Be An Instructor

Welcome to The Summit Learning Center!

Thank you for your interest in joining the crew of the Summit Learning Center! The following information details the hiring process for the 2008-2009 season.

The Summit Learning Center (SLC) is a leader in training and developing ski and snowboard instructors in the Pacific Northwest. We offer daily group lessons, private lessons, and consecutive week programs with a wide array of days, times and locations. Our ski and snowboard lesson programs and packages offer something for everyone.

We are looking for people who love people and value exceptional guest service, people who enjoy the mountain environment, and people who love skiing, snowboarding and telemarking. If you have these qualities and intermediate or better skiing/boarding skills, come join our crew!

The SLC has a long tradition of excellence in snow sport instruction. You will enjoy the camaraderie of a committed and experienced group of people who are passionate about their sport. You will have the opportunity to work and spend free time in some of the most beautiful areas in the Northwest. Best of all, you will receive stellar benefits including complimentary Pre-Season Instructor Training, as well as an Unlimited BIG S Crew Season Pass.

December 10, 2008, is our deadline for accepting New Applicant Instructor applications. If you have further questions, please feel free to call the Learning Center. We are looking forward to another great season. Come work and play with us!

Think Snow!!
Dave Beckwith
Snow Sports Director

Please Read on For Information Regarding:

• The Summit Personality
• 4 Basic Work Expectations
• How to Apply
• Training Information
• New Hire Events
• Directions

Got the Summit Personality?

Service begins and ends in the heart of the employee. The basic requirements are not technical. We insist that Summit staff have the instinctive and natural ability to determine the guest's needs and we meet those needs promptly. Summit staff must also know that our guests are looking for a connection with them. It is our job to provide that connection through friendliness, humor, energy, honesty and dedication to doing our job correctly.

Service is not a one way relationship. The guest will give energy and fun back to you if you are offering them part of who you are. Have fun with your guest and they will return the favor.

Service with personality is deeper than these words can describe. Delivering your personality and having fun with it is a way of life. No one will ever train you or teach you how to put 110% of yourself into your job. Service begins and ends within each of us. We decide to deliver or we don't.

Why is The Summit staff different? It's because we know and believe that each of us makes a difference. When we really give our personal best, then we know the rewards that come from doing so. That is what sets us apart. We hold the advantage over our competition whenever we choose to utilize it. Our advantage is our staff and the personality they put into their jobs.

The SLC Has 4 Basic Work Expectations...

Be a Snow Sports Professional

Know your schedule. Show up on time. Come prepared to work (uniform, gear, food, etc.). Check your pay stub. Handle the work basics. We'll spend time supporting you in succeeding.

Learn and Train Throughout the Season

In December we will have hiring clinics, where we will teach you how to teach and will improve your skiing or snowboarding abilities. These clinics cover the basics and are part of the application process. There are ongoing training and learning opportunities throughout the season, some required, some optional. This is one of the best parts of joining our team.

Meet Your Scheduled Commitments

To work at the SLC, you must meet our scheduling needs. It's a work commitment we take seriously, and know you will as well. Most of our business is between mid December and mid March, on weekends and holidays. Mainly we need people who can work on the same day each week (Saturdays or Wednesdays, for example) and during the holiday period.

Have More Fun, and a Better Experience, Than Even Our Happiest Guests

We do our best job when we're playing hard and having fun. When you get right down to it, we pay you to have a fantastic time, to make a difference while doing what you love to do anyway, and to learn to grow. Pass your passion for snow sports on to each guest and you are sure to have a rewarding experience each and every time you're on the snow!

Applying to the SLC for the First Time

1. Fill out an application
Fill out an online application at http://apply.coolworks.com/application/summit-at-snoqualmie/job-app.asp

The application takes about 10 minutes to complete. We recommend that you keep a copy of the completed application for your records. You can also fill out an application at the mountain or at one of our job fairs (read on for dates).

2. Come to a job fair or come up to The Summit
Come to a job fair to interview and to get all of your questions answered. It is helpful if you bring a copy of your application with you. This is where we will be hiring people, completing the hiring paperwork and getting you set up for a great season.

You need to prove that you are eligible to work in the United States. Generally this requirement can be met with a U.S. passport, or a combination of your driver's license and social security card. Other documents may work as well. If you have any questions, please call one of our resourceful humans in HR at 425-434-7669 x6330 or x6302, or email alindsay@summiti90.com.

If you are under 18, you need to bring an original birth certificate. We will also be giving you a parent and school authorization form that you will need to return before you can be hired and allowed to work.

You can also come up to The Summit for your interview and to complete your paperwork. Please call the Summit Learning Center at 425-434-6700 to schedule time to come to the mountain.

Learning to Teach...Is Easy!

We'll teach you how to teach, and if you already have experience, we'll teach you how to be a better teacher. It's one of the things we do best at the SLC. All new instructors must be at all of these trainings to teach with us. If you have a prior commitment that absolutely cannot be changed, you must let us know within one week of your hire date.

New Hire Dry Land Orientation
December 10th, 2008, 6:45pm-8:45pm, Mercer Island Community Center
Invite Only!

You must attend a job fair or job interview with the SLC prior to being invited to Dry Land Orientation. This classroom session includes an introduction to the SLC, our policies, procedures and the requirements, responsibilities and benefits of being an SLC team member. You will be introduced to our lesson programs, basic fundamentals of instruction and responsibility awareness. We will also hand out training and scheduling paperwork. Come prepared to take notes.

On-Snow Tryout/Training
December 13th, 2008, 9am-4pm at Summit West, SLC Building

This is where we assess your snow sport and communication skills as we train you. Don't feel intimidated - these are fun! If you are at least an intermediate skier or rider, and are comfortable speaking in front of a group (your clinic group), you should be fine. If you don't meet our basic requirements, we have many other positions at the SLC and The Summit.

Come ready to ski or ride, and bring a lunch.

On-Snow Clinic/SLC Department Orientation
December 14th, 2008, 9am-6pm at Summit West, SLC Building

This is it! You made it! You will be in on-snow clinics in the morning, and the mandatory department and company orientation in the afternoon. If your required hiring forms are not complete, please come prepared to finalize the details. There will be a make-up session of the required company orientation.

You will choose and commit to your schedule for the season.

Shadow Experienced Instructors
December 15th-22nd

You'll shadow two of our experienced instructors before we turn you loose on a class of your own. This is an opportunity to get great insider tips, evaluate students and terrain, and get a feel for the flow of our operations and a class.

Ongoing Training and Development
All season long

We offer clinics and training all season long, on most days we're open. It's one of the best reasons to teach at the SLC.

Getting Places (aka Directions)

Mercer Island Community Center - Website
From Seattle:
Take exit 7a, turn left across highway.
At stop light turn right onto North Mercer Way. Go one long block to the stop light.
Go straight through the light. Turn left onto 81st Ave. Turn right onto SE 24th St.
The Community Center is 2 blocks on your left.

From the East:
Take Exit 7. Continue straight. Turn right on 81st Ave. Turn right onto SE 24th St.
The community Center is two blocks on your left.

Central Washington University - Website
From Seattle:
Take I-90 East to Ellensburg, exit #106. Our booth will be located in the student union.

Issaquah Pickering Barn - Website
1730 10th Ave. NW
Issaquah, WA

From Seattle:
Head East on I-90. Take exit 15, the Lake Sammamish Park Exit.
Take a left off the ramp onto 17th Ave (17th becomes SE 56th Street). Go through 3 stop lights. Take a right at the next stop lights onto 10th Avenue NW. The Pickering Barn is located on your left, across the street from Costco.

From the East:
Head West on I-90, take exit 15 and veer right onto 17th Ave. Go through 3 stop lights. Take a right at the next stop lights onto 10th Avenue NW. The Pickering Barn is located on your left, across the street from Costco.

Summit West
Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068

From Seattle:
Take I-90 East to exit 52. At the end of the off ramp, turn right. Park in lots to your right (not in the main plaza area).

From Ellensburg:
Take I-90 West to exit 53. Take a left at the bottom of the off ramp. At the "T" turn right. Go about 1/4 mile and turn left into the parking lot.

Whew! That's a lot of info. Don't worry, it's pretty east once you get rollin'. Still have questions? Give us a call at 425-434-6700 or 425-434-7669 x6300. We'd love to talk to you about working at The Summit!