Level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz with Neige Aventure
Take your first step into the world of ski instructing with our Level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz, Switzerland. Together with Neige Aventure, this course gives you the chance to train, live, and develop throughout a full winter season in one of Switzerland’s most exciting ski regions.
Based in the 4 Valleys, Nendaz gives you access to more than 410 km of slopes, a welcoming alpine village atmosphere, and the perfect setting for building your skills on snow. During the winter, you will work towards the English-speaking Swiss Snowsports Level 1 exam while training with experienced professionals and preparing for life as a ski instructor.
The ski instructor course and season in Nendaz
From the beginning of the winter season, you will begin your ski instructor journey in Nendaz, right in the heart of the Swiss 4 Valleys. The course is designed to help you build the technical, teaching, and professional skills needed to take your first steps as a ski instructor.
Throughout the season, you can look forward to more than 160 hours of professional English-spoken ski training. You will work towards the Swiss Snowsports Level 1 qualification, take part in ski school orientation, and get support from Snowminds before, during, and after the season.
In short, Nendaz gives you everything you need for a true Swiss winter: mountain life, focused ski development, new friends, local ski school culture, and a full season on the slopes.
The ski instructor life in Nendaz
Joining a ski instructor course in Nendaz is more than training for an exam. It is a full winter in the Swiss Alps, where skiing, friendships, ski school life, and daily mountain routines quickly become part of your everyday life.
At the beginning of the season, your focus will be on training, preparing for your Swiss Snowsports Level 1 exam, and getting familiar with life in Nendaz and the ski school environment. This is where you build the technical, teaching, and professional skills you need before stepping into your role as an instructor.
As the winter continues, you may have the opportunity to put your training into practice with Neige Aventure. The busiest periods for ski schools are typically around Christmas and New Year, February holidays, and sometimes Easter. These peak weeks are when motivation, flexibility, and a professional attitude can make a big difference.
Nendaz has the feel of a real alpine village, with cosy cafés, local restaurants, mountain bars, and everything you need for a winter season close by. It is lively enough for a fun social season, but still personal enough that you quickly start recognising familiar faces around town, at the lifts, and on the mountain.
Living in Nendaz also means being surrounded by the 4 Valleys every day. On your days off, you can explore new slopes, enjoy views over the Rhône Valley, or spend time with your housemates after a day on snow.
As the season develops, you will gain a better understanding of life as a ski instructor in Switzerland. From training and shadowing to working with guests and becoming part of the ski school environment, you will build confidence, responsibility, and international experience both on and off the slopes.
What is included in the level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz?
- A level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz with a job opportunity at Neige Aventure
- Around 5 months of shared season accommodation with the first month included*
- Season lift pass covering +410km of slopes in the 4 Valleys ski resort**
- A total of +160 hours of professional English spoken ski training during the winter
- The English-speaking Swiss Snowsports Level 1 exam, materials, and membership
- A ski instructor job opportunity at the local Swiss ski school, Neige Aventure ***
- Ski school orientation, preparing you for life as a ski instructor
- Snowminds Team leader and social events during the course and season
- Pro-deals at Snowminds Store
- Pre-season fitness program
- Kick-off event before departure (online participation available)
- Pre-departure guidance on packing, insurance, visa, etc., before, during, and after the season
- Invitation to Snowminds Reunion after the winter season
- 24 hour emergency phone during the course and season
- Travel protection with Snowminds Money Back Guarantee
What is not included?
- Transportation to and from Nendaz, Switzerland
- Housing deposit and rent for the seasonal accommodation*
- Insurance, taxes, and potential visa and local registration fees****
- Equipment, meals, and anything else not mentioned above
* Snowminds offers arranged accommodation for the season, allowing you to avoid the hassle of finding it on your own and allowing you to live together with other Snowminders. The first month is included in the course package, and in most cases, you will be asked to pay the rest of the rent one month before the course start. The price for accommodation typically ranges between 800-1200 CHF per month. If you are interested in booking your own accommodation for the entire winter season, please contact us for a discounted course price.
** There is a 300 CHF surcharge on the lift ticket for people that are 24 years or older and/ or a 300 CHF surcharge for people signed up later than September 20th.
*** Employment at the ski school depends on successfully passing your interviews, and exams, and your performance during training, including professionalism and language skills.
**** Most work permits in Switzerland require you to also pay for mandatory Swiss health insurance, which must be paid in addition to the registration fee to be eligible to work. This varies depending on the canton, but is typically around 300 CHF a month for a full work permit. Sometimes, there are options to pay a daily rate for days worked instead.
Travel itinerary
Our Swiss Snowsports level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz with Neige Aventure is perfectly designed for those looking to take a gap year, career break, or change in life, as well as those wanting the opportunity to develop as a ski instructor in Nendaz and the 4 Vallées in the Swiss Alps.
Below is an outline of our ski instructor training program with Neige Aventure in Nendaz, and how it typically could look:
- Early December: Arrival in Nendaz with a welcome meeting and welcome dinner
- Orientation day and welcome dinner in Nendaz
- 12 days of training with Neige Aventure (in French and English)
- Work, shadow or days off over Christmas, New Year, and into January
- Mid-end of January: 5 days of training
- End of January: Swiss Snowsports Level 1 ski instructor exam
- End of January until mid/end of April: Work, shadow or days off
The program is approximate and can be subject to changes. The exact planning is made in accordance with the weather conditions during those weeks.
Application requirements
At Snowminds, we take pride in recruiting individuals with the right blend of skills and spirit to join our team of ski and snowboard instructors. The key to joining our ranks is a positive attitude, an outgoing personality, a sense of adventure, and a readiness to put in extra effort. With these qualities, you’re set to create unforgettable memories as a part of the Snowminds family.
To apply for this program, you should:
- Feel comfortable skiing parallel on minimum red slopes
- Speak fluent English, having other language skills such as French is advantageous*
- Be positive, responsible, and professional
- Enjoy teaching and working with kids
- Be 18 years or above
- Be eligible to work in Switzerland from the end of November until the end of April
To secure your spot in our ski instructor course in Nendaz, please contact us or submit your application promptly. Subsequently, we will schedule an interview to assess your suitability for the course, providing an opportunity for us to further cover the details about the Nendaz course and life as a ski instructor in Switzerland. Post-interview, we’ll communicate whether you’ve secured a position on our esteemed team.
Given the popularity of our ski instructor course in Nendaz, we adopt a “first come, first serve” approach with periodic application deadlines each month. Hence, the sooner you apply, the higher your odds of joining our team and marking Nendaz as your dream destination.
*To improve your French language skills before the course we highly recommend our online, tailor-made French course, which prepares you step-by-step for a season as a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps no matter which level you are currently at.
Key Details About the Course
JOB EXPECTATIONS
As your prospective employer, the ski school, not Snowminds, independently sets your work schedule, compensation, and other employment conditions. Consequently, your employment relationship is direct with the ski school, and we can’t guarantee specific conditions such as a minimum number of work hours. However, should you have any queries or concerns, we are always available to provide assistance.
As a fresh ski instructor, your primary responsibilities will involve supervising large groups of children, at times up to ten. This role can be challenging, requiring specific skills that you will acquire during your training. Working in this setting equips you with unique skills, such as class and time management as well as problem-solving.
Neige Aventure recommends that you arrive with a basic understanding of French, as it can be a great advantage both at the ski school and in daily life in Nendaz. Therefore, we highly recommend our Snowminds online French course prior to departure.
WORKING HOURS
As a newly-educated instructor, one is typically on the “bottom of the food chain” regarding work. In other words, the more experienced instructors get first preference, but the more you show your passion and desire to work hard, the better. We highly recommend making the most of the busier peak periods in the ski school by showing your supervisors you are motivated to teach as many lessons as you can.
The busiest periods during the peak season are Christmas & New Year, February, and in some resorts Easter. It is common that you are booked for hours according to your language skills, social skills, and people skills. There are always opportunities to shadow lessons before teaching your first which can be a great way to show your enthusiasm and motivation to your ski school.
LANGUAGES
The more you practice the language spoken in your destination country before departure the better. This will help your integration and in general provide you with a better experience. We recommend using Duolingo to practice and ideally, we recommend taking a language course.
Our team has jointly done more than 100 seasons across the world and we know better than anyone what it is like to start working with a new language for the first time. Whilst it may seem confusing at first, we know that it is more than possible to pick up with a bit of practice. Other than normal language courses, the Snowlingo courses specifically focus on what you actually need when working as a ski or snowboard instructor. On our website, you can read more about it. Snowminds French language course
SALARY
In terms of financial expectations, let’s be clear: You do not get rich as a ski instructor, but the salary doesn’t get much better than in Switzerland!
Your wage depends on several factors, including your certification level, language skills, performance, and the type of lessons you are assigned. As a newly certified instructor, you can typically expect to earn between 10-25 CHF per hour. In addition, there may be opportunities to increase your earnings through tips, private lessons, or returning guests who request you directly after a positive lesson experience.
As the volume of work can fluctuate, we advise having at least 2000 CHF in reserve to fully enjoy your season. The earnings and expenditures of our instructors differ significantly due to their diverse spending habits and personal budgets.
Additionally, there are occasional chances to augment your work hours within the resort during the winter season. These opportunities may arise in various mountain departments, such as ski equipment shops, recreational activities, and guest services.
ACCOMMODATION
In Nendaz, we have organized season housing, where you will live with others from the ski instructor course. Be aware that we have included the first month of accommodation in the package price and that you should expect to pay the rest of the season accommodation in full 1 month before departure. In Nendaz the accommodation typically ranges from 800-1200 CHF per month + a deposit.
Many ski schools in Switzerland do not include accommodation in the work contracts as they often work with a lot of local staff. Therefore, we work together with local accommodation partners to arrange good and fitting season housing for you. You’ll be in shared accommodation with (mostly) other Snowminds Instructors.
Before departure, you will be presented with the location of the season housing and a contract, which we will like you to read and sign. Please also be aware that a deposit should be paid to cover potential damages, missing items, cleaning, washing of bed linens, towels, and/or anything else that the landlord will have claims to after the lease. The remaining amount will be transferred back to you electronically after the season by Snowminds.
Working permit
To stay and work in Switzerland for the winter season you need to be an EU or EFTA citizen. (EFTA which consists of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland). Although Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it is part of the EFTA and thus grants freedom of movement to those from EU/EFTA countries.
Nevertheless, you have to get a work permit while in Switzerland, before you start working at a ski school. Your ski school and your team leader will help you and advise you on the most suitable permit, which varies depending on the amount of work per month.
Your ski school will help you with paying the relevant fees to the registration office.
Mandatory Swiss Health insurance / Tourist tax
Most work permits in Switzerland require you to also pay for mandatory Swiss health insurance which must be paid in addition to the registration fee to be eligible to work.
If you are not on a work permit, and not working, then Switzerland requires you to pay a daily tourist tax instead. This is typically around 2.50-4.50 CHF a day, depending on your accommodation setup.
If you are interested in reading more about work in Switzerland as a foreigner, we refer to the official Swiss government website.
What our instructors say
Price
Level 1 ski instructor course in Nendaz with Neige Aventure
from €5.995
Nendaz, Switzerland
December to April