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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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 Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:29 am Post subject: Working in Canada |
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This is about as off topic as you can get but due to the large number of Canadian expats here, I thought I'd ask the kind people here some questions.
I've managed to secure a Canadian working holiday visa and looking to leave in about October or so to do the resort grind over the winter.
Does anyone here have experience working such resorts? Relatives or friends perhaps? I'm mainly looking at Banff and Fernie (Whistler is commerical central which means big $$$), but I'd be open to other ideas.
Ideally, I'd love to work somewhere on the moutain, but not for the actual operators of the slopes, as I hear they get worked to the bone. Perhaps a bottleshop or lodge in the village, as long as I have time to snowboard, and accomodation isn't too steep.
Not really sure what I should be looking for.
Perhaps you guys can point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance.
jae. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| My kid sister worked as a ski instructor at Whistler, and her boyfriend works at a snowboard shop there. PM me and I can get you in touch with them. |
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redd
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:33 am Post subject: |
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I worked at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel a fair number of years ago in housekeeping. CLL, Banff, and Whistler all have Fairmont Hotels and offer 6mth contracts. You can try just going into the HR departments of any hotel and asking around for work once there, or try looking on www.hcareers.ca. It's an international hospitality job board and a lot of places use it.
Have fun!!! |
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Sage Monkey
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:40 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Sage Monkey on Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:31 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:50 am Post subject: |
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| You could always plant trees or clean out oil tanks. Yea! |
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Sage Monkey
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:00 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Sage Monkey on Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:28 am; edited 2 times in total |
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matko
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: in a world of hurt!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:04 am Post subject: |
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Half of the employees working at Whistler seem to be foreigners especially Aussies and Kiwis.
Why is that? I never thought those countries were much into winter sports. Their Olympic records kind of proves it.
Anyway, Is the competition for these jobs stiff or are they easy to come by? I would go with Whistler if I were you just because it is so close to Vancouver and civilization.
Good luck by the way. |
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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the advice (even Billy Bob Thornton here) so far.
| matko wrote: |
Half of the employees working at Whistler seem to be foreigners especially Aussies and Kiwis.
Why is that? I never thought those countries were much into winter sports. Their Olympic records kind of proves it.
Anyway, Is the competition for these jobs stiff or are they easy to come by? I would go with Whistler if I were you just because it is so close to Vancouver and civilization. |
There's a pretty big backpacker/travelling culture here in Australia, and it seems that Aussies like lots of what we don't really have. Whether that means history and culture (Europe), lots of cold, white stuff (Canada and US ski resorts), or really big cities (like London, NY etc). You won't see many Aussies chasing the beach unless they're die hard surfers who want to experience a specific break.
We get about 3 months of rideable snow every year, and when you compare that to the Canadian Rockies that get about 5 maybe even 6 months a year, well it starts to make a little sense.
Apparently jobs aren't too difficult to come by, but accomodation is what's going to drive you batty.
The large amount of Aussies is why I'd like to try and avoid Whistler. But hell, I'd take it if it came up and I could secure something solid.
Make no mistake, I'm going to mainly snowboard and party. The work is a means to fund the above two habits.. :) But I've heard that Fernie is great for the "small town" Canadian experience which has immense appeal. After all, I can hit up Vancouver or the other large cities when it turns to summer if I still have some money left.
The one thing I have up my sleeve is time, and I can sorta plan this out properly. Gives me breathing room to weigh up pros and cons of each resort and sort of see how much mileage I can get out of the dollar.
Thanks for the advice so far.
jae. |
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tommynomad
Joined: 24 Jul 2004
Location: on the move
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:50 am Post subject: |
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| jaebea wrote: |
Apparently jobs aren't too difficult to come by, but accomodation is what's going to drive you batty.
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IMNSHO, the truest thing I've seen on the thread.
In 2002, I took 6 months off teaching to work and ride in Lake Louise. I worked for the resort. I went in September with resumes in hand and had the pick of any job I wanted. I got the cushiest job there: 4 days on, 3 days off, 12 hours/day, $8/hr minus accoms.
Ah, the accoms. I lived in a 5BR suite with 6 other people. There were 35 suites in the building. The average age? Maybe 22, dominated by 19-yr-olds and 24-yr-olds with severe arrested development. My suite had 20 different residents in the 6 months I lived there--that's the turnover.
The employers are the worst kind of capricious: encouraging drug use for those who benefit (people who worked looooong shifts that switched back-and-forth from day to night were kept well supplied with coke and amphetamines), and using 'drugs' as an excuse to fire people deemed unworthy (like the guy who started a petition seeking fairer conditions who was fired for 'parephernalia'). Double standards were the norm between permanent staff and seasonal, too: the latter had no rights at all (including things like search and seizure by upper staff instead of police, getting fired for dyeing your hair), while the former had some kind of crazy ski-tenure that made them untouchable (just not showing up for work was not uncommon, nor was roofie/alcohol rape).
Theft was rampant, as were: fighting, public puking & urination, general dumbass behaviour (I saw a drunken security officer try to forearm a pine tree, among other things). If you can put up with this kind of thing (I insisted on my own room, owned earplugs and my own dishes), then go for it: there are few things as rewarding as waking up knowing you've got 7 hours of riding prime terrain ahead of you.
Two last words of advice:
1. Choose a small, non-corporate resort with good snow: there is no such thing as a resort with good nightlife, so don't bother looking.
2. Don't have sex: the Bow Valley is NAmerica's #1 STD transmission area, and similar conditions exist in all the resorts. |
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deetah
Joined: 14 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:03 am Post subject: |
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I took a year off uni in 2003 and headed out West to Banff. I got a job at the swanky Rimirick Resort Hotel as a "front desk agent". I lasted 6 weeks: staff accomodation was beyond bad (3 people to a room), surveillance and invasive questions from bosses, sucking up to rick people! So not my cup of tea! The 18 to 30 years olds I met acted irresponsible, arrogant, and ignorant. Too much drugs, drinking, mindless partying and inane personalities for me. I booked it back to Ontario on the Greyhound and got a great job at a university.
Mind you, the scenery if breathtaking and the mountains can can a middled mind anyday!
If you arrive in Banff, Jasper at the right time, the job opportunities are endless. |
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Doodly
Joined: 21 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:54 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Doodly on Fri Mar 18, 2005 6:27 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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Doodly
Joined: 21 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:06 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Doodly on Fri Mar 18, 2005 6:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:21 am Post subject: |
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Not much of a partyer to be honest, I just want to come away with good memories and good technique on the board.
In that regard, Fernie looks like the right choice. Admittedly not the best for boarding due to the powpow, but I can make a little sacrifice on optimal snow if it means it means I'm comfortable. :)
Some of the stories you guys pasted have planted little seeds of doubt, but I guess it's no different to the horror stories with teaching English in Korea.. :)
Thanks for the heads up guys.
jae. |
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Doodly
Joined: 21 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Doodly on Fri Mar 18, 2005 6:33 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Pyongshin Sangja
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: I love baby!
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| Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:21 am Post subject: |
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| See you in Boystown, fish. |
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