Work/Ride Canada
All it means is you can’t drink (19 in Cananda, 21 in USA).
Golfpunklegend, you can still have lots of fun even if you aren’t legal to drink. I have been working for Whistler mountain since I was 15/16 and now i’m almost 21. I have had no issues, you just can’t attend all the big parties that they host but you can definitely go out with coworkers after work. It depends on where you go though, the smaller resorts and things don’t care too much about drinking age.
Also in Quebec and Alberta the drinking age is 18- there are a lot of great resorts in those two provinces.
Is there any drinking limitations down under?
The drinking age in Aus is 18, much like most places apart from North America
Has anyone gone over with a trade qualification?
I am a full qualified electrician and would like to work in my trade over there.
I’m happy to just be a lifty or any job on the mountain, but is there any work on mountain for trades?
How do you apply for jobs like that?
Hi Vorn,
I have lived in Whistler for the last 3 years there is always quite a lot of construction work going on up here and sparkys are usually very busy in the autumn and winter as all the houses are framed in the summer to lockup before the snow comes and then finished internally in the winter.. There are quite a few small electrical companys in town.. The best way to apply for a job like that is just in person when you arrive make sure you bring as much proof of your qualifications and previous experience as possible.. Definitely a good option as you will earn real money rather then $12 an hour in a retail shop!
Dan
rideonwhistler.com
Interesting you ask this Dan, I am currently using one of the aforementioned companies (IEP) in going to Canada at the end of this year
It is a bit of financial outlay initially as Jeremy (Rider) said, however with 3 months to go before I leave I have my visa in front of me, my job sorted (table waiting - can’t complain), staff housing being sorted out now (I am travelling alone so doesn’t bother me whether I get staff housing or have to look myself), discount flights with the others that are going over with IEP sorted, discounted travel insurance sorted and paid for, and accommodation for the first few days I get there included…
I did a LOT of research before I went with IEP, looking through OWH and CCUSA as well, but found that what IEP offered as far as visa assistance, and the job fair employer options, worked better for what I was after for my trip…
I went with Panorama Mountain Village out of the job fair employers, simply because I didn’t really want to go to the second capital of Australia (Whistler - as I have heard it being called multiple times), I couldn’t start until late November/early December due to finishing Uni, and their start dates suited this whereas Sunshine Village (the other one I was really looking at) only had early start dates, and I figured because it is a little more out of the way and less well known than Whistler/Banff etc it would (might) have a little more of a Canadian vibe to it, which is again more of what I was after rather than it just being a buttload of Aussies working there, serving even more Aussie’s coming over for holidays…which it still may end up being anyway but yeah…
Don’t know whether this helps or not, I guess I will be able to tell you more when I get over there I spose…:P
Oh and also, the job ‘fair’ was great and ran very smoothly, however because the fairs run for 5 days and go Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, I would suggest getting in on one of the earlier days (Brisbane or Sydney) rather than Melbourne, where I was for the last day, as by this stage a LOT of the better jobs are gone and it is a bit more of a lottery getting the job(s) you are after at the resorts you are looking at…and makes it a lot harder if you have pigeon-holed one or two jobs in, because if they are gone basically you are screwed…which happened to a few people while I was there on the Monday…However in this situation from what I saw IEP dealt with it fantastically as well, giving full refunds etc…still doesn’t help with not getting to go for those people, but yeah…
Anyway I have rambled on enough, great to see you thinking about it anyway Dan, I can’t wait to head over there, and I will let you know how it all goes once I am there
Hey bangabain, if you’re still around (this post is from Aug last year lol!), how did your Canada season end up going??
what about plumbing jobs or teachers?
You could definitely pick up plumbing work in Whistler especially if you have your ticket.. Not sure about teaching work but there is lots of child care stuff going!
Well I’m one step closer for getting back over there with my Job all sorted now. Woke up on sunday to find an email in there from the boss so pretty stoked about that. Now to sort out housing and book my flight - looks to be around ~$1500 through expedia for air canada direct which I’m happy enough to pay as I’ll be able to land around 7am in Van and then grab a coach straight up the mountain so won’t have to bother mucking around with a hostel in van etc.
Just wondering what people’s experiences have been with finding accom in whistler and what you’ve done as a temporary thing whilst looking around and applying for places? I know the pique magazine/paper used to be the main place to look. I won’t be getting there until mid November so I’m hoping that it won’t be too late to try and find somewhere to live by that stage.
Accommodation is the biggest challenge in Whistler. Best advice I can give you - find your long term accommodation before you go! Get it sorted ASAP. You will struggle in November. Go to: http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/ and look through all the long term rentals in the classifieds section. Get on Skype and call them as they get listed. Get a group of people together if needed. Draft a really good letter and email it to all the suitable houses. Have money ready and have references ready! It’s a god-fight for accommodation in Whistler. I take it you were in staff housing last season?
Yeah 08/09 was in staff housing, heard how crazy it was finding places to live when I was over and got used to seeing people standing outside the shopping centre with signs pretty much begging for a place to live. Mate was payign $600 a month to share floor/couch space out at lost lake lodge so I know it can get pretty expensive.
I’m heading over by myself at this stage so can’t exactly get a group together but have sent a couple of messages off to people who I worked with previously who are still over there to see if they have anything organised for the upcoming season, if not I’ll see if there is any way of getting a place with them and just shooting some cash over for the first month+ rent etc.
Doesn’t always have to be expensive if you prepare ahead of time. As the situation becomes more desperate, landlords will demand more money and cram more people in. We were living in a 6 bedroom, 3 storey mansion, fully furnished, private lake, front and back deck, gas fireplace, just an awesome pad. There were only 5 of us (ended up renting out the spare ‘study’ to my mate from Vancouver). My room was huge, queen sized bed, walk in wardrobe etc…
It wasn’t cheap, but I was paying as much as the girls down the road (per person), who had 3 or 4 girls crammed into one room. They were so angry that they were paying so much for such poor conditions. It just goes to show that good accommodation doesn’t have to be overly expensive. Just plan ahead, work on it hard, do whatever you can to sort it out before you get there.
That sounds mighty impressive.. I’m appointing you as my real estate advisor Jeremy 
Fingers crossed some of the people I know over there already can help out since it’ll make it a hell of a lot easier and I won’t be anywhere near as stressed about it all.
what about plumbing jobs or teachers?
Just had a look into the teaching side for you (my gf’s sister’s a teacher in Whistler) and you could be in luck.
The Whistler Childrens Centre often need “on-call” staff - she apparently worked for them when she first arrived as a supplement to her income, sounds like a great place to work.
If you are a qualified early childhood educator Whistler Blackcomb will be all over you - they actually had to close down their daycare facility for children under 18months old as they didn’t have enough qualified staff. And there are often positions available for the 18 to 48month old carers too. I would get in touch with their recruitment office to ask about opportunities…
What ages are you qualified/want to work with?
Can you organise a SIN and Canadian bank account in Whistler or do they both need to be done in Vancouver? Thanks in advance.
SIN needs to be done in Vancouver but bank account can easily be done in whistler as there are a few banks in the village and creekside.