Join our Snowminds Snowboard Instructor Course in Spain

BECOME A SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR AND HAVE A WINTER SEASON IN SPAIN

Do you dream of becoming a snowboard instructor and spending an entire season in Spain? With Snowminds you can have your dream come true when we take you to the magnificent Sierra Nevada area, with approx. 110 km of slopes, the area in Europe with the most sunny days during a season and a long season from November to May! Here, you can both enjoy snowboarding, training and instructing with our local partners, but also enjoy tapas, sangria and the Spanish sun just an hour from the Mediterranean! With our Spanish snowboard instructor course, you have a unique opportunity to become a trained snowboard instructor and experience the Spanish culture up close with an unforgettable winter season in Spain.

SPECIALLY DESIGNED SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR COURSE

We have designed a snowboard instructor course in collaboration with the Instituto Superior de Enseñanzas en Deportes de Invierno y Montaña (ISEDI). The goal of the course is simple: to ensure you the best training and preparation so you can pass your instructor exam, and subsequently be ready for your season as a snowboard instructor in sunny Spain.

The Spanish TD1 education is demanding and recognised worldwide. As early as October, you have the opportunity to start the theoretical part of the education online via ISEDI’s online platform. During your online training you will have the support of Snowminds and the other instructors who are going to Spain.

The adventure really starts when we arrive in Granada in November. Here you will in a short week get to know the others in the group, experience the city and take the theoretical exam. After some fun and educational days in Granada, the group will head towards Sierra Nevada, where the snowboard training begins. After a week of intense training days with our professional instructors, you will be ready to take the entry exam for the Spanish level 1 snowboard instructor training (TD1). After this, and before the TD1 training begins, you will spend a week with various snowboard school related activities, e.g. to “shadow” i.e. follow an experienced instructor in teaching situations.

During the TD1 training, you will be taught by ISEDI in English and Spanish – so the more Spanish you have practiced before, the better. During the training, you will learn to teach beginners to experienced snowboarders. You will also learn about team building, snowboard equipment, the alpine environment, teaching methods, snowboard training and mountain safety.

After a hopefully passed TD1 course, it’s time for a little fiesta, after which the practical part of the training (internship) starts. During the internship period, which typically lasts a month, you must do an internship at your ski school, where you, among other things, shadow professional snowboard instructors and gradually start instructing yourself. The internship period is a great opportunity to get to know the others at the ski school, practice the Spanish snowboard terms and get completely ready to work as a snowboard instructor in Spain. When you have finished the internship, your training is completed and you can call yourself a TD1 certified snowboard instructor, after which you will start working at your local ski school. All in all, with our course you will be thoroughly ready for a season as a snowboard instructor in Spain.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

Our Spanish snowboard instructor course is designed so that you can pass the Spanish TD1 exam and get a job as a snowboard instructor in Spain. We are proud to say that 100% of our instructors have gotten jobs after successfully completing their Snowminds course since we started in 2012!

The journey includes the following:

An entire winter season with a job at a local ski school after a passed TD1
1 month accommodation in hostels in Granada and Sierra Nevada during the course (November 21 – December 22, 2020)
Breakfast in Granada (4 days) and half board in Sierra Nevada during the course.
Transport from Granada to the Sierra Nevada
Lift pass for Sierra Nevada during the course and the internship period and subsequent season lift pass for duration of employment at the ski school
Professional snowboard training before the entrance exam for the TD1 education
Ski school-oriented training during the course
TD1 snowboard instructor training incl. materials and entrance exam
Approx. 4 weeks arranged internship period at a local ski school
Welcome event, sightseeing in Granada, fiestas and other team building activities
Snowminds Team Leader during the Snowminds course
Team event during the season
Gala dinner after the TD1 course
Organised housing throughout the season (self-payment takes effect from 23 December 2020)
Help to obtain the necessary documents to be able to take an education and work in Spain
Security with a Danish travel company that is a member of the Travel Guarantee Fund
A strong community with other Snowminds instructors
Pro-deals at Snowmindsstore
Travel protection with Snowminds Money Back Guarantee

The following are NOT included in the trip:

Transport to and from Granada, Spain *
Housing expenses after the course and any expenses with the ski school (uniform, deposit, etc.)
Cancellation insurance and travel insurance
Costs for any visa and necessary papers ** required to complete the TD1 training and work in Spain
Pocket money and everything else not mentioned above

* We are happy to help with airline tickets and transfers from the airport. Contact us if you are interested.

** Please note that the Spanish TD1 is issued by the Spanish government and that it is your own responsibility to provide the necessary paperwork e.g. translation of diploma to Volanten, for which we will guide you with.

TRAVEL ITINERARYN

Below is an example of how the program could look like:

September 28 to November 20: Online theory of “Common Block”
November 20: Arrival in Granada, Spain
November 21-25: Team building and theory exam in Granada
November 26: Arrival and tour of Sierra Nevada
November 27 – December 21: Spanish TD1 course (includes ski training, entry exam for the TD1 course* and ski school activities)
December 21: Gala dinner after completing the TD1 course
December 22 – mid-January: Internship at your ski school
Mid-January: Completed TD1 training and start work at the ski school
Mid-January – end of April: Work at the ski school

* It is a requirement to pass the entrance exam in order to participate in the Spanish TD1 snowboard instructor training.

Please note: The itinerary is subject to change. Changes may occur due to the weather situation or other conditions.

WHO CAN APPLY TO BECOME A SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR IN SPAIN?

At Snowminds, we take pride in selecting the right candidates for our team of snowboard instructors. We are known among our ski school partners for training skilled, energetic and highly motivated instructors. You do not have to be a snowboard expert, and regardless of level, our course is tailored so that you get optimal snowboard training before the snowboard instructor exam, and thus you can fulfil you dream to become a snowboard instructor and have a winter season in Spain! The most important thing is that you are positive, cheerful, adventurous and ready to work hard to have an experience of a lifetime with Snowminds.

Basically, we expect you to:

Have snowboarded for a minimum of 3-4 weeks
Be outgoing, positive and cheerful
Be serious, responsible and highly motivated
Be good with both children, young people and adults
Like to teach and is excited to teach in multiple languages
Speak both Spanish and English at conversational level
Be at least 18 years old and have completed high school education in your home country (requirements for TD1 participation)

Once you have submitted your application, we give you a call whereby we might. invite you to an interview. It is an opportunity to hear more about our courses and the experience as a snowboard instructor in Spain. We will then assess your application and get back to you with info on whether we can offer you a place on the team.

We receive a lot of interest in our courses and our spots fill up quickly. Therefore, we also run a “first-come-first-served” principle, where we have an application deadline of approx. every month. This means that the sooner you apply, the greater your chance of joining the team AND getting a job at your dream destination.

Please use our application form to submit your application.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

THE SPANISH LANGUAGE

If you don’t feel that your Spanish skills are good enough yet, do not worry. There are lots of possibilities to improve your Spanish before the course with summer camps and evening classes. If you have experience with languages and a good deal of willpower, then it should not be a problem to be able to speak Spanish at the conversational level by mid-January, when your working hours begin, but it requires effort on your part. We can also recommend online training via apps such as Duolingo.

THE SPANISH LEVEL 1 EDUCATION

We work with the Instituto Superior de Enseñanzas en Deportes de Invierno y Montaña (ISEDI), who teaches the Spanish level 1 snowboard instructor training, which is recognised worldwide.

The TD1 course is level 1 in the Spanish snowboard instructor system. You will be trained to instruct beginners, intermediates and experienced snowboarders. After completing the course and the internship period at your ski school, you will be ready to start working for your employer.

The Spanish TD1 snowboard instructor training will give you the opportunity to work as a snowboard instructor in most of the world, and for example do a summer season in Argentina or Chile.

THE INTERNSHIP

As part of your education, you will complete an internship at a Spanish ski school. The internship period is one of the reasons why the Spanish snowboard instructor education is so recognised worldwide. In addition, it is regulated by the Spanish Government. The duration of the internship hours can vary depending on the snowfall and the amount of guests in December and January.

The internship period is divided into 3 parts.

Part: Here you must follow a ski school class teaching and observe, as well as help.
Part: Consists of team building and teamwork.
Part: Here it is you who will teach a ski school class where you will be observed by an experienced snowboard instructor.

The internship prepares you as best possible to teach on your own.

JOB GUARANTEE

The job guarantee is conditional on you passing your snowboard instructor training. Employment conditions are agreed between you and your future ski school. Should it happen that you do not pass, we will do everything in our power to secure you a job anyway, so you can have a wonderful seasonal experience and then take a re-examination during the season. We are proud to say that we have never been in a situation where we have not been able to help with a job after completing a Snowminds course.

SALARY

You will be employed directly by the ski school, which pays you a salary. At most Spanish ski schools you get a salary per hour one works. With the Spanish level 1, you typically get an hourly wage of approx. 16-18€, which varies from ski school to ski school. Being a snowboard instructor does not make you rich, but the hourly wage in Spain is generally higher than other destinations with a level 1 instructor education. A working week can vary depending on snowfall and time of season.

Please note that you will have to pay for accommodation yourself after the course is over.

TRANSPORT

It is your own responsibility to arrange your transport to and from Spain. We are happy to assist with bookings and similar.

ACCOMMODATION

When you arrive in Granada, we have arranged for a hostel where you will stay with the other Snowminds instructors. In Sierra Nevada we have a partnership with a hostel where you will stay during the course. If you wish, it is possible to stay in the same hostel for the rest of the season. After the course, you will pay for accommodation at the hostel, which includes ski storage, breakfast, dinner and room cleaning.

If you do wish to stay at the hostel in the Sierra Nevada for the full season, you commit to pay for the entire period. Contact us if you prefer to find your own accommodation.