Ski instructor courses, snowboard instructor courses, sailing, yacht crew and watersports courses.

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EA Ski & Snowboard

We are a small group of passionate skiers and snowboarders from around the world. Our aim is to create the next generation of successful, international ski and snowboard instructors.

EA Ski and snowboard offer instructor courses in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland. The instructor courses are designed to fast track your career in the snowsports industry. Interns train, become qualified and work all in one season. Get in touch today to see if you qualify! 

I did EA last year at Revelstoke mountain resort. It was a great way to get into instructing. You get trained up by the best pros on the mountain and then you’re teaching by Christmas. You get the chance to take kids for the first time, who’ve never skied before and throughout the course of the season are up the top of that huge mountain up there and it’s just one of the best feelings. You also just improve your skiing – you’ll be a billion times better skier, you’ll be able to hit all the gnarly stuff up there so yeah – totally recommend EA to you guys.

- Andrew, Ski Instructor Training Internship in Revelstoke

WE ARE SNO - Instructor Courses

WE ARE SNO instructor courses

WE ARE SNO specialise in instructor training, curating all-inclusive gap years and career break ski and snowboard courses at destinations around the world. Courses bring together resort accommodation, a season lift pass, expert tuition and all your examination arrangements. 

Based in only the very best resorts in Canada, Japan and Europe, working with only the most established and experienced ski schools. 

Whether you are planning a 4 week long sabbatical, or want to experience a full season, get in touch to see what course is most suitable for you. 

 

 

Go to theWE ARE SNO instructor courses website

Oyster Worldwide

Oyster Worldwide specialises in gap year, career break and responsible travel. They offer paid work abroad, internships, volunteering options, TEFL courses and travel in some of the worlds most incredible locations.

Go to theOyster Worldwide website
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The Photo Shed Academy

The Photo Shed Academy offers a unique opportunity to learn photography, videography and editing techniques to enhance your creative abilities while gaining hands-on experience. You will be taught by accredited and award-winning pro photographers and industry leaders who provide both tutoring and mentorship throughout the programme, ensuring that no matter what your skill level, you will leave with world class technical knowledge.

This career break is ideal for you if you want to improve your skills, for your own pleasure or to start a new career as a photographer or photo journalist.

 

Go to theThe Photo Shed Academy website
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BUNAC

BUNAC offers a range of exciting work abroad and volunteer abroad programmes. BUNAC are the work and travel experts and have been helping young people work and volunteer abroad since 1962. Popular gap year destinations include: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Nepal, Australia, Britain, China, South Africa and many more.

Go to theBUNAC website
Flying Fish logo

Flying Fish

Flying Fish is a leading provider of watersports courses, yacht crew courses and traineeships. Courses take place in the UK, Greece and Sydney. Recruitment service is available with all courses, helping you find a job after you qualify.

Go to theFlying Fish website

Kaya Responsible Travel

A responsible travel organisation with a focus on genuine and meaningful volunteer projects in Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. Working with existing community projects who have a genuine need for volunteers, every Kaya volunteer is welcomed and is useful. Gold medal winners of “The Best Volunteering Organisation” at the British Youth Travel Awards 2016 and 2014 ( silver in 2015 and 2013).

 

Go to theKaya Responsible Travel website

If you want to work abroad on your career break, but haven't got the right qualifications, a course is for you!

There are loads of different ones available, so you can find one that suits your interests, and the type of work you want to do. The main courses career breakers do are:

  • Ski instructor courses
  • Snowboard instructor courses
  • Diving courses
  • Windsurfing courses
  • Surfing courses
  • Sailing courses
  • Yacht crew courses

Some career breakers also do ski, snowboard, surfing and diving courses just for fun. You normally get a qualification but not one that enables you to teach. These courses are shorter and cheaper - a PADI dive course for example, is only 4 days!

Will I need to have any experience or be fit?

You will not necessarily need any experience in your chosen sport. Some courses are designed for beginners and others are more advanced - you can often do beginners' and advanced courses back-to-back.

You will generally need to have a minimum level of fitness to do a snowsports or watersports course.

What qualification will I get?

With the ski and snowboard instructor courses, you will get a qualification that enables you to get paid work skiing or snowboarding - usually in a variety of countries around the world. There are different awarding bodies for ski and snowboard instructor courses - in the UK it's BASI, in Canada it's CSIA for skiing, CASI for snowboarding, and the international one is ISIA.

You can also opt for a more advanced qualification which will enable you to earn more - or you can just get one for your own satisfaction! Some additional courses include things like mountain first aid.

Surfing and windsurfing courses will normally take you from complete beginner to qualified instructor and again, once you've got your qualification, you can teach these sports around the world. Again, check with the organisation where your qualification will enable you to teach, particularly if you've got a specific country in mind.

If you take a diving course, the awarding body is PADI. You can qualify at various different levels and then get paid to work around the world as a divemaster or diving instructor.

Sailing and yacht crew courses have various qualifications available, depending on what course you take and the type of work you want to do. In the UK, the awarding body is the Royal Yachting Association, in the USA it's the US Sailing Association, and in Australia, it's Australian Sailing.

Where can I train and work?

Ski and snowboard instructor courses are mainly in Canada, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. It's also possible to train in the USA. Once qualified, you can work pretty much anywhere there is snow! You will need a working visa for some places, like Japan - if you're an EU citizen of course, you can work in Europe without a visa.

Remember as well that if you want to work as a ski or snowboard instructor, the seasons are different in the southern hemisphere, so you can work year-round if you want to.

Diving and surfing courses tend to take place in warmer climates - particularly scuba diving as diving in tropical waters is a lot easier (and more pleasant) than cold-water diving. Courses are available in places like Australia, Thailand, southern Europe, and the Caribbean to name a few. You will normally work as a diving instructor in one of these places too, as different training is required for a cold climate.

Sailing and yacht crew courses take place in the UK and abroad. They tend to be more available in the developed world, like Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Once qualified in sailing, you can teach it wherever there is water, be that in the UK or elsewhere. If you get a qualification as yacht crew, you will be working onboard a yacht or superyacht so you could go anywhere.

What will I get out of a career break course?

Whether you choose snowsports, watersports or something else, a course that gives you a qualification is one of the best ways to get paid work abroad. As well as earning potential, a career break course can give you a sense of pride, satisfaction and will develop your confidence. Whether you want to make a career as an instructor, or you want to return to your old career back home, a course will give you all sorts of useful skills.

If that's got you keen to take a career break course, have a look at organisations offering them here.