Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Danish Education Special – Højskoler
The Skibum course consists of two parts: four months by the sea in Denmark, improving language, social and physical skills, and four months working in the ski industry in Austria.
Acquire the skillset of a ski bum You might not think it, but becoming a ski bum (working as a ski instructor, hotelier or in other areas of the ski industry) requires a broad skillset. At Højskolen Østersøen, you can improve or acquire all the skills needed: physical training, cultural understanding and languages. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Højskolen Østersøen
Located just 25 kilometres from the Danish-German border, Højskolen Østersøen is an educational gateway to Europe and the German-speaking part of the ski industry in particular. As part of the ski bum course, young aspiring ski bums spend four months training, learning languages, and meeting people of all kinds of backgrounds. This prepares them for the second half of the course: four months working in Austria’s ski industry. “It’s all about building skills and using the international community that we have here to prepare yourself for going to Austria. What you get through this course is four months by the sea in Denmark and four months in the mountains in Austria,” explains principal Annemarie Morris. 82 | Issue 106 | November 2017
The ski bum stay in Austria includes guaranteed work in the ski industry. This could be a job in a sports equipment shop, as a waiter, in a hotel or as a ski instructor. Halfway through the first four months, all students travel to Austria to take the ski instructor test (95 per cent of the school’s
students pass the test on their first attempt) or visit their future work place. Together with the later real-life appliance of skills, the school’s international environment and focus on sports and languages create an all-encompassing, thrilling and engaging adventure. “All the competences and skills you gain at the school, you then get to try out in practice – and have a lot of fun while doing so,” says course administrator Karim Pedersen. Facts: - The spring Skibum course of 2018 runs 13 January to 4 May. - The work stay in Austria runs from December 2018 to April 2019. - The fee for the 16 weeks at the school is 15,920 DKK plus 3,995 DKK for the mid-term study trip to Austria and 5,000 DKK for the Ski Instructor Certificate.
Web: www.hojoster.dk/skibums