Dear very young UK passport holders who want to work as chalet hosts in France.
Chalet hosting is a very competitive industry, and chalet companies get a huge number of applicants every year. They often get 50-100+ resumes per position. It’s a hard industry to break in to, especially if you have limited experience and don’t have an EU passport.
Every year were see hundreds of 18-20 year olds posting job wanted ads on social media hoping to land a chalet hosting role. They post their ads on multiple Facebook groups, and post them every week for months on end. I have no doubt that many of these people send off their resumes to a very large number of chalet management companies.
Sorry but this is what you are doing.
Employers see very young Brits wanting jobs and ask:
- Have they ever lived abroad before or am I going to have to look after them?
- Are they on a gap year, and is it worth doing the visa paperwork for them if I’m getting one season (at best) out of them?
- Are they going to party like rock stars now that they’ve moved out of home.
- Why should I hire them instead of the 25 year old with an EU passport who has done 7 years of full time work?
If you genuinely want to work as a chalet host, the best option is to get a season or three under your belt and add some “oomph” to your resume. It’s not a role you can “fake it til you make it” and those who try rarely get through the interview process. If they do manage to land a hosting job they get found out during training week and get sent to “Chalet Gatwick”.
Please consider working a ski season or two in Japan, USA, Australia, NZ, or Canada, and then going for the chalet hosting role. Having experience, good references, and a proven ability to live away from home makes EU employers much more willing to take on a UK passport holder and arranging a 3 year Carte de Sejour.
Getting that dream job as a chalet host is a process, one that can be very enjoyable.
Please also see our podcast titled “Chalet Life“. It features a multi-year chalet host veteran with a lot of great advice.