Ski season: An option for graduates and career breakers

Working a ski season can be a great option for both gap year students and people taking a career break, it has been claimed.

Speaking to TNT Magazine, Kirsty McDougall, operations manager at Ski Familie, explained that adults of various ages come to the French slopes each year as part of a gap year.

Within her organisation, there are employees aged between 18 - those yet to go to university – and 47 – who have been in work for more than two decades, she noted.

Ms McDougall said each individual comes from a different background, with their own story to tell and their own personal reasons for seeking a gap year adventure.

"It's really varied; we get anything from ski-season junkies, to people taking a career break and even people having a mid-life crisis," she added.

"And there's enough press out there for all of them to know they have to work hard to justify their time on the mountain. If you can't keep up with the work you go home."

If people do wish to incorporate skiing into their gap year, they should do so with their eyes wide open, it should be noted.

Some thought must be given to gap year costs, since jobs at a ski resort are likely to pay somewhere in the region of £80 to £200 per week.

This is basically a retainer, rather than a salary that can be saved and put to better use elsewhere, later in the gap year.

So if people do choose to work a skiing season, it must be because they are genuinely enthusiastic about winter sports.

Access to the great outdoors – and particularly, the snow – is the real benefit of a skiing gap year, and this needs to be considered from the off.

But skiing gap years are not just about fun – they can help build up life experience, and for some, leadership skills.

Various opportunities exist for gap year students wishing to train as ski instructors, something which will no doubt look good on the CV to future employers.

As Ms McDougall explained, it is never too late to go on a gap year adventure and immerse yourself in an activity you are passionate about.

Read about gap year stories.