What do seasonal outdoor instructors do during the Winter?
Lots of people start working in the outdoor industry as seasonal outdoor instructors. It’s a great way to work flexibly and get a variety of experience.
The UK ‘season’ normally runs from March through to mid November (7 - 8 months) with a really busy period during May, June and July.
At Land & Wave, seasonal contracts start at the beginning of April and finish in mid November. At the moment, we have 18 full time permanent staff; we normally employ 35 full time seasonal instructors, as well as a few full time ‘short season’ staff.
Recruiting brilliant staff is our biggest challenge; it’s something we have to work really hard at.
This is what our seasonal outdoor instructors have planned for the winter…
Working a Ski Season
Some outdoor staff head to the mountains and spend the winter chalet hosting, looking after children, working behind a bar, driving mini busses or working as a chef. For Brits, France is the most popular destination. North America is difficult because of visa problems and a lack of jobs at the moment.
Pro’s: Lots of skiing, no bills, mountain life, meeting excellent people
Con’s: Hard work, rubbish pay, early mornings, not much time off
www.natives.co.uk | www.seasonworkers.com | www.seasonbuzz.com | www.bestskijobs.co.uk
Working and Travelling in the Southern Hemisphere
If you’re 18 - 30 years of age, getting a working visa for New Zealand or Australia is relatively Straight-forward.
The Antipodes are warm, English is the first language, there are amazing things to see and do and work is easy to find.
Pro’s: Sunshine, thousands of beaches, well paid work (£12 an hour for bar work), no language problems, goon
Con’s: High cost of living, cost of flights, spiders, giant spiders, goon
Travelling
If you’re careful, it’s easy to save money working as a seasonal outdoor instructor in the UK. Travelling across a continent or two is an excellent way to spend the chilly months.
Travelling doesn’t have to cost lots of money. If you aim for less-developed countries, it’s possible to live comfortably very cheaply; £10 a day can go a long way in India.
Pro’s: See the world, meet amazing people, eat incredible food, experience life in all it’s glorious confusion
Con’s: You wont earn any money, cost of flights, career/ training break
Work in the UAE
There is a well-developed outdoor education and adventure industry in the United Arab Emirates. It’s much too hot to work outside during the Summer, so the Winter ‘outdoor work season’ runs from October - April, During the winter season, the average daytime temperature is 25 °C!
The Winter season in the UAE matches up almost perfectly with the Summer season in the UK to create a year-round pattern of work for outdoor instructors.
Pro’s: Winter sun, well paid work, tax free income, experience a different culture, food
Con’s: It gets HOT, not much variety of landscape, sand gets everywhere
Whatever you decided to do, do it with purpose. Have adventures, be kind to people, enjoy yourself.
