London - It’s not too late to get a job in a ski resort. Staff are leaving for resorts now, but there is a surge in demand for them in January when extra chalet bookings come in and some would-be staff decide it’s not for them.
Diane Palumbo, director with Skiworld, which has 118 chalets across the Alps, says: “We look for chalet hosts who cook, clean and look after guests, resort reps and chefs or chalet managers.
“Experience in hospitality helps, and people who return for more seasons can move into more senior roles.”
She says chalet hosts are no longer just young women — last year more than half of Skiworld’s hosts were men.
Vincent Clist, 33, spent three seasons as a chalet chef in Meribel, France, before landing a job as a chef at Abinger Cookery School.
He says: “It’s like cooking a five-course dinner party every night, and you have to be up early to do breakfast, as well as socialising with the guests. You are on show all the time.”
The big perk is the skiing. Vincent adds. “I was on the slopes from 10.30am till 5pm, and had ski lessons subsidised by my employer, so my skiing really improved,” he says.
He advises others considering a ski season: “It’s a ‘work hard, play hard, ski hard’ lifestyle, but punctuality is vital so your guests don’t miss the first lifts of the day. Many holiday companies ask for hospitality experience.”
Lewis Davies, owner of Abinger Cookery School, which helps students find jobs as ski hosts and chalet chefs, says: “You must take the job seriously as food standards are high.”
Staff get free accommodation and employers also pay for their ski hire and lift passes. - Daily Mail
* skiworld.co.uk; abingercookeryschool.com; natives.co.uk; vip-chalets.com.