Stan's experience as a ski instructor in Austria

With my high school diploma in the pocket, I was ready for an adventure. I didn't want to go to college just yet. I wanted to discover the world. I decided to take a gap year abroad and go out. I spent the first three months of my gap year enjoying the sun in California. The next 3 months I was in the mountains in Tyrol. This period I had a really fun time working as a ski instructor in Austria!

I knew beforehand which area I wanted to teach in during my gap year abroad. I wanted to teach in Serfaus, a village in Tyrol. This is where I have been skiing for the past 10 years of my life. My brother went before me several years ago. I saw how much fun and friends he made and thought this is what I want to do later! I kept my word and during my gap year I too went to work in Austria.

Before you can be a ski or snowboard instructor you have to undergo a certain training. I took this training in the same village where I taught. This training was quite doable. The training consists of part theory and part practice. It was a bit of a hassle sometimes, because everything was in German, but this did not cause any major problems. The training lasts a total of 10 days. This is not so bad, but it makes the days long and hard. The nice thing is that after 10 days you can say you are a ski instructor in Austria. My dream had come true! 

In the ski village of Serfaus many Dutch people come every year for their ski vacations. As a result, the ski school in the village takes on many Dutch ski instructors and ski teachers. This is incredibly nice for the team. We slept in a house with 30 beds with only Dutch people. Soon good friendships develop, with which all kinds of fun activities are organized. For example, we played soccer in a gymnasium, the Dutch against the Germans. Also, some nights we all shot down the floodlit toboggan run. Where we could be found most often was of course in the après-ski. Here we drank a few beers every day after work to end the working day well. 

Of course there was also work to be done. Working in the mountains of Austria is no punishment either. Not at all in the red ski instructor suit. Sometimes it is still a bit heavy in the morning if you have lingered a bit too long in après-ski, but once you are outside again among the mountains you feel top fit again. The fresh mountain air does wonders! Once at the top, you get back to doing what you love most: Skiing! Teaching people what you are good at is the most fun there is. I have taught many different types of lessons, from young to old and from beginners to advanced. It was really fun to have these differences in lessons.

Aside from the fun experience, you also learn an awful lot. You get a lot of responsibility when you are a ski instructor. For example, you might have a class of 12 kids. You then have to make sure that you deliver them safely back to their parents in the afternoon. You also learn to plan well. You always have to think ahead to be everywhere on time. And of course what is also very important is that you teach them to ski better. With time you see that you become more and more proficient at this.

In addition to teaching, you also have plenty of days off during the season. There is a clear difference between high and low season. This gives you the opportunity to also be able to improve yourself, but also of course to go and enjoy yourself. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a ski instructor in Austria. I would recommend an adventure in the mountains to anyone!