Originally from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland, Scott Beacom got his first CASI qualification in February 2014. In a few short years, his life has changed completely having worked seasons as a CASI qualified snowboard instructor in Australia, New Zealand, Japan as well as back in Canada. Here\u2019s his story \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n In 2013, I returned from my annual winter holiday in the European Alps. I had been working for the same engineering firm for 10 years since leaving school and something just didn\u2019t feel right \u2013 it felt like I needed a change! I loved snowboarding and had also held a pipe dream that I would somehow be able to pursue a career working as a snowboard instructor. Without really believing that it would be possible, I started to look into the possibility of gaining my instructor qualifications and launching a career in the snow sports industry. At the age of 27 I thought, if I was going to do it, now was the time!<\/p>\n As I started to research the possibilities, I began to realise that working as a snowboard instructor might be more than just a pipe dream. The option was there to \u201cgo it alone\u201d and just turn up and sit the instructor exams but, having grown up on one week of snowboarding a year, I thought it best to book onto an extended training course and fully commit to this plan.<\/p>\n Even then it didn\u2019t really narrow things down, as there were a whole host of course options! However, I quickly realised that Canada was the place I wanted to go. Having spent my formative years riding the ice and slush on a hill in Scotland with the rain blowing in sideways, it is fair to say I was pretty excited about the possibility of going to Canada! Gaining the CASI qualifications was also a big factor in deciding on Canada. I knew that the CASI qualifications would give me an excellent foundation for my career in snowboard teaching, a clearly defined pathway to progress my career, membership in a huge community of fellow instructors instructing in a common way, and the chance to work internationally with a hugely well-respected qualification. Having set my parameters and after further research, I booked onto an 11-week snowboard instructor course at Big White, BC, through a company called SnowSkool<\/a>.<\/p>\n I arrived in Big White at the beginning of January 2014 and I knew right away that I had made the right decision. I just loved the vibe around Big White and loved that every day I was on the hill doing something I loved. I was in training five days per week with our CASI instructors and I was able to quickly hone my skills on-piste, in the powder and in the park. I was also able to get to know our instructors and speak to them about a career as a snowboard instructor. By the end of my 11-weeks in Big White, I had obtained my CASI Level 1 and Level 2 snowboard instructor qualifications as well as my CASI Park Instructor Level 1 \u2013 I also felt sure that this was the career for me.<\/p>\n However, no matter how badly I wanted a job as an instructor, I still had the small matter of finding a job! This is where why my 11-weeks with SnowSkool in Big White paid off \u2013 it was almost like they had been \u201cinterviewing\u201d me for 11-weeks and I was lucky enough to land a job back at the Ski and Board school at Big White. Although I had the qualifications and received excellent induction training from Big White I still remember how nervous I was for my first lesson \u2013 I had five beginner snowboarders looking at me for guidance on my first day and I didn\u2019t know if I was going to be able to speak, let alone show them how to snowboard!<\/p>\n But, of course, my training and vocal chords kicked-in and the lesson went well \u2013 as, I think, the majority of lessons I taught in that first season did. So I was off and running \u2026 and when people asked what my job was, I could proudly tell them I was a snowboard instructor! I couldn\u2019t quite believe it, myself!<\/p>\n Now, 5 years later I can not only tell people that I am a snowboard instructor, but I can tell them that I am a snowboard instructor who has worked in Australia (at Thredo for 2 seasons); Canada (at Big White for 1 season and at Whistler-Blackcomb for 2 seasons); New Zealand (at Mount Hutt for 1 season) and Japan (at Niseko in Hokkaido for 1 season). Before joining the SnowSkool program in Big White, I had never left the UK \u2013 when I now look at that breakdown of the past five years, I struggle to believe it. It looks pretty tiring too but I guess when you are doing what you love, it is not a drag at all! On top of working as an instructor, I have added additional CASI qualifications to my CV \u2013 I have achieved my CASI Level 3 Snowboard Instructor qualification and been signed off as a CASI Level 1 evaluator. I have also got my CSCP Intro to Comp and AST Level 1.<\/p>\n And what does my story tell you \u2026 it tells you that no matter where you come from in the world, go for the CASI instructor qualification which, I believe, provide the best qualification framework for teaching snowboarding. Then with a bit of hard work and dedication, those qualifications will not only give you an opportunity to develop a career in snowboard instructing but the opportunity to work internationally and experience new cultures and ways of teaching. I have had a blast and you can too!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We recently received this great story from one of our instructor training program (GAP Program) partners. Canadian resorts across our country are host to many excellent programs geared towards becoming a certified CASI snowboard instructor. There are many to choose from, and each of them provides training with their own flair from top-notch CASI instructors and current course evaluators. Thinking of becoming a snowboard instructor? Check out Scott\u2019s story below, do some research<\/a>, and take the leap!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":18151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casi-blog"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/blog-snowskool.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casi-acms.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n