They say that in sex, marriage or anything else that involves more than one party, communication is the key to keeping a good relationship going. Most ski areas hire them, but attitudes toward ski instructors vary markedly from one resort to the next. In some places they are kings of the mountain, while in others, management sees them only as a necessary evil. Instructors should recognize this.
If an area manager has a bad taste in his mouth when it comes to ski school, it is usually for good reason. Here is a very incomplete list of what might have irked the boss:
- Ski instructors who don’t show up when they are supposed to.
- Ski instructors who misinform the public because they don’t know prices, where to eat, where to go to the bathroom and how to get around the ski area.
- Ski instructors who ski too fast or in “rat packs.”
- Ski instructors who cut lift or cafeteria lines when they are not authorized to do so.
- Ski instructors who wear ski school uniforms to places other than work.
- Ski instructors who are rude, egotistical, arrogant or tactlessly “come on” to clients of the opposite sex.
- Ski instructors who drink too much in local bars and then bad mouth the resort.
- Ski instructors who abuse pro programs and get manufacturers, distributors and local shops angry with the ski area.
- Ski instructors who cheat, lie or steal.
These are serious offenses—grounds for termination. Fortunately, they don’t happen very often, but they happen often enough within the industry to make some managers suspicious of ski instructors in general.
Other departments might take a dim view of ski instructors too. Here are some complaints that circulate:
- Sometimes instructors work as few as four hours a day and get paid as much as an employee who works seven or eight hours.
- They come in late, and leave early.
- They get to meet all the good-looking customers.
- Sometimes they even get tips.
- The area provides them with sharp-looking uniforms.
- They get all these deals on equipment.
- They get clinics to help them ski better.
- They get to ski a lot.
- They have a lot of freedom.
- They like to run gates, but never help with training course maintenance.
- They are prima donnas who complain a lot and make big demands about how the ski school slopes should be groomed.
- They never help out because they’re always in a “rush to meet the next class.”
These feelings may be only semi-accurate, but they are often strongly felt. Rarely are they expressed directly to the ski school staff or even to the ski school director. And they can fester.
To counteract such attitudes, the ski school director should meet and communicate with area and departmental managers as often and as regularly as possible. He should stress that instructors should be patient, polite, and teach well even if they are not always “into it.” Instructors should express needs and complaints through the ski school director and not go over his head.
Be positive, friendly and helpful. Don’t hassle parking lot attendants, lift operators, cafeteria workers, janitors or any other employees. If an instructor has a problem with a member of another department, he should talk to his own immediate boss. Speak with the ski patrol captain and volunteer to help out whenever needed. Express a willingness to help out during races and other special events. Don’t think of teaching as the instructor’s only job.
Present yourself as a team player. Avoid being stereotyped as somebody who takes a very narrow view of the resort’s total operation. See the big picture, and let people know how your special talents might help.
Realize that instructors enjoy special privileges that other employees don’t, but that that doesn’t necessarily make them “special.” When negotiating pay and other benefits, always do the best you can, but be reasonable, willing to compromise and conscious of what others earn.
Any ski instructor who’s been around a few years knows his job is a sensitive and fragile one, and that there are plenty of people out there who covet his position. The ones who succeed are the ones who learn enough to say: “But Mom, ski instructing is a real job.” Once a ski instructor realizes his position is more than just an ego trip, he can make himself an asset to the resort. And his efforts will get noticed.
