Are you searching for a winter job where you can take in breathtaking scenery, ski the slopes, or relax in a steaming jacuzzi while working at one of the premier ski resorts? If you enjoy snowboarding or skiing turn your hobby into cash with a job as a snowboard or ski instructor.

For those who prefer to stay on solid ground, support staff are needed at a ski lodge or ski chalet. Support staff jobs include chef, nanny, bar staff, maintenance, housekeeping, and many others. Read on and get insider tips on how to land ski resort jobs.

Applying for Ski Resort Jobs

When you find a listing for a ski resort job look to see if the company requires an online application or prefers to handle the application process by mail. Call the companies who prefer a mailed application and request an application form and an information packet.

When completing applications remember that winter jobs at a ski chalet, ski lodge, or ski resort are very popular. It’s important to take the time to provide every detail requested in the application and to have well thought out answers to each question.

Research the Ski Resort

Ski resorts vary a great deal in the benefits they offer and these benefits can enhance job enjoyability and affordability. A ski resort, ski chalet, or ski lodge may offer free housing and other accommodations to their employees. Other companies may require employees to pay for their own housing. Finding your own housing in a ski resort town can be a challenge with a small budget. So make sure that you take the time to research potential employers to ensure that you are comfortable with the housing and accommodations provided.

Acing the Interview

Applicants for winter jobs can either be interviewed in person or over the phone. Be prepared to answer the following types of questions:

1. What are your specific abilities in a specific job? For example, if your applying as a ski instructor be prepared to explain your strengths and abilities as both a skier and an instructor.

2. Are you a people person? Can you provide top quality customer service? How have you handled difficult customers in the past? Since ski resorts jobs tend to have a lot of interaction with customers you need to be prepared to show that you are an excellent people person.

3. Why do you want to work at this particular ski resort? Research the ski resort online before the interview and explain what you found impressive or interesting about that particular ski resort.

What To Expect When You Land Your Winter Job

Expect to be busy. Winter jobs do come during Christmas and New Years so it’s important to remember that you will probably be working on the holidays. Enjoy your time off skiing, sightseeing, or relaxing.

In conclusion, a myriad of ski resort jobs exist. Completing a neat, detailed application and preparing for the interview will help you to land that dream ski resort job.

You are half way through the school year and looking forward to a couple weeks off of school. You have finished your finals, don’t have anything else to study for and the bell is about to ring to signal the end of your last class until after the winter break. Unfortunately, winter break doesn’t just mean a break from studying and a chance to hang out with friends. It also means you have to start looking for that winter holiday retail job you need to afford all the things you want to during the break.

As that last bell rings and you and your classmates pack your books up for the last time for weeks, you start thinking about all the things you’re going to do over the break. You couldn’t be more excited about spending your weekdays hanging out with friends outside of class rather than only being able to talk to each other in the halls of your high school. You are excited about the weekend trip your family is taking to visit your grandparents and probably also thinking about the new winter clothes you’re going to buy now that you don’t have to wear that school uniform. But first you have to think about how you will afford to hang out with your friends, go on trips and buy new clothes if you don’t have a job.

Finding the right winter holiday retail job for you doesn’t have to be a stressful process if you know where to look. Most teenagers start by entering the mall. Later in life you will find that applying to a job requires a resume and cover letter specifically tailored to the company you want to work with. Enjoy these years where you can enter a store and write your personal information on a form provided by the store as your application. Set aside a day where you can walk around the mall and fill out applications to various jobs. You can start by applying at stores you prefer to shop in because you will have the appropriate clothes to wear to work, but don’t confine yourself to only the stores you frequent.

The most important part of finding the right winter retail job is to have flexibility. You need to be flexible with the company and the dates they require you to work but you also need to be flexible with job as a whole. Don’t allow yourself to only consider jobs in the best stores in the mall because then you are limiting your chance of getting hired. Turn in your application at the stores you don’t always shop in but are still familiar with to increase your chances of getting a job. When you hear back from the companies that are hiring, you can then decide which one you would feel more comfortable working for over the winter break. Just keep in mind that if you get a job in a store that you’ll be tempted to purchase unnecessary items from, you may not make much of a profit while you work there.

Seasonal jobs are offered to prospective employees for a specific time length marked by a season, event or holiday, in most cases. Whether it is winter or summer, Christmas or whale-watching season, there are thousands of jobs that need to be filled for a short period in order to accommodate increased demand. These positions can be found in many industries, but the most popular seasonal jobs are found within the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. These industries are susceptible to high and low, or peak and off-peak, seasons that create fluctuating demand for labor. Salespersons, desk clerks, tour guides and waiters are often seasonal workers, looking to make extra money during the time of year when customers and visitors are most likely to frequent their respective establishments.

The wintertime, starting in November, is a popular season for temporary workers to find a job. The most common of winter jobs arises with the commencement of ski and snowboard season. These winter sports create sizeable demand for restaurant, resort and retail employees, not to mention ski and snowboard instructors, all within small mountainside towns around the country. However, if cutting through powder and hitting the moguls does not sound like fun there are other opportunities available during this time of year.

Retail outlets, within and far away from ski resorts, often look for seasonal employees to help handle the manic rush of shoppers that bombard malls and retail districts during the holiday season. These jobs vary in length, but are usually shorter commitments than ski resort jobs. These are perfect opportunities for high school and college student on winter break to make some extra cash and even get a discount on their family shopping. Retail positions also offer more flexibility because retail stores open earlier and close later during the holiday season creating more shifts. Restaurants also see larger crowds during the holiday season as families get together for dinner to celebrate.

Ample opportunity exists in the warmer time of year as well. An increasingly popular form of employment is the camp counselor. As camp attendance grows at a rate of 10% per year (according to the American Camping Association), seasonal workers are enticed to take on various responsibilities from maintenance to arts and crafts. Working at a camp can become a regular summer opportunity for those who are encouraged to return the following summer, based on their conduct. Camps offer an outdoors, active environment to interact with children and make a bit of extra money to go out with your co-workers on the weekends.

A less traveled path for prospective employees over the summer is not your typical pool or resort job, but an office job. As current employees leave the country to go on family vacations, offices look to replace crucial members of their organization for a period of a couple of weeks to several months. Volunteer work and non profit organizations are always a great way to gain experience and meet interesting people, but may not be for those who are strapped for cash.

It is important for seasonal workers to know when they will be needed and when they will have to apply or make a phone call to their employer. This process should be started in the months preceding the relevant season. For retail jobs, where increased volumes of shoppers arrive starting after Thanksgiving, applications should be submitted before the first of November. For summer jobs, especially at camps, make sure to make arrangements by the beginning of May.

There are many reasons to look for a seasonal job. Short-term commitments give you the opportunity to learn a lot and gain valuable experience without the constraints of permanent work. If you are not sure of your career path, a seasonal job can help you get your foot in the door and make a long lasting impression while testing a new occupation. Even if you choose to change paths, a seasonal job can always help build a resume and add to a long list of references.

How to Spend Your Winter on the Ski Slopes by Working at a Ski Resort

Whether you are interested in working in retail, hotel services, food services, or outdoor adventures, working at a ski resort could provide you with the opportunity to explore any or all of these options. When most people think of working at a ski resort they immediately imagine working on the slopes as a ski instructor or as a ski patrol employee. Few people remember that there are many other jobs to be found at a ski resort beyond working directly on the slopes.

When looking for a job at a ski resort it can be expected that you are planning on spending as much time as possible enjoying yourself out on the slopes. That being said, some of the most ideal jobs at ski resorts are those at which you can spend most of your time working at night so that you can hit the slopes during the day. Working at the front desk of a hotel at night can be a great position at a ski resort in that it will allow you to do minimal work and to have your day free to do some skiing. Another great opportunity for a job at a ski resort is to work as a waiter or as a bartender at or near the resort. Similarly to working at a hotel at night, working the nightshift as a waiter or a bartender allows you to spend you time skiing during the day and making money by night.

Additionally, if you are interested in working at night to free up your daytime hours for skiing, many of the larger ski resorts have a relatively large number of nighttime janitorial and maintenance positions to be filled each ski season. By choosing to work as a maintenance person at night at a ski resort you will be able to work to earn a living while spending your days enjoying yourself out on the slopes.

Although it is important to consider the other positions at a ski resort beyond working directly on the mountain, for some people working on the slopes could be the right choice. If you have the skills and the necessary experience, working as a ski instructor or as a ski patrol employee also allows you to spend your time on the slopes during the day. Although you will be at work while you do it, both of these jobs will let you spend a great deal of time skiing while you are earning a living.

Ultimately, if you have the interest and the necessary skills, working as a ski instructor or on the ski patrol could be a good choice for you. On the other hand, if your primary interest is to spend your time relaxing and skiing at your own pace and on your own schedule, getting a nighttime job at a ski resort is a great option. No matter what you choose, if you are really interested in getting a lot of skiing done in the winter, working at a ski resort could be a great choice for you.