JOB OPPORTUNITY

ALPINE SKI INSTRUCTOR – BASI Level 4, or Equivalent

Morzine & Les Gets

The Opportunity

This is an unusual opportunity to join our industry-leading school based in a popular resort in the French Alps.  We continuously deliver the best professional opportunities for our team, we’re recognised and respected by the local community and are ranked number 1 by our clients on TripAdvisor.

Who We Are

Since 2000, BASS Morzine & Les Gets has been at the forefront of creating sustainable, professional career opportunities for Ski Instructors.  We continue to strive to be the best ski school we can possibly be, for our clients, for our instructors and for our office team.  We have never been afraid to challenge convention and have built an organisation, team and culture that continues to inspire all involved.  People are at the heart of any organisation and we have an exceptional breadth and depth of individuals, including PhD doctoral candidate, a BASI National Education Team Coach, NET members, BASI Trainers, former National Ski Team coaches, former World Cup athletes and deeply passionate, motivated Instructors.  Everyone actively contributes to the team and organisation and we are looking for like-minded Instructors to join us. 

We welcome applications from instructors with different levels of experience and from different systems, what matters most to us is that you share our love of learning, both in the teaching that you do with clients and your own professional development.

We have a wide range of clients, spread over all ages and abilities, that allow each instructor to have the variety of work they choose and with no priority scheme.   Private Lessons consistently make up around 60% of our hours, with Adult Group lessons 25% and Junior Groups 15%.  Over 50% of our group lessons are high level skiers and around 15% - 20% are skiers who have done 1 week or less.  We run a full Professional Programme supporting BASI members through their Level 1, 2, 3 & 4, and are a BASI Business Partner running BASI courses under licence.

This is what our team say about working with BASS Morzine & Les Gets:

“I love working for BASS.  The team are people I believe in and trust, who love their work, and this really shows.  The school is always trying to improve and remain at the forefront of the ski industry… not only for the clients but also for the team itself….  Self-worth, belief and happiness are a vital part of being able to offer yourself to others in the best light, and the team and the environment that BASS have created, help me do this.”

-       Jo, Office Manager

“I work for BASS because I value being part of a team. My colleagues not only provide support but they also inspire me to keep developing as a skier and teacher. BASS works like a family and we all have our roles within it.  Jo in the office is amazing at dealing with all the administrative bookings allowing me to focus on developing my strengths and freeing me up to enjoy my personal life. BASS not only support me in a variety of ways they also value the contributions I can make to the team, for example, my strength as an academic researcher on experiential learning. I know that without the dual aspect of a support environment and inspiring colleagues who I can learn from, I would not have developed as much as I have since gaining the BASI level 4. This is what makes BASS an amazing team to be a part of.”

-       Lesley, BASI Level 4, BASI Trainer, PhD Doctoral Candidate, BASI NET Member

“BASS have given me so many opportunities to improve my teaching and learning ability.

When deciding about programming, the whole picture is considered to take into consideration likes and dislikes as well as what each individual instructor should be working on to develop them.”

-       Elaine, BASI Level 4, BASI Trainer

“I love working with the back-up and support of a full office structure.  We have great clients, the groups work, hand-picked, made to match, it means the Instructors just get the easy, fun bit.

I love that there are no egos.  There is a huge range of talent, experienced trainers, demo team skiers, demo team coaches, yet everyone’s opinions and ideas are listened to, valued and appreciated.

I love being part of the team, it inspires me to keep up my game, constantly question and reflect on what I do and continue to develop. I love the time we spend working at getting better, discussions, chats, beers!  I love that we are actively encouraged to get better, continue to improve and learn new stuff and that the ski school even pays us to do it!  I don’t see anyone else doing what we do.

BASS has a magic that you can’t really describe, a magic that you can’t really see from the outside, you have to experience it and then, if you buy into it, you can’t do without it”

-       Tom, BASI Level 4

Responsibilities  

• Each team member has their unique set of skills and interests and we take turns during in-house professional development sessions to share our expertise. This role requires you to contribute to these valuable opportunities through the sharing of ideas and questioning of assumptions. We approach our professional development with openness, sensitivity, generosity and the willingness, from time-to-time, to step outside of our comfort zones. 

• An essential responsibility of all staff is to continually foster our relationships within the snow sports community both locally and internationally. This takes many forms from the simple detour to greet a new lift operator, to presenting our work at international conferences. Each instructor has their own skills to contribute, however at the very minimum you will be required to provide exemplary professional behaviour around the resort recognising that in and out of uniform, you are always representing the values of our organisation. 

• Daily coordination with the office staff maintains a smooth flow of communication between colleagues on all matters from bookings, to solving problems, to ensuring clients individual needs are taken care of. It will be your responsibility to proactively update colleagues with important information as it arises.

• We provide a highly supportive approach to management and instructor development. This works because our colleagues are open about their achievements and about their challenges at work. You will regularly catch up with a BASS Director, or your chosen mentor, in order to explore your development and career aspirations.  

• As a self-employed professional it is your responsibility to keep your qualification and legal paperwork up to date, we are happy to provide support if you struggle with this aspect of your professional life.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Qualities

• EU Passport holder

• BASI Alpine Level 4, or equivalent, the ability to work legally in France on a permanent basis.

• Carte Pro holder or eligible for and currently applying for Carte Pro

• Native English speaker or totally fluent in English language, culture and communication (minimum CEFR standard C2 English level).

• An expertise in, and a preference for using a coaching-based teaching approach

• A character and background that is interesting – you have passions and activities outside snow sports.

• A desire to continue learning and developing – an appreciation that achieving your top qualification is not the end of your development.

Benefits

• You will receive a very attractive renumeration package including a high hourly base rate + profit share at end of the season

• You are treated as an individual and a respected professional.

  • You have control of your planning.  You take the days off you want and you manage your availability.

  • You work as many hours as you choose.  We treat you as a professional and not a commodity.  We believe it is important for each member of our team to get the balance right in their lives and the number of hours you work is your choices.  As a guide, individuals deliver between 450 – 650 hours per season, with between 80 – 85% of their availability being filled.

  • We provide support in doing the difficult things that ski instructors often don’t like doing.  As well as managing the bookings and clients, we can help you set up accommodation, phone lines, professional paperwork etc.

• We provide the best working environment possible

  • We are recognised and respected in the local community.  Strong and positive relationships with local ESF, ESI, Tourist Office and the Lift Company make working in our uniform stress free and enjoyable.  Everyone working on the mountain knows you are welcome and respected!

  • We have full-time office staff to provide logistics support to our clients and Instructor team.

  • We’ll listen to your professional preferences to give you the quality and variety of work you want.  We will not give you the type, age or level of clients you prefer not to work with.

  • We have a real spirit of community, a culture of looking out for each other and of collaborative problem solving.  There is a genuine willingness to support each other.

• We do not believe in resting on our laurels, as individuals, or as an organisation.  As the world changes, we should change too.  New horizons and new perspectives provide new opportunities for us to develop.

  • Being surrounded by a supportive and engaged team continues to provide inspiration and motivation.

  • We recognize that we all have strengths, weaknesses and a depth of knowledge and we continue to learn from each other.

  • We have external input and development on our communication

  • We believe in development so much, you are paid for our inhouse professional development sessions.

• We have opportunities for you to deliver on our Professional Training Programme, and a proven track record of supporting Level 4 Instructors into the BASI Training body.

Next Steps

If you're interested in this role, in the first instance, we invite you to have an informal conversation with Jaz Lamb, a BASS Director. Please email your CV to jaz@britishskischool.com as soon as possible to arrange a time to speak.