HOTEL & FOOD

Peak Leaders stay in the fabulous Park Hotel, within a few minutes stroll from the lifts and right in the village.  The hotel has a comfortable lounge, bar and terrace for catching the afternoon sun and is ideal for a BBQ. You’ll stay in an ensuite twin room each with a TV and a balcony to chill out on. (Single rooms are available at a supplement – contact us for more info and prices). The owners, Patrick and Jutta, will go out of their way to make you feel welcome and Patrick is the chef as well. It really is home away from home.  A Peak Leader's group leader is there to help with your personal development and help you make the most of your time in Saas Fee.

Food is included in the price. Breakfast is included 7 mornings a week, and dinner is 6 nights per week. For breakfast you’ll have a delicious buffet to choose from – typically, croissants, ham, cheese, eggs, cereal, fruit, yoghurt. There’s plenty of it and it’ll set you up for the day ahead.  Dinner is eaten together and you’ll have a 3 course meal to choose from every night. There are fondue and raclette nights and BBQs. The food is of a really high standard – you won’t want to ever cook again! Two example menus: Mixed salad with parma ham, Roast leg of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and ratatouille, apple tart. Broccoli soup, veal with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and celery, peach charlotte.

The best hosts in Saas Fee - Patrick and Jutta.

The Sitting Area, perfect for chilling out.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

BASI qualifications are recognised world wide. Your course leader alongside our excellent, world-wide contacts with ski / board schools will help you with job advice, whether it be immediately following the course in Switzerland, Canada or the USA or the summer in New Zealand.

This global network of schools come to us looking for new instructors. As the course finishes at the start of the season, you’ll need to start applying for jobs as early as possible. You should think about where you’d like to work before you join the course, so you can send off applications before or during the start of the course. Peak Leaders will help you as much as possible to secure a job within a snowsport school, but ultimately you have to put in the effort to apply for the role and make yourself as employable as possible!

Your coaches from European Snowsport will be on the lookout for potential employees in Zermatt and Verbier, so by showing your commitment and enthusiam throughout the duration of the course will put you in a better position to secure employment with them.

In 2008, some new Peaks instructors loved Saas Fee so much that they stayed on over during the winter to work as instructors in the winter. Others went on to get jobs in New Zealand, Andorra and on dry/indoor-slopes in the UK.

Peak Leaders have planned their courses to give you the option of qualifying either in summer ( New Zealand or Argentina) or winter ( Canada, France or Switzerland.) This flexibility means you can fit in a course in the summer holidays from July - October before, during or after school/ university or qualify during the northern hemisphere winter season January - March.

For example, when your school / uni exams are out of the way in June / July you could head south to Argentina or New Zealand. Returning to the UK as a qualified instructor in October, you are either in time for the new academic year or home just to fling your gear into the washing machine before jetting off to a job in November in Canada or Europe.

On the other hand, should you have other plans for the summer then a winter course from December or January in Canada, Switzerland or France training to become a ski or snowboard instructor may be a better option. You could be qualified by the end of February and finish the season working as an instructor (Call Peak Leaders for further info). You could also opt to travel to the southern hemisphere in June to chase the snow and fit in some work experience as a ski or snowboard instructor before going on to other things in the autumn.

THE C.V...

To enhance your CV for future employment, Peak Leaders have devised a course structure which includes a wide range of complementary qualifications and skills.   Having completed your Peak Leaders' course, a well presented CV listing qualifications you have gained, with good references, is key to gaining a job.

YOUR PORTFOLIO...

Understanding customer service and developing your people skills are modules taught on a Peak Leaders' course. As with most jobs, being an instructor often involves starting at the bottom of the ladder in a snowsports' school. Although the money is limited at the beginning, you will be working in the most fabulous outdoor office in the world doing something you love with like minded people. You should also, in a good snowsports' school, expect to receive personal development training, qualifications and job / income prospects.  Once you have built up a portfolio of skills and a reputation with clients who want you as their instructor, your salary will increase.

JOB SEARCH...

Peak Leaders commitment to helping trainees does not end with the completion of your course. We will give you information and advice to help secure the job you want

FORMER TRAINEES...

From the Andes to the Southern Alps to the Rocky Mountains, wherever you qualify with Peak Leaders, remember, you may be head hunted for jobs the following season. Destination resort managers look out for good Peak Leaders'trainees who finish the course well qualified, with good CVs and references.

VISA & WORK PERMIT ADVICE:

Europe - UK citizens do not need a visa to travel or work in Europe. If you do not hold a European passport you should contact the local embassy of the country you want to visit or your foreign office before applying for jobs.

Canada & The U.S.A - You can go to Canada for up to 6 months as a visitor and no visa is necessary as long as you are on a full British passport and do not do paid work.  If you get a job, you have to apply either from your country of origin or in Canada itself (which will take up to a month to process). If you do the latter, you will have to leave and re-enter Canada with the new paperwork from outside its borders.  Many ski and snowboard schools in Canada and the U.S.A have some jobs which include work permits specifically for their international employees.  Alternatively, BUNAC run a Work Canada program which allows those aged between 18 & 30 to work and travel in Canada for up to 6 months.  BUNAC will issue you with a "Work Authorisation Certificate".  When you arrive in Canada, you take this certificate to Canadian Immigration along with your passport and they will issue you with a stamped visa.

New Zealand - A working holiday visa is a good option for job seekers going to New Zealand.  This scheme allows UK and Irish citizens to stay in NZ for up to 12 months and allows you to work to supplement your travel. There are 8,000 visas available to UK citizens and 1,000 for Irish citizens. There are some Working Holiday Visa Conditions, you must:

• Be a British or Irish Citizen residing in the UK or Ireland respectively at the time of applying
• Be aged between 18-30 years
• Not accompanied by children on your visit
• Have a passport valid 3 months beyond your intended departure date from NZ
• Upon arrival, provide evidence of NZ$4,200 in funds
• Upon arrival, provide an outward flight ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase one (approx NZ$2,000)

QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTS...

The Peak Leaders coaching in Saas Fee is provided by qualified coaches and our combined expertise gives us an unbeatable combination of skills required to deliver the best possible training on and off the mountain to prepare you for your BASI Level 1 and 2. Aside from being excellent coaches, they will ensure that you have the best possible time in Saas Fee. All the images below are of our coaches.

Our coaches  have helped hundreds of Peaks' trainees achieve their BASI Level 2!

The British Association of Snowsports Instructors (BASI) Level 1 and Level 2 are the exams we use in Saas Fee. The BASI Level 1 and 2 exams, associate membership and manuals are all included in the cost. The Peaks’ team learn mountain safety, avalanche awareness, a 2 day  first aid course, leadership skills and an introduction to freestyle (all included in the cost.) A short ILM management course (introduction to leadership) is an optional extra. Video analysis is also included as an important tool in improving performance.

The training is designed to improve your technical ability and your teaching knowledge to the standard required for BASI Level 2.