Do you dream of becoming a ski 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 sunniest days during a season and a long season from November to May! Here, you can both enjoy skiing, training, and instructing with our local partners, but also tapas, sangria, and the Spanish sun just an hour from the Mediterranean! With our ski instructor course in Spain, you have a unique opportunity to become a trained ski instructor and experience the Spanish culture up close with an unforgettable ski season in Spain.
We have designed a ski 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 ski 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 ski 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 ski instructor training (TD1). After this, and before the TD1 training begins, you will spend a week with various ski 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 skiers. You will also learn about team building, ski equipment, the alpine environment, teaching methods, ski training and ski 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 ski 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 ski terms and get completely ready to work as a ski instructor in Spain. When you have finished the internship, your training is completed and you can call yourself a TD1 certified ski 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 ski instructor in Spain.
Our Spanish ski instructor course is designed so that you can pass the Spanish TD1 exam and get a job as a ski 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:
The following are NOT included in the trip:
* 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.
At Snowminds, we take pride in selecting the right candidates for our team of ski instructors. We are known among our ski school partners for training skilled, energetic and highly motivated ski instructors. You do not have to be a ski expert, and regardless of level, our course is tailored so that you get optimal ski training before the ski instructor exam, and thus you can fulfil you dream to become a ski 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:
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 ski 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.
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.
We work with the Instituto Superior de Enseñanzas en Deportes de Invierno y Montaña (ISEDI), who teaches the Spanish level 1 ski instructor training, which is recognised worldwide.
The TD1 course is level 1 in the Spanish ski instructor system. You will be trained to instruct beginners, intermediates and experienced skiers. 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 ski instructor training will give you the opportunity to work as a ski instructor in most of the world, and for example do a summer season in Argentina or Chile.
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 ski 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.
The internship prepares you as best possible to teach on your own.
The job guarantee is conditional on you passing your ski 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.
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 ski 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.
It is your own responsibility to arrange your transport to and from Spain. We are happy to assist with bookings and similar.
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.
Full winter season + Spanish level 1 education
from €7,195
Sierra Nevada, Spain