Pros
Amazing experience working as an instructor, tips can be great, pay increases as the season goes along and clients return or request you. Vail is a great teaching mountain, plenty of adventure zones for kids, family friendly. Great work life balance - hours are short 9-4 is a long day, more common when teaching private lessons is 10-3. Terrific nightlife for all ages. Amazing food on mountain and off. Was I living in paradise? Culture is very friendly within ski school, young athletic talented individuals, most highly educated escaping reality for a couple years before they move on. Great exercise, healthy lifestyle, play hard on the mountain, play harder off it too. The Drug Culture of a ski bum lifestyle is not as bad as I thought it would be, not too many burnouts in Vail, mostly just alcoholics. Marijuana is not as prevalent and openly used as it is in other mountains like Breck, which makes Vail better for families and kids. Gear - don't bring your old stuff out there, you get great deals by being a Pro mostly 50% off everything. Trash Bag Sledding! Free Concerts by major artists! Powder Days and Knowing how to avoid the lines! Training is top notch! The rivalries between departments can be good or bad, most departments that are year round such as ski patrol, mountain ops, security, maintenance, get paid less and don't like to deal with the seasonal bunch, but it makes for an EPIC end of the year Hockey Match between Ski School and Ski Patrol. GO BLUE! New employee housing called First Chair is right next to the Gondola!
Cons
Over the years some drama or grievances within the department are bound to develop. Just like all form of paradise, you can get sick of waking up and being in Disney World every day. Not viable as a career, I don't know how these lifelong guys do it by changing locations for summer or fighting through dead periods aka May, September, October, and half of November. Sometimes you realize as a private lesson instructor you are pretty much a prostitute, standing around waiting to get picked, often because a guest wants a young, fun, pretty (sorry cant request that ;-) ) male/female instructor. Speak Spanish? never tell anyone you do, it is a career ending mistake...majority of your lessons will be forced to work with clients from Mexico CIty or South America who don't tip, and expect you to wait at their every need. You make $5 more an hour, but it's not worth it. Meeting and becoming best friends with amazing people from all over the world only to watch them leave and slowly disappear from your life year after year is sad. After 2 years you can no longer get employee housing, welcome to the over saturated rent market of the Vail Valley, I lived two towns over one year, then had to drive in terrible conditions to work rather than take an hour long bus ride. Rarely are 6 month leases offered, and when they do it's expensive. 401k match is 1% why bother?