Planning your BASI Level 3 ISIA Training and Courses

When planning out the courses and training for your BASI Level 3 ISIA qualifications one of the things to establish is your timeline. How soon do you want to pass the exams? and do you have everything in place to be allowed to sit the exam? Click here if you don’t know all of the modules of the level 3 qualification.

Ideas for how to get your Ski Instructor Teaching Hours

It is a prerequisite to have passed the BASI Level 2 and have 200 teaching hours. How do you get your hours? There are a few options here and we have seen all of them done…

Head down to NZ or Australia and complete your 200 hours in a winter season there.
Work for a winter season in Europe, USA, Canada or Japan as a ski instructor.
Work at a dry slope or snowdome in the UK.
Do a packaged work and train scheme.
Do a training course and work peak weeks as an instructor.

All of the above are feasible. You may choose to do a combination of the above, but the bottom line is that you must get your 200 hours of teaching in order to be able to sit the teach and technical qualifications for the BASI Level 3.

You may find that one of the ways jumps out at you more than another due to your own situation. We really like the idea of hours being completed in the Southern Hemisphere because it means that you can dedicate more of your time to training when you return to Europe. We believe this is the most efficient way of getting fully qualified. However, going to the Southern Hemisphere may not suit everyone, in which case you should chose the option that suits you best. Our belief is that if you are going to train that you should turn up ready both mentally and physically. This can be hard to do if you have been teaching in the morning or working/partying the night before. The old cliché that you only get out what you put in is definitely applicable to ski instructor training.

Choose your Ski Resort wisely

Once you have figured a way that you will get your hours you should then proceed to working out how you are going to tackle your exams. It is perfectly fine to start taking your exams before you have your 200 hours teaching experience, it is only the teach and technical exams that come with the 200 hours teaching caveat. We know from our BASI Level 3 Information page that there are many modules, most of these are based in the large ski resorts and Hintertux. If you want to save money and time on travel, accommodation and lift passes you could consider basing yourself in one of these resorts (generally Verbier, 3 Valleys, Val D’Isere, Zermatt and Hintertux). Doing this will mean you can benefit from the season pass and accommodation that you have already paid for. It’s worth ticking off the non- teach and technical exams as soon as possible, ideally alongside when you are training. Have a look where exams take place, if there are no exams anywhere near where you have been offered a job then it’s unlikely you will be able to tick off exams as you’re going through the season. Choosing your resort can be an opportunity to practise your 2nd language and get that exam completed, another module ticked off.

How are you going to Improve?

Hopefully from your level 2 exam you will start to get an idea of where you are at with regards to your level 3. If you passed your level 2 with flying colours and you were told that you could head straight onto your tech with no further training then the message is clear, no further training required (likely only applicable to ex national team skiers for the technical exam). If, however you need to improve before taking the teach or technical exam then you need to come up with a plan for training. Having an idea of what you need to improve will allow you to have some ownership to your improvement. Have a look at the BASI Level 3 criteria and work with your coach to find the areas where improvement is needed. Getting better doesn’t happen naturally, you must work hard to change movement patterns and posture otherwise you will become better at managing your inefficiencies rather than improving your technique. If you want to improve ski technique and understanding it is best doing this under the guidance of an experienced coach on a BASI 3 Training Course. We appreciate this option is not always for everyone, however to avoid the training course to save money can often be a false economy as it may take your more time and attempts to pass your exams without any training.

Equipment Selection

There is a lot of choice and things to consider when it comes to choosing ski equipment for the BASI level 3 training, we have instead decided to dedicate a whole page on skis for BASI Level 3.

Finances

At this stage in your ski career it is unlikely that you will be building up your bank balance if you are wanting to progress through the system, your work should allow you to pay for your training. There are various jobs in resort that can help to pay the bills on top of teaching. You should try to avoid the jobs which will eat into your skiing time. Ideas are… selling lessons for ski schools, transfer driving, handyman work, cleaning, servicing skis for people.

Conclusion

Try to think logically about your pathway and build in plenty of training time. Tick off the exams which don’t require so much training. Get as many exams as possible done in your home resort. Avoid turning up to training tired. If you need work, then choose a job that will allow you to ski as much as possible. If you need any further guidance please don’t hesitate to contact us