I'm curious. What do incoming oversea instructors look for when they search for and choose which mountain in the US/CA they teach?
What I have heard in no particular order:
a) Affordable and clean staff accommodation - not looking for 6 people in a 250sqft room and $1000/month.
b) Wages - living wage and enough hours that will allow you to finish the season in the black rather than the red. - Is there a commission structure for sales, additional pay for dual certs, airfare allowance if you are travelling from a long distance?
c) Training - opportunities to train and improve as a professional - are there scholarships, in house training and access to senior instructors/examiners to help a pro on their career path?
d) Snow/Resort Type- large vs small vs powder vs terrain park destination vs local. Often linked to what direction an instructor wants to go in their career - a desire to progress to work in mechanized guiding - cat or heli would impact if you chose Vermont or BC. If you wanted to work with high net worth clients so destination vs local resorts- Whistler/Vail/Aspen vs Jackson/Red/Whitewater
e) Visa Sponsorship - can I work in that country? Will a resort help me secure a visa, many foreign instructors would be "loyal" to a resort that did this and would return year after year.
f) Benefits from the resort - food/lodging discounts, pass reciprocals, health insurance
I don't feel any of these are unreasonable for a professional?