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Are you an avid skier who happen to be fascinated with the Japanese culture? Then you can aim to become a ski instructor in a ski resort in Japan. Particularly during its winter season, there are many Japanese who are willing to learn the sport, but there are just not enough instructors to teach them. This provides a great opportunity for foreigners to work there while at the same time learn about the country’s unique culture.

Where are the best places to look for such a job opening? While there are many ski destinations in this far eastern archipelago, the most popular ski resorts can be found in these places: Hokkaido, Gifu, Niigata, Nagano, and Gunma.

You should know that in general, ski instructor jobs in Japan will only pay you if you have a student to teach. No student, no class, no salary. It may also include the instances when the weather is not conducive for ski instructions. So you should be informed this early that you should not rely heavily on your salary from this position to provide for all of your expense needs. This should not worry you too much because after all you are really there to experience the culture of Japan.

However, the pay is good enough to let you live comfortably there. The salary ranges from 110,000 to 125,000 Japanese yen. But a 20% tax will have to be deducted to that amount. Keep in mind also that all workers in Japan are covered by the Japanese “Rousai” Work Insurance while there are during work hours. Should you want more insurance protection outside work, you will have to get it for yourself.

You must also know that should you be hired, your meals and accommodations will not be covered by the ski resort where you will be working. You will have to provide these for yourself. You might have read or heard that previous to 2008 these were provided by the employers. However, the hospitality industry in Japan has become too fierce and crowded that resorts had to cut their expenses, and the meals and accommodations of their workers are one of those that were removed. On the other hand, you can always find affordable accommodations in the vicinity of the ski resort while you are working there.

Another question you might have is if it is a requirement for you to have any ski instructor certification before you can even be seriously considered for the job? The answer is no although it would make sense to you that you would have a certain level of advantage to your fellow applicants if you do. If your ski level is average, you will probably be assigned to the new students who are just getting started on skiing.

Also, while you are not required to be able to converse smoothly in Japanese, it would be your chance to practice your knowledge of the language by conversing directly with your students and also your colleagues. Work agencies, on the other hand, can help you go through a basic Japanese language course just to make you feel comfortable enough to talk using that language while being a ski instructor. These will help you find the best Japan jobs for foreigners easily and safely.

Tags: ski instructor, skiing instructor