# Mountain biking coach/guide/instructor career advice needed in Switzerland!!!!



## roller8080 (Dec 6, 2020)

Hi, I am from Hong Kong and I have been working as a ski instructor for 2 winter seasons in Switzerland (1 in Verbier and 1 in St. Moritz) and 1 winter season in New Zealand, I have an EU citizenship, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Event Management. I am planning to move to Switzerland with my wife for long-term instead of just winter, so I am now looking for off season jobs. I speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English fluently but I do not speak French, German or Italian. 

I have noticed some of the ski resorts in Switzerland turn into a mountain biking parks in summer, and I am interested in picking up mountain biking. If I like it, I will consider taking trainings and become a coach/ guide and ideally I can make a living. I cycle a lot on flat roads in Hong Kong but I have never tried mountain biking.

I have zero knowledge about the mountain biking industry and there is little information online, especially in Europe. Here are a few of my questions. Hopefully I can have someone who is already working in the industry to answer my questions. 

1.Can you make a living working as a mountain biking coach/ guide? 

2.What is the approximate salary for an entry level coach/ guide?

3.Is it possible to find mountain biking coach/ guide jobs if I only speak English and Chinese? I want to start learning the local language after I decide which area of Switzerland I settle.

4.I have seen there are high seasons and low seasons for mountain biking too, just like Skiing. Do you get paid when there is no work?

5.Do you need a qualification to work as a mountain biking coach/ guide? If yes, which one should I get to work in Switzerland?

6.As my wife is probably going to work in big cities like Geneva and Lausanne and I will work on the mountain, we plan to find an accommodation lies in the middle between the big city and the mountain so we can both commute for a reasonable duration, I will consider buying a car if needed, not sure if this will work.

7.I hold a Permit L when I work as a ski instructor in Switzerland, I assume it is the same for a mountain biking coach/ guide. Is it possible to live in Switzerland for long-term like this? How the tax and insurance work?

8.As I might not come to Switzerland this winter due to the coronavirus, where would you suggest to learn mountain biking in Hong Kong or China? I will consider nearby countries like Vietnam, Philippines as well.

Thanks very much!


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## jerendra (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm a Swiss mountain biker and will try my best to provide some helpful comments:
1. There are professional coaches, so I guess you can make a living of it.
2. Don't know - but don't expect too much. You can make enough to pay your bills though if your standard of living is not exorbitantly expensive ...
3. English works quite well in Switzerland but I strongly recommend picking up the local language. In summer there are less international tourists than in winter (at least less tourists who bike than tourist who ski).
4. The minority of people in the tourism industry have a full employment for the whole year. The majority of the bike/ski guides have seasonal contracts.
5. It's Switzerland - so everything is well organized. Of course there is an official curriculum - I don't know if it is mandatory though (probably not).
6. Switzerland is small but commuting to a Sky resort is exhausting. Maybe we are spoiled but the 90 minute drive I need to take to travel from Zurich to my favourite Ski resort is something I can tolerate once a week. Driving in the mountains is not really fun but maybe it doesn't bother you that much.
7. If you find employment - you don't need a work visa as a EU citizen - you usually automatically get an L or B permit. You will need to have a Swiss health insurance.
8. Checkout "Awesome Mtb"- Chanel - they went on a trip to Vietnam, this might help.


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