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EXIT NOW. PSIA 3--gold
PSIA 2--silver
PSIA 1--bronze "What's the biggest complaint you get from guests who are unhappy with a lesson?", the new-hire ski instructor asked his ski school director. "My teacher did not call me by name," was the answer. "But what about how well we ski?", pursued the new-hire. "Never an issue," said the director. Tips on Choosing Your Instructor Most instructors adapt their teaching/coaching strategies to the needs and goals of those who come to ski with and learn from them. Yet individuals learn best in their own ways and in their preferred environment. So it is important to find an instructor who best matches your own notions. One lady learner, for instance, said, "I want Hitler for my instructor; I want to be TOLD what to do!" She got the ski school director instead, was not satisfied, and lodged a complaint. Hitlers, after all, are in short supply. Another story was the fellow who came to the ski school office; "I want to learn to ski fast," he said. It happened that the current holder of the world speed skiing record (at about 140 miles per hour then) was working at that ski school, and was assigned to the lesson. Be careful what you ask for! If you have not already done so, see the section "Why Take a Ski Lesson from a Professional". In particular, note the information there about how instructors may become certified within their own Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) organization to teach various skier levels. Knowing an instructor's certification level will give you a way to know how that instructor's skills rank against this national standard. Here is a general summary:
Links to Ski Instructor Indexes To help you pick the instructor you can work with best, check out instructors at the links below. Some women, for instance, may prefer a lady instructor rather than follow the hackneyed "ski-bunny" tradition of seeking out a male hunk super-skier model for their coach, although others will prefer the latter. And some men will definitely prefer a lady instructor. We do want to have success, whatever the goal! But this website is about skiing. Bill Jones, (author of this website),
(Certified
Level 3 Professional Ski Instructor, http://www.bergiesbest.com: exits What does "professional" mean in the ski instructing business? What is the role of the ski school and what is the role of the guest/client in compensation? While any person earning income teaching skiing might be considered professional, working ski instructors have the option of becoming dues-paying members of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and attain certification to teach at specified proficiency levels, giving definition to the word "professional." that guests may apply. There is a connotation therefore that registered professional ski instructors are better trained and more experienced than non-registered professionals and non-paid amateurs. The professional is in the business and attempts to make a living giving sound advice and being available. Ski schools, however, are not noted for largesse when it comes to salary (most instructors are hourly employees, earning only while actually teaching, and at many areas gross less than $50 a day, out of which equipment and other expenses must come; see "Skiing as a Career"). Although the cost of ski lessons has gone up over the years, the wages of many if not most instructors in real-dollar terms has actually gone done. Many guests/clients of instructors recognize this and provide extras to cement and continue relationships that are satisfactory. So, tipping, as in many guest-service jobs, helps keep instructors going who otherwise might not be able to continue pursuing their passions. Unlike other guest-service sectors, however, a consistent scale for gratuities has not developed for ski instructors, and there is scant guidance available for those who would reward a job well done or for an extra measure of service. Instructors are sometimes asked whether tipping for a lesson is customary and if, so, how much is appropriate. This is a bit of an awkward situation for all, including the ski instructor-author of this website, so here some guidance is referenced from published sources. The magazine, Ski, made an effort to clarify this issue in its October 2000 issue, in "The Art of Tipping" by Everett Potter. Potter interviewed ski school supervisors and instructors at several resorts both east and west and found wide variation. About the only solid figure was a recommendation by a ski school director to tip instructors as you would waiters: 15 to 20 percent of the cost of the lesson. (Such guidance might be the minimum appropriate in that waiters at resort areas often earn more than ski instructors, yet the ski instructors have jobs that require extensive training and experience, require costly equipment purchase, deal personally and over a long time span with their charges, and are performed in a difficult to hazardous environment.) Examples are cited of tips of 100% and more, of expense-paid tours given rather than cash, gifts of objects, and of no tips at all. Tips are said to be appropriate even if a free lesson is provided, and to instructors of children. Private lesson clients typically buy lunch if taken with the instructor. And the article notes that tips might not be appropriate if the lesson was not a good one. The website, "Breckenridge, Colorado, The Perfect Mountain town", includes this "Tipping Etiquette" guidance for ski instructors: "While tipping is not expected as it is in a restaurant, it is recommended, if you enjoyed your experience. $20 is suggested for a full-day class lesson. $80-$100 is suggested for a full-day private lesson." [This is 14-18%.] Advice consistent with the above guidelines is in the Barking Bear Forums of Epicski.com; search on gratuities. Some popular instructors are able to select the clients they will ski with from among those who request their service, and a factor that may be used is which clients tip adequately (one such instructor was heard to say his minimum to ski with a client was a tip of $60 per day). The book Ski Like a Diva (pp. 57-58) by Jennifer and Jeff Bergeron suggests tipping for good lessons, especially if you plan to use the same instructor again. but not for disappointing lessons. They say twenty percent of the lesson cost is common; more if you want. They note that tipping is less common for group lessons than for private ones, but feel tipping should be done for either if the lesson was a good one. Bill Jones, Ski Instructor,
0637 Blue Ridge Road,
Silverthorne, CO 80498. This "How to Pick a Ski Instructor" page last modified 03/28/2008: \SkiMyBest\skiinst.htm. Copyright © 2008 William R Jones
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