Career wise
Don't think of it as a paid holiday - working at a resort can become a far reaching step on your career path. Dan Levy hears why Even if you have no particular ties to the UK, you might feel that working a season abroad is a 'time out' from your career path.
Even if you have no particular ties to the UK, you might feel that working a season abroad is a 'time out' from your career path.
But a stint overseas can do more to enhance your career than staying at home, making you a lot more employable on your return.
'I think it's so good for your CV,' says Charlotte Kinnish, childcare manager for tour operator Scott Dunn. 'It looks really good that you've seen a bit of the world and that you're adaptable. I think it can only be a good thing.'
Working in a resort can be very intense, requiring an array of skills and a versatility that you may not have needed in jobs in the UK.
Tina Rhodes, overseas childcare manager for Esprit Holidays, explains, 'With the children, you get used to them over a week and then you get a new set of children, and you've got to get used to their routines and try to settle them into your nurseries as well.'
In addition to the high turnover of children, the age range and type of children left in your care at a resort is much greater.
'It changes from week to week, which I think is great,' says Sharon Turner, director of Cheeky Monkeys Morzine, which supplies nannies in the French Alps. 'This environment is constantly changing. It's different children, different chalets - it's a different job really. It keeps people more motivated, and I think it's more fun.'
Character building The necessarily varied nature of the care you provide is likely to improve your skills and confidence.
'It really does build character,' says Emma Keene, childcare recruitment manager for Mark Warner.
'You're having different families to deal with probably on a weekly basis, and you're dealing with different personalities all the time. It is hard work out there; you're not covered in cotton wool at all. You have to hold your own and it's a very busy day.'
Annabel Roberts, who has worked two seasons for Scott Dunn, agrees.
'Before I started work with Scott Dunn, I was only experienced with children aged up to three years, but during the seasons, I worked with children of all ages.
'Working abroad has made me more confident as a professional because I have dealt with so many different children, different ages and different needs, which has expanded my knowledge.'
It is often the case that seasonal childcare workers take on duties traditionally reserved for more senior members of staff, as well as gain new skills. They have to learn to deal with parents in a different way, as they rely more heavily on communication with them, and deal with a greater volume of parents, too.
Tina Rhodes says, 'You learn a lot from the guests. 'Because you've got this challenge of looking after their children, and naturally you want to do it as well as you can, you find yourself really speaking to parents and getting everything out of them to try to make the children happier.'
Qualities that experienced childcare reps say they have developed from the job include improved confidence in social and interpersonal skills; greater confidence in communicating; professional and personal maturity; and a greater ability to work in a team. A lot of this comes from the nature of the work, but it also comes from the living arrangements, as employees have to live, work and get on with people they haven't known before.
These are all attributes that will improve your status as a professional, and certainly make you more attractive to future employers. You are likely to be required to deal with many more situations than you would back home, and a greater number of people in a greater number of ways.
'Teamwork is usually important, not just within the childcare team, but with the chefs, the hosts, the drivers, the resort managers,' explains Charlotte Kinnish. 'It's all hugely important. Without teamwork it all falls apart.'
Career opportunities
As well as a prudent move in terms of your career in childcare back home, a season abroad can lead to a career of its own.
'The area managers that I work with all started out as a nanny or a snow ranger in the company and have worked their way up,' says Tina. 'And a lot of our heads of childcare started as a nanny first, came in for a few seasons, and then we promoted them.'
If you do get hooked on this way of working, you can follow a career path that gives you continued involvement with the seasonal lifestyle. You can progress to more senior positions at the resort, much like you would in the UK, or move into the recruitment side, which still allows for time spent working in the sun.
'That's the good thing with doing the recruitment process,' explains Tina.
'We can all do these interviews and tell these potential candidates what they would be doing. We know exactly what we're saying is true, because we've all done it that many times before, and we can paint a clear picture about what they can expect when they come overseas.'
'I think anyone should try it,' adds Sharon Turner. 'You're not taking time out from your work; you're actually gaining the experience while you're doing it. You can come out here and gain six months' worth of experience, and it's not just experience with work but with life, with people. It's a great experience that provides a lot of skills for anyone who does it.'
