Program Reviews

My daughter set off for the EA Lake Louise internship program in November 2022 and she is having the time of her life. She was assigned her own contact, Kerie, in the run up to her trip who was very helpful with information regarding the whole process, visa applications and flights. The Level 1 training took only 2 weeks and she is already training for her Level 2. A job at the end of Level 1 training was guaranteed which is a huge bonus! The work/life balance is perfect and she is teaching a mixture of private lessons, and group lessons to adults and children. She is also able to work additional hours on the resort lifts. We have been to visit and met some of her new friends from all over the world. In addition to her skiing she is now proficient in snow boarding and ice skating. The area is breathtakingly beautiful. This is an opportunity that should not be missed. We are so happy for our daughter and very proud parents.

Right from the word go we were this big crazy family who spent all day on the mountain and then all night hanging out having fun.

After 4 weeks of intensive training I felt like a completely different skier who could take on any challenge the mountain had to offer.

Working as an instructor was a dream come true, and there were constant learning opportunities throughout the season. I felt more self-confident after my season with the belief that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to.

Overall a great experience. Meeting new people, growing my own skills on the mountain and making very strong connections to continue working in this industry. It is my second year teaching (first through EA) and I have been able to build my confidence as an instructor as well as experience as a snowboarder. Also great is the opportunity to be able to keep on taking certifications and keep improving both my teaching and riding. Also the opportunity for travel is huge and definitely makes it a worthwhile investment.

I found this program back in 2018 and the interview process was very simple. The rep I worked with was extremely responsive and helpful. Because of my job and time for a sabbatical, I signed up for the Mt. Ruapehu New Zealand 2020 season.The real problem started as COVID hit in March. The communication dropped off and I was left in the dark on the status of my program that was scheduled to start in June. I understand the delays and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. However, I was constantly requesting information because my rep seemed disengaged with the situation. I was sent a purposefully confusing email at the end of May, also telling me my rep had left the company. After a week of emails, I finally heard my program was cancelled and I would receive no refund. I was told I could transfer $4,000 to another program and would lose the other $2,000. As I mentioned previously, because of my job I am unable to transfer to another program during a different season. The company also had altered their terms and conditions document from when I signed back in July 2019. Now, EA has a different policy for COVID and delaying programs where you don't lose $2,000 for preparation costs. The company's run around responses and diminished communication leaves me feeling hopeless about ever seeing my money again. I wanted to share my experience because I know it is similar to many others in my program as we are all demanding refunds. I feel it is important for future applicants to understand EA's actions and lack of understanding during COVID.

I had an incredible season. So many friends, so many memories!
I learnt so much about skiing, about teaching, and about communicating with a variety of nationalities and social backgrounds.
EA made the whole training process so easy. Their job was to train us and get us prepared for the exam, which is exactly what happened.
My season was Club Med Tomamu’s grand opening season so it was definitely not problem free. But that was due to Club Med understaffing the resort. It was a busy and sometimes overwhelming season but it was also the most incredible experience of my life. We had great accommodation, great food, in a beautiful and safe country.
In my opinion nothing can be a 10 but this was very close. It was a great experience and i am very thankful. 9/10 😁

Meeting new people that have the same interests as you and are going through the same challenges is actually quite eye opening. Through EA you not only get fun training and guidance but you also end up attending pretty cool social evenings. It's nice to be close to everyone for the first three weeks, whilst settling in to your new environment. I'm not going to lie, the exam is hard and tiresome at times but makes you feel all the more proud when you pass. Getting paid to ski is one of the best jobs out there! If you're a fan of ski and/or snowboarding you should at least try one season... it's a win win situation.

Well to start off, the trip to San Francisco was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed getting to know the other EA members before we arrived at the resort. Once arriving in Lake Tahoe, everyone settled into their condos, it was nice to be close to everyone for the first two weeks, it allowed us to socialize and build great friendships. Our two week training was very informative and educational. We trained for two weeks on snow before we took our exam. I felt very prepared to sit the exam. We also got to know our trainers very well throughout training. Getting paid to snowboard is so amazing...I do not want to go back to my other job! Everyone who has a passion for the sport should at least try this out for a season!

My experience was definitely one for the books. Though I’ve skied off and on throughout my life, I wasn’t as prepared for the workout I got from having a fun, hands-on learning program as I did at the EA program in Northstar CA. It’s definitely a great way to get into a great passion that will open the doors for a worldwide career. If you’re young, love snow sports, want to share your passion with others, and live to travel, I recommend doing this program.

For me personally, this was the first true away from home experience. With little to no knowledge of basic cooking or washing, this really was a baptism by fire, a nice and crispy baptism at that.However, these worries were soon slashed and placed into the recycle bin of my mind for later usage. Seeing Vancouver’s expansive metropolises upon landing immediately injected a sense of adventure and pure excitement for what was to come. Even though our time in Vancouver was only a flying visit it was just enough to begin to get to know future friends over eleventeen beers in Vancouver’s famous gas town.
Our first few days few days in Revelstoke were partly over shadowed by persistent rain, however a little rain never dampened our excitement for opening day or my parting spirit, in fact I think my spirit may have been a little too much for me to handle. Before I knew it opening day was at my door along with the first day of training. The snow was laid thick on the ground like sun cream on a cricket umpires top lip. The air was cool and crisp, drying out any exposed skin to that of old person’s lips. ‘send it’ and ‘dropping’ could be heard all across the mountain as skiers and boarders dived nose first into Canadas finest white stuff. Even though this fun was shorted lived due to an unusual and unfortunate lack of snow it gave me a chance to focus on my seemingly broken style of skiing (according to Revelstokes ski instructors anyways). Even so these past few days did go well and beyond to improve my skiing setting me up nice for my level one exam. However this can’t be said for all as two broken shoulders within the first week might be taking the training here a little too far. Never the less I can’t say that a few broken bones won’t stop us on our hunt for fresh lines, crazy drops and overall send it’ness.

I will never forget my experience in this beautiful country and EA Ski & Snowboard made this possible! They set you up with accommodation, training, and a guaranteed job before you even leave home. This made a huge difference for me, having security and assurance knowing that I had an epic job lined up.

I was able to train and improve my skiing ability. I improved very quickly and gained confidence in my ability to instruct others. The thing that I loved most about beginning work was the smiles on peoples faces. Your job is literally to hang out with people while they're on holiday, help them go outside their comfort zone and enjoy themselves while they do. There's nothing quite like it! Not to mention the fact that the lessons began about an hour after the resort opened.... that first hour of my day was always spent skiing fresh lines in the amazing Japow snow that had fallen the night before!

If you're considering heading to Japan for a winter season, I can't recommend it more!