So with the idea of wanting to do a season in Mayrhofen, Austria as had heard such good things about the place and having loved Austria when I was in Hintertux for a month a couple of years ago I set forth with the tough task of hopefully finding instructing work for the season!!
This started last summer while in New Zealand I sent off e-mails to all the ski schools I could find online sometime in June, with only one positive reply coming from SMT Ski School saying to e-mail them again around the beginning of October with a copy of my certificates showing my qualifications. Not being patient I ended up sending them the e-mail in September wanting to make sure I'd hopefully have a chance in getting work with this school as after having read up on it it looked to be the best snowboard/ ski school in Mayrhofen so the best one to work for. I got a short reply from Bernhard who is in charge of the snowboard school saying that my CV looked great and they'd be interested just needed to know if I could speak some German!! I remember I was in the internet place in Wanaka when I got this e-mail and was stoked at this reply, my friend Drew who had been helping me with my German and was my go to person for advice on this was there too so I showed him the e-mail and got his idea on how to reply!! With e-mailing back and forth for a month or so I was eventually offered the job so as you can imagine I was super happy and had my flight booked within a couple of days of having got the job!!
I headed out to Mayrhofen on the 12th December. It was a scary thought as it always is going to a new place not knowing anyone and this time have the different language, I know some German but it is not that good, it has improved over the season I just need to be more confident and speak it more and not worry if I get it wrong as people will correct me and that's how you learn!!
On arriving and being dropped off outside the house I would be living in for the season I phoned Bernhard and he said to wait there and he would be there soon to let me in. Then one of the guys Henry who's from New Zealand came along and let me in, he's one of the other instructors who has done a lot of seasons here!! The accommodation was so much better than I was expecting, I had a room to my self in this big typical Austrian house in the centre of town sweet!! The others who live in the house too are cool as well. I came out here wanting to improve my german too but I'd say I've heard dutch being spoken more from living with a lot of dutch and so many dutch that come here to ride!!
First impressions though were that I liked this place and had a good feeling about the season here :)
No comments:
Post a Comment