Instructor Salaries

How it works

The team here like nothing better than chatting to the next generation of ski and snowboard instructors. We are always happy to offer up advice on how best to prepare for the ultimate winter season, whether that relates to courses, resorts, salaries, qualifications or more…

The most common subjects we cover when talking to people about our courses are usually employment and remuneration. People want to know what happens once qualified and what kind of employment package they can expect once working. How much money will they earn as an instructor so they can budget accordingly for the season.

It can be difficult to give a definitive answer on this without taking into consideration other factors that could impact on overall earnings. Things like:

• Certification Level
• Teaching Experience
• Language Skills
• Country
• Resort
• Snowsports School
• Type of Lesson
• Snow Conditions

With that in mind, it is perhaps best to concentrate only on the information that directly relates to our course participants. The expertly trained, newly qualified, first season instructors in Canada, Japan & Europe. The information below should give you a better understanding of what you can expect to earn in a typical snowsports school in those countries.

 

Canada

Snowsports Schools in Canada are largely owned and managed by the resorts in which they operate. They are well established and have a straightforward payment structure defined by the level of certification an instructor holds.

• A level one instructor could expect to earn between $13-15 CAD per hour.
• A level two instructor could expect to earn between $15-18 CAD per hour.

 

Europe

In Europe each resort or area has multiple, privately owned and operated ski schools. They are often defined by the languages the staff will teach in: English, French, German, Swiss etc. The rate of pay here is considered high for the industry and with a higher certification an instructor can expect to earn more.

• A level one instructor could expect to earn between €15-20 EUR per hour.
• A level two instructor could expect to earn between €20-30 EUR per hour.

 

Japan

Ski schools in Japan sit closer to the standard European model. Each resort has a number of privately owned and operated ski schools which are often defined by the languages the staff will teach in: English, Japanese, Chinese etc. The higher the certification level held, the higher the hourly rate of pay.

• A level one instructor in an English-speaking role could expect to earn between 1400-1800 JPY per hour.
• A level two instructor in an English-speaking role could expect to earn between 1800-2200 JPY per hour.