A year in the life of Ski Alpine

After successfully completing my first two years at Nottingham Trent University I was keen to get started on the next chapter of my life. The 4 year sandwich course in Business Management & Marketing required me to suit up and put my ear to the ground to find a year in industry.

After being on a few Uni Ski trips myself and having a ski season under my belt prior to my degree course, things lined up nicely when I bagged myself one of the best placement opportunities available to students in the UK. After a gruelling set of interviews and a tough set of competitors, the management team here at Ski Alpine picked me for the hot seat.  

As an individual and as a student, it is difficult for me to express just how great an opportunity this is. I am fortunate enough to be working as part of a small close team who rely on each other’s team work to provide such high standards for its customers. It is common to see that we undergraduates on work placement can be stuck “making tea” or be given the title “Managing Director of all Kitchen Appliances”. In other words we are just cheap labour for huge organisations to avoid paying some other poor person to do all the remedial work that anyone with half a brain doesn’t want to do.

Here at Ski Alpine there is no room for slackers or procrastinators. You can’t fob work off to anyone else if you think it’s a bit boring. Every one chips in and takes all responsibilities as and when they come. They treat me as a full time member and give me responsibilities that contribute to the success of the organisation as a whole. It’s a good feeling knowing that the work you do is relied on by the team to be correct and accurate so that when things run smoothly you know you had an influence on the success of the company.

It’s difficult to describe the exact role I do here in the office. It can range from organising all the promotional material for each group, to being in charge of all social media marketing, sales, customer relations, finance handling, events managing, and sponsorship co-ordination. It’s never the same day in the office and each day is as interesting and challenging as the last. However all of this is just the build up to getting out to the mountains themselves.

I believe the best part of my year lies 3000m up above the clouds. Not only is it a great atmosphere being able to work up in the French Alps but the role I am given is an incredible experience and a huge opportunity for a 22 year old student. The placement job requires me to lead a team of up to 15 reps and running a resort as a manager. With close support from the team in a resort just over the valley, help is never far away should I need it, but I am relied upon to operate a successful and smooth running week’s ski holiday  for anything up to 500 students.  

I would advise anyone who is organised, pro-active, conscientious and most of all a good communicator to apply for this position. You will need a strong mentality to get you through the hectic periods as well as a great sense of humour to be able to deal with students at their wildest. A passion for snow sports and a love for a good atmosphere can never be a bad thing to have either.

And remember, “Even in the toughest times, a simple smile can lift the spirits of those who are beyond the brink of happiness”.  M.J. EMERY (2012)

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Mikey Emery