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PSIA 3--gold
PSIA 2--silver
PSIA 1--bronze
HOW TO PICK A SKI INSTRUCTOR
by Bill Jones, Ski Instructor
Certified Professional Ski Instructor (Registration #110478)
"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:
- PSIA
certification level 3 (gold pin) is certified to teach
skier levels 1 thru 9
(beginners thru dynamic parallel)
on
terrain: green
and
blue
and
black
- PSIA
certification level 2 (silver pin) is certified to teach
skier levels 1 thru 6
(beginners thru parallel)
on terrain: green
and
blue
- PSIA
certification level 1 (bronze pin) is certified to teach skier levels 1 thru 4
(beginners thru wedge christy)
on terrain:
green
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,
teaching all alpine skill levels from beginner through
advanced)
www.snowgurus.com: exits
http://www.skilikethat.com: exits
skiproconnect.com:
exits
http://www.mysnowpro.com
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 amateurs. At least it is easier to ascertain
their training level. 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"). Even experienced, fully certified
instructors rarely earn much more than $100 per day in wages. And that is only
for a few months in winter, a commitment which compromises getting a good-paying
job the rest of the year. [At $100 per day and a season of 100 work days with
no holidays, income of a professional ski instructor would be $10,000; yet the
average income for Americans for a year, 260 days (including holidays), in 2005
was $39,336. Said another way, the 2009 American poverty level was defined for a
family of four as $22,050, about the income level of the ski instructor in this
example. 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. In 2009-2010 actual wages went down almost 6 per cent at some
resorts, in response to the poor national economy and its effect on skier travel
in winter 2008-2009, when volume went down as well. (Note that instructors get
paid mostly only when they work and that winter they worked less, with a drop in
income of 30% and more.)
Some clients see in this situation where ski lesson charges by
the resorts are a lot greater than wages to the instructor that they might
hire an instructor directly. But this is rarely possible as most ski schools have
exclusive franchises at their mountains (see "Ski Slope Access for Paid Instruction" at
"Why Take a Ski Lesson from a Professional ").
The role of gratuities: Many guests/clients of instructors
recognize this situation 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. Even so, many top-notch instructors have been unable to stay in their
profession of choice and their clients have lost their mentors.
Unlike some other guest-service sectors, 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 (extending a lesson, providing
equipment, videoing a performance, etc.). 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
guidance is referenced from published sources. This
guidance pertains to North American
skiing. In Europe the situation is different; for instance, one instructor there
reports receiving a wage of 20-25 euros per hour for each student in the class!
Tipping there is therefore less a requirement, although in recent years
instructors there are not being compensated as well as formerly.
The magazine, Ski, made
an effort to clarify the tipping protocol 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 in
tipping.
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
--with tips on expensive meals--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 to instructors 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 such
instructors might use is which clients tip adequately (one such instructor was heard to say
his minimum to accept a client to ski with was a tip of $60 per day).
The book Ski Like a Diva (pp. 57-58) by Jennifer and Jeff
Bergeron of Breckenridge and the company Boot Fixation 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.
A Google search on the term "ski lesson tipping"
revealed several entries. One suggests tipping ski instructors $10-$15 per hour. Another posted by Rusty is as
follows: "When tipping instructors, 15-20% of the lesson price is appropriate
for a well taught lesson. Some students have been known to tip higher when the
service is exceptional or if a major breakthrough has been facilitated...Tipping
is generally expected for private lessons. You are rewarding for personal
attention and the quality of the experience just like in a restaurant. The tip
should match the level of service received... Some of the "unusual" tips that
Rusty has heard of include: new vehicles, new ski equipment (used once during
the lesson), trips to other (even foreign) resorts, days at the golf course, a condo, lifetime
season passes." Belniak.com recommends "I would tip 15% for an average lesson
and 20% for an outstanding lesson." Several commentors suggested not tipping at
all, misbelieving that instructors were well paid either in wages or in being
able to work their dream. Still, as noted above, few instructors make an
adequate living from their ski school wages and bills do not get paid with scenery.
Bill Jones, Ski Instructor,
0637 Blue Ridge Road,
Silverthorne, CO 80498.
Phone & fax: 970/468-7673.
e-mail: billjones@skimybest.com
This "How to Pick a Ski Instructor" page last modified
03/31/2010: \SkiMyBest\skiinst.htm. Copyright © 2010 William R Jones.
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