As a small team we rarely need many replacement instructors from one year to the next. However, it is always good to have "new blood" to keep the business alive and maintain levels of profesionalism and motivation.

As legislation on national, regional and local scales are constantly revised, the following should be noted when applying for a job as a ski or snowboard instructor with us:

1. In efforts to "brush up" Sierra Nevada's standard of tuition and eliminating the so called "cowboys" (instructors without qualification or experience), the ski school association of Sierra Nevada (Gremio de Escuelas de Sierra Nevada) has applied a number of requirements in order for a ski school to become recognised officially and hence promoted within the resort's publications. The main requirement affecting the actual instructors is that they should be qualified to the minimum TD1 Spanish level as organised via the Spanish ski federation, RFEDI (Real Federacion Española de Deportes de Invierno). In the case of foreign instructors this has become somewhat of a dilema as no official comparisons have been established to equate foreign licences to the Spanish qualifications.

As such, for the winter 2010-11 season, it was agreed that all instructors should have a qualification that holds the ISIA stamp (as does the TD1). In the majority of cases within foreign qualifications, a number of levels need to be completed before acquiring the ISIA level. For example: BASI 3, NZSIA 3, CASI 4, PSIA 3 etc..

Therefore, if you currently hold no ISIA stamped qualification, we are unable to employ you.

2. There is a possible exception to the above in that if an instructor is currently in the process of achieving a level that will grant them ISIA status, then, with the appropriate paperwork as proof of the ongoing training, it may be possible to reach an agreement with the resort lift management company, Cetursa S.A.

3. We are a small team, (typically 10-12 instructors), and only have the need for one full time snowboard instructor due simply to the level of demand for snowboard instruction. As such we rarely need snowboard instructors. Instructors qualified in both ski and snowboard tuition however, will have the great advantage of being able to work much more as a result.

4. Our recruitment does not begin at least until mid-October when we hope to hear from all exising staff members as to whether or not they will be returning with us for the coming season. Only then will we know for sure if any positions arise.

All applications are initially filed in priority order in terms of who wrote in first. CV's will be reviewed accordingly and decisions made on the basis of qualifications, experience and longevity, i.e. potential for working more than just one season. This does not mean, however, that first year instructors will not be considered. On the contrary and in line with our statement in the first paragraph above, enthusiasm is a major element in terms of guaranteeing quality instruction to our clients! Too often have we seen other ski schools with "burnt out" instructors who continue working simply because it brings them some income or that there is nothing better to do at the time and perhaps to get a free ski pass too!

How do we Work?

Our work philosophy is simple:

*You turn up well on time each day and for each class
*You treat all your clients in the same professional manner
*You free ski when there are no classes
*If you need time off...ask us and generally speaking if classes can be easily covered there is no problem
*We will only bother you if you bother us!

What You Need to Prepare For:

If you are offered a position with us, before accepting, please consider the following:

1. We do not have staff accommodation. This is something you will need to sort out for yourself although we may have contacts to pass on to you to help out. Please also note that often in Sierra Nevada, the full amount of the season accommodation is required in advance although some agents do negotiate. They will also charge a deposit on top of the rental fee to be returned at the end of season after deducting all final electricty and other expenses.

The rental rates in resort vary greatly from one apartment type to another and an apartment suitable for 4 people sharing will most likely cost anything from 4000 Euros upwards. Rentals out of resort in Granada or the valley villages (Pinos Genil, Güejar Sierra) are generally lower cost but then you will need to consider transport to/from resort and costs incurred thereof.

2. In order to legally employ you, you will need to obtain a NIE number (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros) at the local police in Granada. The address is: Calle San Agapito nº 2, C.P. 18013 Granada. Contact numbers are: 958909311 / 958909314 / 958909315 (English may not be widely spoken!). Download and complete the necessary form here and then take it in where you will be informed on other necessary requirements such as photos, tax payment slips etc. You should allow at least a couple of days to get this sorted although Spanish paperwork can sometimes be tedious and more time may be necessary.

3. We will arrange your lift pass if not free of charge then at a nominal rate which can only be confirmed as the season commences. Even so we would not expect you to pay up front for this!

4. Try to allow a couple of weeks before work is likely to commence in order to prepare for the above as well as getting some ski time in to get to know the resort. Typically speaking we anticipate needing instructors as from the week leading up to Christmas.

5. April is a funny month and varies in terms of work load depending greatly on the fall of the Easter holidays. Generally speaking we would expect to have work into the middle of the month albeit on a much quieter basis.

6. The number of hours you may expect to be doing also depends very much on the season itself, the snow fall, number of visitors etc.* However, we hope to provide you with around 50 hours in January and most likely double that in February and March. For December and April the number of hours is harder to predict although the Christmas and New Year weeks tend to be 4-6 hours a day.

7. Wages will be confirmed upon our acceptance to your application.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Ski Instructing is not a job to guarantee any significant kind of economical savings as it was 3-4 decades ago. If you are under any kind of impression to be able to walk away at the end of season with a full bank account, we recommend you consider another vocation!