Enjoy Ski In Korea: Meet JSKI's Instructors: Alex

Hello! I’m Alex.

I was born in Paris, France, and I have been skiing and snowboarding since I was young. I always had an outgoing personality, and I dreamed of experiencing many different cultures while living abroad. I studied in Australia and lived there for about seven years. I had various jobs that allowed me to meet a diverse group of friends. I was introduced to a Korean friend in Australia, and he helped me move to Korea in 2017. With my TESOL English Teaching Certificate that I acquired in Australia, I spent my first year in Korea as an English teacher. This taught me that I loved teaching kids, and I applied to JSKI to continue teaching and meet more people.

Experiencing New Cultures

I like learning about Korean culture, and K-pop was a fun way to get introduced to modern Korean music. These pictures are from when I went to noraebang (also known as karaoke in Japan) in Korea with my coworkers. Listening to Korean songs has always been one of my favorite activities in Korea. When I sang some of my favorite songs at the noraebang, my Korean coworkers were amazed that I knew such classic songs.

One of the songs that I sang at the noraebang was by an artist named Insooni. She was the official spokesperson for the Pyeonchang Winter Olympics, and I had the opportunity to meet her! It was memorable to see such an amazing singer and philanthropist. Insooni is the chairwoman of a school for multicultural students in Korea called the Hamil Schol, and JSKI works with the Hamil School to give free ski camps to the children. It is always amazing to be able to combine my love for sports and the community to help others.

After my first summer in Korea, I went on a long vacation in Cambodia and Vietnam. I loved seeing new Asian cultures, but being away made me realize how much I loved Korea. I even ate Korean food in different countries. I soon moved back to Korea, and I have been teaching skiing in Korea since.

My Love for Teaching

- Daily Ski Lessons

It is common for ski schools to have many young students. I have a passion for teaching children, and I am talented at relating to young people and seeing their point of view. I believe a warm welcome and communication are two of the most important things when teaching, and learning the actual skills come next. I make sure that I am considerate of others, and I remind myself that many people are skiing for their first time. Because I know that I will be a significant part of my students’ memories of skiing or snowboarding, I make sure that they are having a pleasant time learning with me.

Teaching how to ski or snowboard is not simply done with verbal instructions. My lessons are very interactive. I help my students how to put on their skis by showing them and helping those who need extra assistance. Before I end the class, I like to communicate freely with the students so that they can amplify their love for skiing and snowboarding. It is my wish for everyone to enjoy winter sports as much as I do.

Safety is one of our top priorities at JSKI, so I am attentive and careful with children so that they can safely arrive back to their parents.

- JSKI English Ski Camp

Along with JSKI’s daily ski or snowboard lessons, we also run an English Ski Camp. I love working as the main instructor for the ski camp because I can ski with my students for three days, teach them English, and get to know everyone better.

After I finish my day time lessons, I have lunch with my students at the restaurants. It is fun to be able to fuel up with good food, take a rest, and have entertaining conversations.

This video shows my students teaching me how to play a Korean game. I feel proud to see them use English which isn’t their native language to explain the rules to me.

After three days of getting to know the kids, I make sure that everyone learned a lot and had tons of fun. I always hope to see them again with improved ski and English skills.

Working for JSKI

One of JSKI’s strengths is teamwork. The instructors work amazingly well together, and everyone is very considerate. This makes working for JSKI a blast!

In this picture, we are celebrating a coworker’s birthday. Having bonding moments like these allow our company to grow stronger, and our customers are able to see that JSKI is filled with laughter and great memories.

As winter comes to an end each ski season, it is sad to say goodbye. I am saying goodbye to our field staff YunA in this picture. I hope you’ll get to meet him when you come to ski or snowboard with us!

When I am not teaching skiing, I train to make sure that my skills are improving. You can see me mogul skiing on these irregular slopes in this video. It’s hard to ski on these surfaces, so I make sure to practice a lot to become better.

On days where we are not working at the English Ski Camp, the instructors get together to share a meal. We talk about our day and relax after a hard day of work.

As mentioned above, safety is very important to JSKI. Our instructors get first aid training to assist our students in cases of emergencies. We practice CPR skills for adults and children to be able to help all of our students.

I was able to receive the Best Review Award at the end of the ski season. This award is given to the instructor with the most positive feedback from our customers. I was excited to be given this award, and I am determined to become an even better instructor next season and spread my passion for skiing and snowboarding.

If you are looking to ski with friends or family, I want you to know that skiing is more than just a sport. It comes with a “growth mindset” where you need to make sure to continuously improve and have fun while doing so. This mindset also comes with awareness for safety, personal goals, and an open mind. We at JSKI are prepared to make your winter holiday extra memorable, and I hope to see you this winter!

Sincerely,

Alex