subject: Skiing and Snowboarding Gap Years [print this page] Skiing and Snowboarding Gap Years Skiing and Snowboarding Gap Years
What is it that you want to do after you finish College or University? You've worked hard to get your grades and the next step is either work or education. You may have a great plan for your career, or you may be keeping your options open - deciding on what you really want to do. Whatever your situation, it's always worth taking a gap year.
Gap years are a great way to get out into the real world and experience life. You'll get to see some amazing places, meet some amazing people and earn a bit of cash along the way too. This will fully equip you with whatever your future endeavours are; and before you fully concentrate on your career you'll get the chance to see and experience things you probably won't get to do again.
So what are your gap year options? Well it's important that you do something you will enjoy. You could work in an industry related to your career ambitions, you could do a spot of travelling, or you could combine the two. Combining working with travelling is proving to be a popular gap year option, but a lot of people are doing the same thing. Why not be a bit different and take to the mountains and become a skiing or snowboarding instructor?
What are the benefits? There are so many advantages of taking this gap year option it would be impossible to list them all. Suffice to say though that you'll be based in some of the most beautiful and picturesque places in the world, you'll meet loads of different people from all walks of life, you'll gain some essential life skills such as communication, responsibility and financial management, and finally you'll take your skiing or snowboarding skills to new heights (quite literally).
The main benefit is that this type of gap year is perceived very favourably by future employers. Whilst other gap years involve backpacking freely' and not really having any sort of structure, skiing and snowboarding gap years are well constructed, consisting of instruction and self reliance. This shows employers you have constructed your time well and are mature and responsible to employ. With such uncertainty over employment and an ever increasing competitive job market, this is certainly an investment worth taking.
Where to start? Okay, there are plenty of businesses out there that offer skiing and snowboarding gap year options. You should make sure they are offering accredited instructor courses. These can range from 3 week courses to 3 month courses depending on your ability and what you want to achieve. Whatever course you decide to do, you should make sure that it equips you with the necessary qualifications needed to instruct. These qualifications should be accredited by any of the following associations: the British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI), Canadian Ski Instructors' Alliance (CSIA), New Zealand SnowSports Instructor Alliance (NZSIA) or International Ski Instructors Association (ISIA).
What's involved? Well, because there are many different courses available, each course can differ. For example, you could get qualified in the UK and then get a CV together and look for jobs at various resorts around the world. Or there are plenty of inclusive courses that take you to a resort, teach you how to instruct and let you take charge of instruction afterwards. These options vary between companies so make sure you do a bit of research first. You should understand fully what you're getting for your money, as they can be quite expensive.
In this sense taking a skiing or snowboarding gap year is certainly an investment, but this is also an investment in yourself and your future. It doesn't have to lead to a career in snow sports but a ski or snowboard gap year will equip you with skills to succeed in life, it looks fantastic on your CV, and you'll have the time of your life whilst doing it!
