LIFE OF A SKI INSTRUCTOR | Tomamu, Japan | Club Med | Episode 5

Japan, Tomamu, February 2023.
Ski instructor from the Netherlands, Nino loves his job and the Japan powder. He showed us his usual working day at the Club Med ski school department in the Tomamu resort in Hokkaido, Japan.

Facts about CLUB MED, TOMAMU
Club Med is a group of all-inclusive, five-star hotels, with summer and winter destinations all around the world.
Guests of Club Med Tomamu have group lessons included in their packages, and private lessons can be booked in addition to their group lessons.
There are 75 - 90 full-time instructors working in season 22/23.

Instructors in Club Med
Instructors get a hefty travelling budget to get to Japan, single rooms in a two-instructor apartment in the hotel with three all-you-can-eat meals a day, access to all the hotel facilities (including the gym & pool), they get work time insurance, uniform, lift pass and basically, everything they need for a pleasant season in Tomamu with practically no expenses. They get a monthly salary depending on the level of their certification.

https://www.clubmed.co.jp/r/tomamu-ho...


Facts about the workload
Instructors usually work 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon on snow and have lunch in between. Sometimes they sit down with their guests and sometimes they have a quiet meal in the employee's room.
They are expected to help out with other guest services around the hotel where they help their colleagues with the ski school sign-up, rental shop, tea time at the bar, reception (greeting the guests), and theatre/bar where they can perform and show off their other talents like singing, dancing, acting, circus skills.
Everything is oriented towards making guests feel welcome, safe and supported.

Living costs
"Living costs? What do you mean?" said Nino when we first asked him what are his living costs when working at Club Med. And literally, there are no living costs. The only thing we found that is needed but not provided by the company is the soap for washing your clothes and we're sure you can also get that from someone if you forget to bring it with you. There is a shop with food and any ordinary living supplies you'd need in the village that is within walking distance and there are regular shuttle buses. *The town grocery shop opens with the arrival of the guests, at the beginning of December so bring everything you need for the first two training weeks.

Accommodation
Instructors live in the same hotel as the guests. Don't expect a five-star hotel room, but the rooms are spacey with a bed, closet, table and privacy. You share the bathroom with one other instructor. You can wash and dry your clothes down the hallway.


Map of the area:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vFDmqFP7J6mbX...

Transportation
Club Med provides some budget for your travelling there. Once you are in the hotel you walk quite a lot up and down the hotel, but that's about it. Sometimes you will use the bus with the guests to get to the other side of the resort for the easiest chairlift for Level 2 skiers and snowboarders.
You can use the busses or train to get to the nearest towns or Sapporo, the closest big city. Tomamu is about 1 hour and 15 minutes drive from the New Chitose airport in Sapporo.

Facts about the INSTRUCTOR
Nino was born and raised in the Netherlands, he passed his Austrian ski instructor certification Antwarter with a training company in Europe. The 22/23 season is his first season in Club Med in Japan. He is working under the Working holiday visa and he is planning on travelling around Japan for a few months after the ski season is finished.

SKIING IS THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD!
https://www.snow-recruiter.com/

Film: Ajda Bole, Meta Lavric & Nino De Vries
Edit: Ajda Bole

Most of the filming was done with GoPro Hero 11 Black.

Thanks to our partners in the Life of a ski instructor project:
https://elanskis.com/
https://gopro.com/
https://snowmonkey-flask.com/
https://mint-sports.com/
https://biteme-nutrition.com/