3-Week Ski Instructor Courses

Our three-week ski instructor courses are extremely popular as they provide the perfect opportunity to push your skiing to that next level whilst also gaining the Level 1 Ski Instructor qualification. This ski instructor course is ideal for either those who simply want a structured way of improving their skiing or for those who want to spend the rest of the season instructing.

A short video on our 3-week Level 1 Ski Instructor Courses

Gain qualifications early & instruct in the same season

Fast track yourself into the instructing industry with our 3-week courses. You could see yourself as a qualified ski instructor before the Christmas rush and lined up with a job for the rest of the season. Or simply use the course to improve and gain your qualifications.
Learn more about the qualifications you can gain here.

Learn to ski like a pro

With solid instruction and guidance from our ski pros for two weeks prior to your exam, you'll iron out any bad habits and your skiing will improve above and beyond the level you were expecting.
For more information about our coaching click here

Career advice & links into the instructing world

We are one of the longest running instructor course companies and therefore have establishd and maintained links around the world in hundreds of ski schools. We give you a Careers Seminar and 42 page booklet to help you kick start your life as an instructor. Mentioning you have taken a NONSTOP course will make you highly employable.

Ski in the best resorts

We’ve chosen the three best resorts in Canada, if not the world (Fernie, Banff and Whistler) that have plenty of varied terrain to allow you to train as a ski instructor. Plus you'll be shown the best of each area from the very first day with our local pros.
Click here for more information on the resorts or go to the main resort section

Add 'Seasonal Accommodation' to your package

We've put together the ultimate package for anyone keen to live and work in Banff as a ski instructor for a season. Take our course and sign up for our full season accommodation and you'll be set to work as an instructor for the whole winter. Learn it, live it, love it! (Visa required)
Read more about our Banff season accommodation here

Amazing Value

We understand that it’s hard to compare like-for-like but there’s no doubt that we have put together the best course to fast-track you into the industry; we have a fantastic pass rate giving you the optimum opportunity to find work and for the coming winter we have kept our prices at an absolute minimum.
Check out what's included in the package.

When, where and how much?

BANFF - 19th November 2010 - 10th December 2010
WHISTLER - 1st December 2010 - 22nd December 2010
FERNIE - 27th December 2010 - 15th January 2011
FERNIE - 19th March 2011 - 9th April 2011

With packages starting as low as £2,500 ($4,338 CAD) check out our dates and prices section for more details.

Got a quick question?

Click here and we'll answer it!

Dan Sherfield

3-Week Instructor Course - Case Study

Read Dan's story about the course followed by a season as a ski instructor.

I came to Canada with a working Visa sorted through BUNAC which was very easy to get but then I applied about a year in advance. It cost about £165. My plan was to complete the course with NONSTOP and then try and find a job using my qualification somewhere in Canada. I wasn't sure if I wanted to instruct in Fernie or not, it all depended on what I thought of Fernie and job availabilty.

I decided to get to Fernie a week or so before the course and NONSTOP were great in providing accommodation for me and a couple of mates who came out to visit over Christmas. Fernie was amazing from the moment I got there, though it took a while to get used to skiing powder rather than European groomed slopes! You'll notice as soon as you get there that all anyone talks about is powder! The course started on Boxing day and was a really good mix of people. It was an older crowd than I was expecting, with probably about twenty people 25 and under and the rest ranging from 25-60ish. This worked really well though and we were all put into accommodation with people of similar ages.

Skiing wise I got so much out of the course. The instructors really knew their stuff. I'm a very technical learner, so really enjoyed learning how skiing works but with the range of instructors we had we got to learn in all kinds of ways. My worry before the course was that I wasn't going to pass considering that my plans relied on me passing! In truth passing level 1 is more about showing the right attitude and in the end I think 23 out of the 24 people passed. Most of the people on the course will never use the qualification but it is the best ski lesson you'll ever have and everyone I skied with improved so much over the 3 weeks.

Fernie itself is awesome. European skiing doesn't even compare and until you've skied in powder you haven't really skied! The whole mountain is ski-able - there are no ropes anywhere, and while runs are named and some groomed, I'm pretty sure you could ski different lines through different trees every day for the whole season. The town is as laid back as anyone has told you. While there are only 8 - 9 bars, every night one of them will be packed and there will be someone looking for a party. I've been to Whistler and absolutely loved it for a weekend but for a season it would be Fernie every time.

Once I had passed and the course had finished I went to see Wendy, the resort director, who put me in contact with the kids ski school manager. After a 10 minute conversation with him I had a job, only a day after the course had finished! I was hesitant about working with kids as I have never dealt with kids at all but I was thrown in straight away and it was kind of a sink or swim situation. I surprised myself by actually being ok at it and surprised myself even more when I started to really enjoy it! The only problem is it doesn't pay very well at all. As a rookie I was on $9 and hour and you only get paid for the hours you teach. You basically either need savings or another job to get by comfortably. Even with this, I have already applied to instruct again in Fernie and can't wait to get back to the slopes.

Having got my level 1 I started working towards level 2 which I passed at the end of the season. The training was pretty good on the whole and you actually got paid for 3 of the training sessions you turned up to in a week.