (and sites such as ours!) it is now much easier to look for work before you actually get to resort. Websites such as Ski Jobs and Natives are dedicated to helping people find seasonal resort work and provide an excellent source of information and advice on how to go about it.

However, if you prefer to just get out there and look for work once you arrive, then the larger resorts will have more opportunities to explore. To maximise your chances, make sure you arrive in plenty time prior to the start of season (mid/end November) and come prepared with enough funds to tide you over until you secure work and get your first pay cheque. Having some knowledge of the local language will be a big advantage here and you should prepare several copies of your CV (and references) in advance so that you can hand them out in as many places as possible. Be prepared to get knocked back a few times, but if you’re outgoing and friendly (and obviously qualified for the job in question!) then you may just find yourself in the right place at the right time and land a great number! The main thing is not to give up; the more people you speak to, the more people know you’re available. Invariably with the nature of working in a ski resort, people can get injured (or homesick!) and have to go home at short notice, leaving an employer looking for an immediate replacement that could be you!