Have you always had a fascination with being a ski instructor?
We agree, spending your seasons on skis is a dream come true (in all objectivity of course).
In France, training is complex and very demanding, and it's not always easy to know how to get started. 🤨
So our Ski Training Manager has unraveled all the info for you. #ThanksWelcome 🤓
Today, we tell you all about this dream job and how to get there! Hop hop, scroll down to read the article! ⏬
Reading time: 10min
We all know a ski instructor, the kind of seasonal worker we almost envy for spending his entire winter season in the mountains and on the boards (🤩). Well, concretely, it's still a little more than that. A ski instructor is also - and above all - a sports instructor specializing in skiing and related disciplines: snowboarding, freestyle, off-piste, etc. The ski instructor is the one (and the only one!) who has the right to supervise ski lessons for a fee 💰💰
Beyond their "match" tan and their very (too?) flashy colored outfits, the ski instructors are above all men and women out of the ordinary. They can work up to 7 days a week, 8 to 9 hours a day continuously over an entire season, which itself lasts 3 to 5 months. #NotSoEasyInReal
The ski instructor is a real enthusiast, and enduring at all times. Whether it's snowing, whether it's windy, whether it's raining, whether the snow is soft or rocky, whether it's -30°C or whether the sun is beating down as hard as in the Caribbean, the ski instructor is there to offer the best possible moment to its customers. For many vacationers, young and old alike, ski instructors are the ones who turn a vacation in the mountains into a successful stay. And that is beautiful.
Be careful, you have understood it, one does not invent a ski instructor so easily! The good ski instructor knows :
✅ Demonstrate pedagogy. He has a real passion for skiing and learning it (let's face it, you have to be really passionate to spend 8 hours a day on skis with beginners)
✅ Mobilize your sense of service and your interpersonal skills: yes, as often, you don't always choose your customers 😉
✅ Be sensitive to the development of your customers and have a sense of responsibility: let's not forget that the keystone of the ski instructor profession is customer satisfaction!
✅ Being flexible and punctual: 2 key qualities of the ski instructor, which make him a recognized professional in the resort and in the eyes of customers.
Do you recognize yourself in this description? Good news ! Just get the diploma now 😉 Hang on, we'll tell you more about the training right away ⏬
A single diploma provides access to this exceptional profession: the State diploma in alpine skiing, issued by the Youth and Sport Department through the National School of Skiing and Mountaineering (ENSA).
This diploma, also known as ski instructor, allows you to practice as an independent worker, on your own account or within a ski school like ours, or as an employee of another recognized structure. in the resort (holiday village, etc.).
This training can impress at first sight by its length (5 to 7 seasons to be completely qualified), its technicality and its commitment. However, it remains accessible with good training and full motivation to exercise.
We immediately focus on each of the different stages of this diploma of excellence. ⏬⏬
The technical test is THE test for access to training at ENSA. This is an inevitable step to qualify for the opening of his training booklet. This test is open to everyone but requires a very good level of skiing and strong motivation!
The event consists of a timed slalom ⏱ over 2 passages. Candidates must achieve a time less than or equal to an increased base time: this base time is done by an 'opener', that is to say a runner with a level of professional skier (yep, the one we see at 📺 )
🎯 Objective: This technical test certifies a technical level to access ski instructor training.
Each candidate has two chances in the season to pass this very selective jump-off which requires 1️⃣ very good physical condition and 2️⃣ technical qualities to pass in a route. Velocity and explosiveness on the skis are the key words to get within the allotted time of the technical test.
☝️ At Evolution2, the Pro Outdoor Academy prepares you specifically for the technical test.
This is where it all begins! The preparation cycle is the first stage of DE training. It is a first approach to teaching: it addresses the basic principles of ski safety as a professional.
🎯 Objective: to provide the keys to theory and technique to teach skiing to beginner to intermediate classes.
Concretely, it is a 10-day internship at ENSA in Chamonix. Two events on the menu for these ten days of training:
✅A demonstration of a technical descent in alpine skiing
✅A demonstration of a movement of technical progression on skis
The validation of the preparatory cycle which allows candidates to officially open their training booklet and thus begin to teach their passion ✨ #dreambecometrue - Indeed, at the end of these two weeks of training, an internship in an approved structure (school type skiing) of a minimum of 25 days is required, the candidate can therefore start teaching for a fee as a trainee instructor in structure. 🎉
All Evolution2 Ski Schools are recruiting Trainee Ski Instructors! Visit our Evolution2 career page to find out more about our job offers!
Formerly called the Eurotest, the technical test of the CTT (common training test) is a timed test but this time in giant slalom! This performance test validates the technical aptitude of the trainee and allows access to the second stage of the ENSA ski instructor training: the First Cycle.
🎯 Objective: Giant slalom performance test that validates the technical aptitude of the trainee ski instructor.
As with the technical test, the candidate has two chances (2 x 2 rounds) to pass the test during the season.
At Evolution2, the Pro Outdoor Academy prepares you specifically for the technical test.
>> More info on our training for the technical test here
Note: The technical test is also a compulsory test for a foreign ski instructor, a qualified ski instructor with the diploma of his country, to be able to teach in France.
Once the technical test is in hand, the trainee ski instructor moves into the big leagues and can continue his training with the DE in alpine skiing.
The First cycle lasts 4 weeks at ENSA. Objective: to study the theoretical, practical and educational elements of alpine skiing mainly for class 3 and 4 ski levels, i.e. intermediate to expert.
The Second cycle is made up of two weeks at ENSA. It covers 3 main themes: competitive practice, mastery of activities derived from skiing (snowboarding) and the safety & off-piste test (Euro safety).
Eurosecurity is the final: the last test and surely the most appreciated by trainee instructors. 2 full weeks on the practice of off-piste and ski touring to deepen knowledge of off-piste supervision outside the glacier zone and risk management.
And finally, the long-awaited 🏅 medal of graduate ski instructor!
And There you go. From now on, the profession of ski instructor no longer has any secrets for you 💫
Still have questions? Do not hesitate to contact us by email.
We will be happy to inform you about our training courses at the different stages of the DE in alpine skiing!
And to find out more about the course, we leave you here the link to download the complete DE alpine ski brochure.
See you soon !
The Pro Outdoor Academy team ⛰
