In order to be eligible for a place on our programme, you will need childcare experience in a variety of situations and a good rapport with children. We are looking for more experience than just babysitting. Some of the children you will be teaching will be new to the sport and you will be nurturing them through the first steps of putting skis on and getting them to stop in the beginners area. Others will have been skiing almost since before they could walk and will already be confident in their ability. You’ve obviously got to be a better skier than them!

Your experience should be with children aged 3-11 or you should be willing to gain the relevant work experience before the start of the programme.

Some examples of the childcare experience that our participants come to us with (or can get before the start of the season) include:

• Volunteering at a local Beavers or Brownies group
• Coaching sport to younger years at school
• Volunteering in a nursery or primary school as part of work experience

In addition to having good childcare experience, you also need to be a confident intermediate skier who is able to ski parallel, pole plant and be confident on all intermediate slopes.

Day 1
Arrive mid-November at Vancouver Airport and meet Tory, our Oyster rep. You will then transfer with the rest of your group to a hostel in the city for your first night.

Day 2
Receive assistance with organising your Social Insurance Number, after which we will transfer you by coach up to Whistler to then settle into your new home.

Day 3-4
We will run a group tour of Whistler village and give you a thorough orientation of what to expect during the season. You’ll receive bank account advice; help with organising SIM cards and buying skis.

First Monday of the week to the end of week 3
During this time you will be on the Whistler Blackcomb Snow School University course, being trained to pass your CSIA Level 1 exam. The qualification allows you to instruct in other countries, as well as Canada, and looks great on your CV. The course runs 4 days a week and mainly takes place on snow. Expect some classroom days as well.

Week 4
This is exam week! During this week you will take the CSIA Level 1 exam and the Teaching Children Module – a prerequisite for teaching children as a ski instructor. All exam fees are included.

Week 5
(Or, more likely, the end of week 4) begin your job which has been arranged with Whistler Blackcomb before you even arrive in Whistler. We arrange for our applicants to be pre-interviewed by a senior manager from Whistler Kids before you head to Canada. For the remainder of the season you will be working full time for the Snow School, teaching young children the basics of skiing.

Working for Whistler Kids is hard work but immense fun. The work of a Mini’s Instructor is probably one of the most responsible jobs that you will ever have – looking after other peoples’ children on a mountain!

Iain Holliday, Oyster instructor in Whistler wrote a blog about his typical day at Whistler Kids.

You can also read about Lucy’s life as a Whistler Kids ski instructor.

We have instructor positions available for people who would rather teach skiing in the adult snow school at Whistler Blackcomb. On our adult programme you would receive the same service from Oyster and take the CSIA Level 1 in the same way, you would just work with adults rather than teaching children. These places are limited so book your place as soon as you can!

The ski season in Whistler Blackcomb usually runs from mid November until the end of April.

Included in this programme is a ZipTrek tour. This takes place during your orientation weekend in Whistler and is a great way to get to know Whistler, the local habitat and your fellow Oysters!

The tour takes about 3 hours to complete, it takes in 5 ziplines crossing over the Fitzsimmons Creek (between Whistler and Blackcomb). This is an exhilarating adreline rush adventure but also teaches you a lot about the local environment you will call home for the next 5 months.

Check out this video from ZipTrek

There are lots of ski instructor courses in Canada and we believe that this is the best. Not only will you receive an internationally recognised CSIA Level 1 qualification, but you will also gain a job at an iconic ski resort for the rest of the ski season.

This is our most popular long-term programme for people looking to spend their gap year skiing. We are proud that so many of our participants have come through recommendations from family and friends.

If you are a confident skier and have a great rapport with children, this is a perfect opportunity to boost both areas, gain a qualification and also improve your ski instructing experience.

You will feel fully supported throughout the programme. Before departure, you will receive comprehensive and personal pre-departure support and advice. Once in Canada, you will receive airport transfers, accommodation, a Zip Trek Tour, 24/7 support from our experienced rep and monthly Oyster social meet ups.

Yes, you will need your own skis, boots, helmet, poles, goggles and clothing by the time you begin the instructor training course. Whilst this is an additional expense, it is far cheaper than renting for the whole season!

If you don’t currently have all of the equipment, we would recommend taking ski clothes with you and then buying the skis and boots in Whistler. We always try to arrange a small discount with one of the ski shops for the first weekend that you arrive in Whistler and will give you price details before departure.

Check out our buying ski gear blog for more tips.

Whistler Kids instructors can expect an average of 4-5 days work per week across the season. Working in a tourist resort means that there are fluctuations in the number of guests and therefore the number of hours of work you will get. During peak times, such as Christmas, you may even be working 6 or even 7 days per week. In the quieter times you may only get 2-3 days work per week.

Each pay cheque will be different so there will be times you need to live on a budget. The great thing about fewer shifts though is that you’ll be able to ski on your days off!

For the past few years, Whistler Kids instructors have averaged around 32 hours per week across the season.

Yes!

Once you are a member of Whistler Blackcomb staff (on completion of the 4 week Level 1 course), you will be entitled to join free staff training on your days off and before your shifts start.

The training rota begins in mid January and provides Level 2 training, avalanche skills training, bumps training, jumps training and much more.

If you are interested in taking your CSIA Level 2 during your first season, you can join the free training sessions and then just pay for the examination itself (approx $650).

Each year, we have a few people from our group get the Level 2. This is a great opportunity, particularly if you are looking to instruct elsewhere the following season.

The winter in Whistler is perfect for a ski season. Temperatures remain below 0 for the majority of the season meaning fantastic snow. Even when the village warms up, temperatures as low as -20oC are not uncommon mid-winter on the mountain.

It can take up to 6 weeks before your first pay cheque arrives so you will need to arrive in Canada with enough money to feed and entertain yourself. We would suggest having a minimum of £1000 available, plus extra if you are buying skis/boots. Once you start earning money, you should be able to live on the money you earn day to day. You might want savings in place to cover any extra trips or outings that you want to do.

NB one of the requirements of getting the work permit is that you arrive in Canada with the equivalent of at least $2500 in your account.

You will be able to set up a Canadian bank account with the help of our local representative at TD Bank in Whistler, which you will be able to get a card for. Credit cards are advised for emergencies, as well as enough cash to see you through the first few days. There are ATM’s in the village so you won’t need too much cash with you.

We recommend opening a free account with Revolut with you as well. You can read more on our blog here.

You will need to apply for a Canadian IEC Working Holiday permit. To be able to qualify for the working holiday visa, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30, and hold a passport from one of the eligible countries stated by the Canadian Embassy: Australia, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea Rep, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom. This costs C$250 (approximately £150).

You will also need a Police Check for immigration purposes and this costs approximately £45.

We will help with applying for these once we receive your application.

Most people book with Oyster on their own and travel with the rest of the group. The group meets at a UK briefing course before you go to Canada and we also create a Facebook group each season.

You will be able to travel with a friend if you wish, please state this on your booking form.

If you live outside the UK or are travelling and cannot make it to the briefing course, don’t panic! Since COVID-19, this is now held online! We will arrange a time for you to have a Zoom call meeting with the rest of the team and a member of Whistler Blackcomb.

You will still be included in our Facebook group and will be able to get to know the rest of the group before departure.

Please visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out. It is unlikely that you will need anything in addition to your routine vaccinations, which should be up to date.

For any information related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for Canada.

There is a clinic and multiple pharmacies located in Whistler village. For anything major, the main hospital is in Vancouver.

Whistler is a very safe village but it is always advised to keep valuables secure and stick together when you first arrive.

Skiing is a safe sport if you follow the mountain rules and take adequate precautions. You should always follow safety advice from instructors and we would recommend always wearing a helmet. Safety advice when looking after young children on the mountain will be given during your training.

Staff accommodation is located halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. This means that you are pretty much ‘ski in ski out’ and that your commute to work involves a ski down to the village creating fresh tracks in the morning! To get back to your accommodation you can take a lift, or if the lifts are closed, either take a bus or taxi. Whistler Kids has three bases in the resort.

If you are working at the Creekside base, you will need to get a bus from Whistler Village each day. The bus takes 10 minutes and the cost of the monthly pass is approximately $70.

Our participants live in staff housing (HOUSE) on the side of Blackcomb Mountain. There will be 4 of you living in a small apartment (usually with other Oyster people).

Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom. You will be sharing a room and sleeping in a bunk-bed. On each floor of the building there are about 10 apartments. The Oyster group all live together in the one building which means you get to know everyone in the group really well.

The cost of the accommodation comes directly off of your pay cheque and equates to approximately an hour of pay per day.

Your accommodation is self catering so, for the majority of time, you will be cooking for yourself. This is far cheaper than eating out every night! There are supermarkets in the village where you can stock up.

When you are working, you will be entitled to a meal at lunch time with your group of children. This usually consists of a soup, main meal (pizza, pasta, hot dog, chips etc) and dessert (cookies, jelly, cake etc).

If you are feeling flush, or it’s a special occasion, there are plenty of places in Whistler to eat out with something for every appetite. Expect to pay C$13-20 for a main meal.

There is a very good staff deal that people tend to take advantage of a couple of times a week at a restaurant close to the staff accommodation. For $7 you can get a 3-course meal!

WiFi is included in your rent. Each apartment has its own internet router so you will be sharing the connection with three other people.

You should take an ‘unlocked’ mobile phone with you to Canada (or you can buy a cheap Canadian one) and purchase a local ‘pay as you go’ SIM card. This is useful for contacting the representative and the rest of the group as local calls are very cheap.

Expect to pay around $40 per month for your mobile/cell contract. No need to waste money on a data plan as the WiFi is accessible all over. All you need is a deal with inclusive minutes and texts.

You can buy International phone cards to call the UK for $10+tax from any supermarket/phone shop this will give you hundreds of minutes to use any way you like, including calling the UK.

You will need a phone as part of your job.

Whistler is in the West of Canada, on Pacific Standard Time and is 8 hours behind GMT (GMT -8).

Canada, like the US, operates on 110V, 60 cycle electric power. You should bring an adapter with you that has a two pronged (flat) plug.

Most people use their days off to take advantage of their free ski pass and hit the slopes. However there is plenty to do in Whistler besides skiing and snowboarding. ZipTrek is an educational tour of Whistler’s coastal temperate rainforest that lasts for approximately 3 hours. On the Instructor programme, we include this as part of your orientation. You’ll learn you all about sustainability and conservation as well as ‘zip lining’ along a number of wires that cross the Fitzsimmons Creek. This is an exhilarating thrill, hurtling across the rainforest at tremendous speeds!

Further afield, Vancouver is 2 hours bus ride from Whistler and you can head there to shop or to watch an ice hockey match. There are usually good discounts available for staff, and sometimes free, coaches to Vancouver.

Working in a ski resort means that the hours you work are dictated by the weather and the number of tourists that are on holiday there. During the peak seasons (Christmas, New Year, and school holidays) you could be working 5 or 6 days a week but then in quieter periods this might reduce to 3-5 days a week.

You will get to know our representative well in the first few days as they help you settle into life in Canada. You will go through an induction that involves a tour of the resort, assistance with setting up Social Insurance Numbers, bank accounts and mobile phones. You will also be introduced to your employer.
Once you start work, the representative takes more of a back seat role but is there as a helpful friend should you need assistance. Once a month, they will run a meet up with you and the rest of the group. Day to day, you will be under the supervision of your manager and supervisor at work.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are on our programme. This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport until the end date of the programme, when you will make your own way back to the airport. If you are arranging your own flights and arriving earlier or later than the rest of the group on arrival day, you will be responsible for getting yourself to the hostel in Vancouver where you will meet the rest of the group.

Before and after the Oyster programme, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk. This is also true if you choose to get involved in activities during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.

Ultimate guide to the CSIA

Ultimate guide to living and working in Whistler

Tips on buying ski gear in Whistler

A day in the life of a Whistler Kids Instructor

What to do in your free time in Whistler

Have friends or family visiting? Check out our guide on where to stay in Whistler

Best winter activities in Whistler

Step by step guide on how to become a ski instructor

How much can a ski instructor expect to earn?

Advice from our participants on how to pass the CSIA Level 2

Update from our ski instructors in Whistler

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