Ski Instructor Qualifications
NONSTOP Ski offer a wide range of qualifications from the Canadian Ski Instructors Association (CSIA) and the New Zealand Ski Instructor Alliance (NZSIA). Both are members of the ISIA (International Ski Instructors Association) and all the qualifications are internationally recognised throughout the snow sports industry.
NONSTOP Ski provides the opportunity to gain the following Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) qualifications and New Zealand Ski Instructor Alliance (NZSIA) qualifications
- CSIA Level 1 (3 and 11 week courses)
- CSIA Level 2 (11 week courses)
- CSCF Entry level course "trained" status (11 week courses)
- CFSA or CSIA Snow Park Certification Course (11 week courses)
- NZSIA Level 1
- NZSIA Level 2
About the qualifications
Each qualification is divided into two parts - your teaching and your skiing. You need to pass both parts to gain full certification. On the rare occasion that one of our seasonaires happens to miss out on one half of the qualification they can easily re-sit that element as soon as they are ready.
CSIA Level 1
CSIA Level 1 is the first level of four ski instructor certifications. The Level 1 course covers instructing methods and skiing exercises for teaching beginner to early intermediate skiers. We expect each of our seasonaires to gain their Level 1 qualification and to date we have an impressive 100% pass rate. It is relatively easy to find work in Canada and America with level 1. You can find work outside of North America with just level 1 but having level 2 will open more doors.
CSIA Level 2
CSIA Level 2 works on your more advanced skiing skills and the teaching techniques for intermediate skiers. Level 2 examinations are demanding and will require dedicated focus and commitment throughout the 11-weeks. We were pleased to achieve an impressive 93% pass rate over the 2008 courses. Level 2 is very well recognised around the world and although most of our clients return to instruct in Canada (because they fall in love with the copious amounts of snow, empty pistes and friendly people!) many use their qualifications to travel around the world.
CSCF Race Coach
The CSCF (Canadian Ski Coaches Federation) Race coach course is a popular three day course which will push your speed and free skiing techniques while developing coaching skills for introducing children to race techniques.
CFSA & CSIA Snow Park
The CFSA or the CSIA Snow Park qualifications enable you to become a qualified freestyle coach able to instruct terrain park and flat land freestyle up to intermediate skill levels. The 3-day course is divided between developing your coaching methods and improving your kicker, rails, and flat land skills. Which certification you gain will depend on your chosen course location. We have used the best possible local instructor resources in each resort, capable of offering you the best freestyle qualification available. In Fernie candidates will take the CFSA course and all other resorts will take the CSIA course. They are viewed equally by employers.
NZSIA Level 1 & 2
The New Zealand SnowSports Instructor Alliance is the official ski instructors qualification and qualifying body for New Zealand. It is recognised internationally for its high standard of skiing, ski teaching and modern skiing progressions. With your N.Z.S.I.A stage one qualification a world of opportunities will unfold, for work as a ski teacher and travel. The qualification is a great asset for gaining work throughout North America, Canada and Europe.
You can choose to stay for an extra four weeks and gain your NZSIA Level 2
Choosing which ski instructor qualifications to gain
As you may be aware there are many different instructor bodies. A few examples are;
CSIA - Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance
BASI - British Association of Snowsport Instructors
PSIA - Professional Ski Instructors of America
NZSIA - New Zealand Snowsports Instructors Alliance
SNMSF – Syndicat National des Moniteurs du Ski Francais
It may seem like a bit of a mine field when trying to work out which qualifications you want to gain. Apart from copious amounts of snow, empty pistes and super friendly people we specialise in Canada and New Zealand because we believe that their instructor qualifications are the best because they are the:
AMP (All Mountain Pro)
At NONSTOP Ski our primary goal is to massively improve your skiing. We want you to leave Canada being able to rip the whole mountain, whatever the conditions, in control, in style, and having fun.
We recognise that some people who choose an 11-week ski instructor course are unlikely to ever actually work as an instructor and are doing the course as a structured, enjoyable way of spending a season. Therefore we realise the importance of offering more than just instructor training. So for those who are more interested in their personal performance (as opposed to the CSIA level 2 qualification) the All Mountain Pro certification is the perfect solution. AMP offers a structured development programme with set standards and defined goals so that after the level 1 instructor exam (which everyone does) you can make the most of the snow conditions while pushing your skiing progression right through to the end of the course.
Learn more about AMP
AMP - What you'll learn...
You will be taught different skills each week culminating in an assessment at the end of the course. The modules you will focus on and be assessed on are:
- Gladed tree run
- Controlled Air Time
- Linked Carving
- Varied Turns
- Short Radius Turns
- Drop Ins
- Mogul Runs
- Expression Session
- Free Run
