Thinking of working a ski or summer season in Europe?
It may turn out to be one of the best decisions you have made career wise and for yourself personally.You will pack years of experience into a season’s work, enjoy great training and camaraderie, quite possibly make friends for life, improve your skiing (or learn), experience living/working overseas (possibly practising your language abilities) and return to the UK with more transferrable skills than you would have ever believed possible.
Why work a season
Many people who work a winter or summer season go on and progress their careers in travel – in all sorts of roles; from logistics and finance to catering and sales – especially now as travel is growing again.
Now we are outside the EU, there are rules and regulations around UK citizens working in Europe – and these must be adhered to. Failure to do so could land you in deep water and possibly even see you banned from entering any EU country in future.
You need to make sure that if you are employed to work in the EU, your employer obtains the right paperwork for you, usually a work permit and a visa. You may need to go for an interview at an embassy and/or have your passport stamped. You may also need to have a medical or an X-ray.
No, it’s not as frictionless as before.
But don’t let that put you off such an amazing rewarding experience. Just do your homework when it comes to choosing a responsible employer and ask them about these things.
Take a look at members of SBiT and see what they do to ensure they are compliant with local regulations. They know what they are doing.
If your employer is not up to speed or compliant with the local requirements, chances are nor are you.
It’s not worth the risk.
Not when a season can quite literally prove to be one of the best decisions you make.