THE LUCK OF IRISH SEASONAIRES

In the world of seasonaires, it's never been a better time to be Irish.

During my time as a Chalet Host in the French Alps, I constantly found myself responding to the confused looks of guests when I opened my mouth to welcome them and an Irish accent came out.

Many of these groups have been going on catered chalet ski holidays for the best part of 20 years and until now, never had (the pleasure of having) Irish hosts. Why is this?

“The majority of seasonaires are always British. I think it’s because they have more of a culture for it and a lot of the companies are based in England”, says 6-time Irish seasonaire, Ellen Grace Doyle.

The catered chalet industry of ski holidays is dominated by British companies including Skiworld, VIP Ski, Buildmyskitrip, Le Ski, Purple Ski and more. 

Guests and employees generally tend to follow suit with most being British. According to Seasonal Business in Travel (SBIT), approximately 25,000 Britons work seasonal jobs in Europe every year.

However, Brexit has created serious challenges for British seasonaires hoping to work in Europe as their Freedom of Movement rights have been stripped and work visa applications are complicated. 

As a ski seasonaire you can expect to be employed for up to 5 months on resort. Experienced seasonaire, Sam Adams was forced to leave his third season in Val d’Isere after only 90 days due to his visa expiration.

“I was lead to believe by my employer and from information that was online that I would be able to return on another short term visa. I applied online and paid to reserve a spot but then was not actually able to get the visa”. 

“I didn’t have enough days left on my travel permit to go back to get my belongings so I had to spend a lot of time trying to get my stuff back to the UK which was really difficult”.

Sam also explains how difficult the visa application was to begin with, 

“You have to apply for a work permit first which for me, took 2 months to come through and then you have to go and apply for your visa separately. You go in with all this paperwork and you have to actually be there in person to give your passport. I’d been two times because I was rejected the first time for reasons never explained to me”.

Buildmyskitrip owner, Laurence Stanford describes the work visa application process for British employees:

“I’m currently interviewing British nationals this week for chalet positions and if we want to employ them, I have to start a 2-3 month visa / work permit application process, which is really time consuming, costs about €350 per staff member and doesn’t have any guarantee of being accepted”.

“This is in comparison to being able to employ EU nationals instantly”, says Laurence.

Sam echoes these concerns saying, “It’s so much harder now for Britons to get back to season work. A lot of people are just giving up on it and I feel really bad for people trying to get into the industry because with little experience, you’re not going to get a job where someone is risking paying for a visa for you or sponsoring you. It’s a very very unfortunate situation”.

Fortunately for the Irish, this has created higher demand for Irish seasonaires as we possess two crucial characteristics: European passports and the native English language.

Young people are constantly burdened with the desire to travel minus the funds or knowledge on how to do so. Season work is a great way to start travelling, meet new people and have the best time of your life.

Many companies' applications for next year's season have already opened up so if you are considering trying your hand at it, get your applications in early.

Here are some things to consider when applying:

1. It doesn't matter if you've never skied before, you’ll learn.

2. Tailor your resume to emphasise what's relevant

3. Read the contract - know what you are getting yourself into. Season work can be tough, it can involve early mornings and late nights for minimal pay so make sure you are comfortable with this.

4. Being bubbly is the most important thing - ski seasons are extremely sociable so make sure and get your personality out there in the interview.

5. Be confident - take charge of whatever you are doing and own your position, don’t be afraid to put your own mark on things.