Things To Know As A Ski Instructor In Japan

Are you an avid skier who happen to be fascinated with the Japanese culture? Then you can aim to become a ski instructor in a ski resort in Japan. Particularly during its winter season, there are many Japanese who are willing to learn the sport, but there are just not enough instructors to teach them. This provides a great opportunity for foreigners to work there while at the same time learn about the country’s unique culture.

Where are the best places to look for such a job opening? While there are many ski destinations in this far eastern archipelago, the most popular ski resorts can be found in these places: Hokkaido, Gifu, Niigata, Nagano, and Gunma.

Before anything else, you should understand that most of these ski instructor jobs will only get you paid for as long as you have students to teach or if the weather permits for you to work outside. That is why if what you are really after is just the salary you would expect to earn for the given period of working days or months, do not rely too much on it. This is why most ski resorts would want foreigners who are not just after the job, more on the chance to work in Japan and to experience the way of life of the Japanese people.

However, the pay is good enough to let you live comfortably there. The salary ranges from 110,000 to 125,000 Japanese yen. But a 20% tax will have to be deducted to that amount. Keep in mind also that all workers in Japan are covered by the Japanese “Rousai” Work Insurance while there are during work hours. Should you want more insurance protection outside work, you will have to get it for yourself.

You must also know that should you be hired, your meals and accommodations will not be covered by the ski resort where you will be working. You will have to provide these for yourself. You might have read or heard that previous to 2008 these were provided by the employers. However, the hospitality industry in Japan has become too fierce and crowded that resorts had to cut their expenses, and the meals and accommodations of their workers are one of those that were removed. On the other hand, you can always find affordable accommodations in the vicinity of the ski resort while you are working there.

And do you need a professional experience as a ski instructor? While years of experience would be an advantage, you can still be hired if you are not on an expert-level yet. However, you will be restricted to teaching only the beginner students, teaching them the basics before they can try all the ski routes in the resort.

Also, while you are not required to be able to converse smoothly in Japanese, it would be your chance to practice your knowledge of the language by conversing directly with your students and also your colleagues. Work agencies, on the other hand, can help you go through a basic Japanese language course just to make you feel comfortable enough to talk using that language while being a ski instructor.