Become a ski instructor in St. Moritz, Switzerland
Begin your ski instructor course in St. Moritz, Switzerland – the birthplace of winter tourism and a name synonymous with alpine prestige. Nestled in the heart of the Engadin valley, St. Moritz combines world-class skiing with luxury, tradition, and stunning high-altitude terrain. With over 300 days of sunshine a year and meticulously maintained slopes, it’s a destination that blends glamour with serious snow credentials – the perfect place to start your ski instructor career.
We’re excited to offer a unique ski instructor course in partnership with The Red Legends of St. Moritz (the local Swiss ski school!). During your course, you’ll train under expert guidance to earn the Swiss Kids Instructor Level 1 certification (in German). Once qualified, you’ll suit up in the iconic red/black uniform, ready to inspire the next generation on some of Switzerland’s most legendary slopes. Los geht’s!
The ski instructor course and season in St. Moritz
Your ski instructor course in St. Moritz begins in late November, giving you a head start on the winter season in one of Switzerland’s most prestigious and picturesque resorts. After settling into your seasonal accommodation, you’ll kick things off with an orientation, receive your lift pass, meet the team at The Red Legends of St. Moritz, and get to know your fellow Snowminders over a welcome dinner.
The course starts with several days of on-snow training delivered in German by experienced local instructors. These early sessions will boost your technical skills and prepare you for the Swiss Snowsports Kids Instructor Level 1 certification. Once qualified, you’ll continue with a practical introduction program that gives you a firsthand look at teaching within a professional Swiss ski school environment.
Following your certification, the season can really begin! From mid-December through the end of March, you’ll have the opportunity to shadow instructors, take part in additional training, and begin working during the busy Christmas and New Year holiday periods. This ski instructor course in St. Moritz offers the perfect balance of training, cultural immersion, and real-world experience.
In short, we’ve got your season in St. Moritz covered – from world-class instruction and certification to a supportive path into instructing on the slopes.
Life as a ski instructor in St. Moritz
Embarking on a ski instructor course in St. Moritz, Switzerland, is more than just a professional milestone – it’s a full alpine experience filled with growth, connection, and unforgettable mountain moments. Set in one of the world’s most iconic ski destinations, St. Moritz blends rich tradition, modern luxury, and exceptional snow conditions to create an inspiring environment to work, learn, and live.
The Red Legends of St. Moritz will be your professional home for the season. Known for its excellence, team spirit, and deep roots in Swiss ski culture, the school offers a supportive setting where new instructors are encouraged to push themselves, both on the mountain and personally. While the training is intensive and rewarding, there’s always space to soak in the resort lifestyle, connect with fellow Snowminders, and enjoy the vibrant energy of this legendary resort.
By the time spring rolls around, you’ll have completed your ski instructor course in St. Moritz, earned your Swiss Kids Instructor Level 1 certification, and gained real-world experience that can kickstart a global instructing career. More than that, you’ll leave with memories of crisp morning corduroy, après-ski sunsets, and a lasting sense of community in the Alps. A season in St. Moritz is about more than just skiing – it’s about discovering your potential, embracing new perspectives, and carving your path in the mountains.
Pictures from the destination
What is included in the ski instructor course in St. Moritz?
In summary, we’ve got your epic season in the iconic resort town of St. Moritz fully planned – from world-class training to real work opportunities. Here is the details for what we have included for you:
- A ski instructor course in St. Moritz followed by a job with The Red Legends
- Shared season accommodation with the first month included*
- Season lift pass for St. Moritz ski resort
- 8 days of professional ski training as preparation for the Swiss Snowsports Kids Instructor course (Level 1)
- 5 days on the Swiss Snowsports Kids Instructor course, including all fees, materials, and membership
- A ski instructor job at the local Swiss ski school, The Red Legends **
- 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 with team building etc.
- 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 St. Moritz, Switzerland
- Housing deposit and rent for the full seasonal accommodation (paid 1 month before departure)*
- Cancellation insurance, travel insurance, potential visa fees, and local fees and taxes***
- Equipment, meals, and anything else not mentioned above
* Snowminds offers arranged accommodation for the entire season, allowing you to avoid the hassle of finding it on your own and giving you the opportunity 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 rent for the rest of the season before departure. 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.
** Employment at The Red Legends depends on successfully passing your interviews and exams, and your performance during training, professionalism, and German 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. 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 CHF a day, depending on your accommodation set up. If you are interested in reading more about work in Switzerland as a foreigner, we refer to the official Swiss government website.
TRAVEL ITINERARY
Our ski instructor course in St. Moritz 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 St. Moritz in the Swiss Alps.
Below is an outline of our ski instructor training program with in St. Moritz, and how it typically could look:
- 20.11: Arrival in St. Moritz
- 21.11: Orientation in St. Moritz, meeting the ski school + welcome dinner
- 22.11 – 25.11: Training with the Red Legends St. Moritz (in German)
- 26.11: Day off
- 27.11 – 29.11: Training with the Red Legends St. Moritz (in German)
- 30.11: Day off
- 1.12 – 5.12: Swiss Snowsports Kids Instructor course in German
- 6.12 – 11.12: Introduction to the Red Legends St. Moritz
- 12.12 to end of March: Shadow, training or work opportunities at the ski school
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 red slopes
- Speak fluent English and German at conversational level (B1)*
- Have a passion to work with kids and teens
- Be positive, responsible, and professional
- Enjoy teaching and love to be challenged
- Be 18 years or above
- Be eligible and prepared to enter and work in Switzerland from the end of November until the end of March
To secure your spot in our ski instructor course in St. Moritz, please contact us or submit your application promptly. Subsequently, we will give you a call and schedule an interview to assess your suitability for the course, providing an opportunity for us to further cover the details about the St. Moritz 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 St. Moritz, 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 St. Moritz as your dream destination.
*To improve your German language skills before the course we highly recommend our online, tailor-made German 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.
"Being able to pass on my joy of skiing to others is the absolute best part of being an instructor. Children's ability to learn is inspiring and they are my absolute favorite lessons!"
- Miriam, Snowminds Instructor
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.
The Red Legends anticipates that you bring a foundational knowledge of German to the course. We highly recommend our Snowminds online German 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
Our ski school partner prefers ski instructor candidates that can speak some German prior to arrival, and knowing some basic German can greatly improve your local experience. Language skills may be more valuable as the level of certification and some resorts even offer an hourly wage increase for every additional language you speak!
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 25 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 online German 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!
With the Swiss Snowsports Kids Instructor certification in your hands, you should expect to earn around 27 CHF an hour at Red Legends St. Moritz. If you obtain a higher certification this will improve.
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 St. Moritz, the first month of accommodation during the course is included. You can decide whether you want to have the accommodation arranged by Snowminds for the rest of the season.
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 the ski schools to arrange good and fitting housing for you. You’ll be in shared accommodation with (mostly) other Snowminds Instructors in a fantastic community.
Housing contract
The rent won’t be deducted from your salary but paid separately. Since housing is secured for the full season a signed housing contract and full payment will be required before departure. Rent varies, but typically lies between 800-1200 Swiss francs a month.
Housing Deposit
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
Ski instructor course in St. Moritz
from €5.695
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