How to become
a private ski
instructor

What is a Private Ski Instructor?

Skiing takes a lot of practice and a helping hand. Those who are just lacing up their boots don’t become pros by themselves, I’m sure you didn’t either. Ski Instructors are vital to helping students build their skill, learn new techniques, and fly down the slopes safely. As a Ski Instructor, there are many opportunities. Many winter hotels and resorts partner with private ski instructors to assist visitors in experiencing their snowy inclines in either group trainings or private instruction. Many Ski Instructors also run their own private, coaching businesses and offer more in-depth lessons to those who wish to grow in their skill or compete. As a Private Ski Instructor, you will contribute to the learning and fun of students gaining new abilities or help to construct them into a prime athlete. Have we peaked your interest in pursuing your own private business? Well, there are a few things you should know. Keep reading to get started!

Skills that ski instructors need

To begin, you need to be proficient in skiing yourself. This isn’t the gig for a beginner. To teach others this craft, you need to have first been taught. Already a master on the slopes? Well then this is opportunity for you. Sharing your love for winter sports will help you glide through obstacles in your way and push you to the finish line of getting your first students.

Training and certifications

Next, you need to harness your love and skill for the ski life and gather some important training and certifications to boost your credibility, protect your students, and allow your business to succeed. Do your research on the proper certifications needed in your area. These certifications will likely require you to complete training and multiple skill assessments to prove that you have what it takes. These trainings may also include unique specializations and a membership fee to keep your certification active. Start thinking about what area of private instruction interests you. Want to work with kids? Have a passion for cross country? Love showing off your freestyle moves? First find your interests and become professionally and legally certified in those skills before instructing others. The certifying board within the United States, the PSIA-AASI, also requires you to practice building lesson plans for your students. Find your area’s Private Ski Instructor requirements and follow their steps to meet the criteria of a certified instructor.

How to organize your bookings and clients

Now that you’ve created a goal, harnessed your skills, and received professional certifications you’re ready to book your first clients. This may be easier said than done. As a Private Ski Instructor, you’re not just a coach, but also need to be proficient in administrative tasks. How many students can you take in a day? What skills to they need to learn? How much will you charge? Fixed price or hourly rate? How is payment being conducted? How will you gather their contact information? These are questions that you’ll need to answer as you start booking your first ski students. As a business owner, it is important to keep track of bookings, clients, payments and more. No one wants a messy, unorganized business. Sound like a lot to juggle? It doesn’t have to be.

Vev has created a free software for business owners just like you. They have made it easy for those who want to become Private Ski Instructors to get started and organized in just one click. With Vev, you can book your clients, manage schedules, and receive payments all on your phone. Want to see your schedule for this week and the weeks to come? Vev allows you to see your bookings in an effective, organized way. Need to book a client fast? You can access your own personal QR code for students to scan and book their lesson immediately. Need to contact a client but don’t want to dig through all of your many contacts? See all your customer’s information in one place with the click of a button. Need to send an invoice for a finished lesson? Create and manage payments all in one place with Vev’s software.

Now instead of the overwhelming task of bookkeeping, scheduling, and finance, you can handle all your Ski Instructor affairs in one, easy place. This allows you to do what you do best, teaching your students the art of skiing.

How to promote your business

Like any business, you will want to promote yourself, gain traction, and be noticed. You are going to want people to hear about your amazing skills, care for students, and love for skiing. But- creating a website can cost big money and take a long amount of time. How can you leverage the spotlight and be seen? Start to focus your efforts on what is popular these days: social media. Create solid social media pages with real content from you and your students. Make some videos and post them to TikTok or Instagram. Show potential clients what you’re all about and get them excited about booking lessons with you!

You can also connect with people of similar interests online. Post to skiing social media groups or forums. State what you do, your certifications, your skills, pricing, and be sure to include your Vev QR code or link for them to book a lesson the fast and easy way. Encourage your current and past clients to also review and post about your amazing work and skills.

You may also want to connect with local skiing businesses, hotels, or resorts to promote your business. Tourists and residents of ski towns will want to hear about your private instruction and want to jump on board to learn something new. Partner with hotels or ski resorts so that they can promote your private lessons when a customer is curious. Create some flyers with your QR code and hang them up in ski supply shops.

Promoting your business doesn’t have to be complicated or technical. Be yourself, show your passion, connect with others, and allow potential customers to easily book through your Vev links. In no time you will be booking your first client, have a packed schedule, and be living the dream as a private ski instructor.

How much money do you earn as a private ski instructor?

With the proper skill, certifications, promotion, and booking software, you are now ready to make a pretty penny as a private ski instructor. But how much can you expect to make? This number all depends on what type of certifications you have, your experience as a skier, your availability, and where you live. Private ski instructors in different areas of the world can expect to make different amounts of profit depending on these criteria. The average for the United States can range from $9-$20 an hour for new ski instructors to $60 an hour for expert instructors. Make sure that you are fully certified wherever you choose to teach private lessons. This will help you make the most an hour and help clients see that your services are worth paying for. Do some research on the average prices in your area and use Vev as your primary tool for invoices and payments.

Conclusion

As a private ski instructor, you wish to spend your days skiing down the crystal slopes and teaching new skiers to do the same. Nothing is better than living your dream and creating your own business while doing it. First, start with growing your skill and cultivating your goal. Once you feel confident enough to teach others, you need to gain all the needed certifications in your area to be legal, safe, and professional. After that, you can begin gathering the needed tools to manage your business easily. Set up shop with Vev to handle all your business in one place. From bookings to client information, from payments to promotion, Vev has got your back. Do your research, set your prices, advertise your business and then you will be ready to launch the private ski instructing business of your dreams.