Thanks for the help!
But Dutch, German, Swissair and French and British will only be 1/3 of the country.
Are you British? Do you know what percentage of Britain has that week 9 off? Unfortunately in Holland, it is the biggest part.
Compared to Switzerland, I would expect Italy to be much cheaper, which could then be put towards hiring a guide, so that might offset the lack of skiroutes/itineraries.
Arosa was described as quiet on a ski resort website.
Other recommendations have been 4 Vallees(Verbier) and Ski Arlberg (Lech/ St. Ankton), any comments from people here?
I'm American, but I live in Britain. As far as I know, pretty much the entire country will be off the week of the 18th, but it's worth double-checking yourself. Fortunately, most British people are unaware of the existence of ski resorts outside of France. So France really should be avoided during that half-term week (I find it better for early and late season trips).
At that time of year, the real factor when it comes to pricing is the popularity of the resort. A busy Italian resort might end up costing you more than a quieter Swiss resort, because the accommodation prices might be raised quite a lot for the busy period. That said, the 4 Vallees is not a quiet area. If you are looking for accommodation there, I'd recommend Veysonnaz. It's probably your best bet for lower prices.
Arosa used to be quiet until they built the link with Lenzerheide a couple of years ago. Now, it's part of a large interconnected ski area, and it's getting more and more popular with families from German-speaking areas. It's fairly quiet in January and March, and I'm sure it's still nowhere near as crowded as the big French resorts in February, but it probably won't be as quiet as the Monterosa area.
St. Anton is usually my go-to recommendation for first-timers from North America, because it has the best combination of everything. It's not the best in any one particular aspect except maybe annual snowfall (especially in Lech and Warth-Schroecken), but it's really good at everything: nice looking town, relatively frequent snow, good terrain with a combination of some reasonably high stuff and slopes below tree line, convenient location, good food, good facilities. The one thing I'm not sure about is the crowds at peak time. I suspect it can get pretty busy in mid-February, because it's a really well-known place that is easy to get to for a lot of people.