@Skitechniek, there are some fundamental differences between between how ski schools in America and Austria work that may be impacting our conversation in this thread. Someone has already mentioned that most American skiers do not watch ski racing, either on TV or at the mountain. That matters. But the ski school differences matter as well.
Student-Centered Teaching (no national progressions, no agreed-upon levels of student skiing skills)
--In the US, the professional organization that certifies instructors is PSIA. Instructors can earn three levels of certification through PSIA, Level I, II, and III. Those levels represent increasing levels of skiing and teaching ability.
--However, PSIA's certification exams do NOT require that instructors teach a specific way, or follow particular progressions when they teach. PSIA encourages instructors to teach students in whatever way they think will give the client what they want. This is student-centered teaching. Someone upthread has mentioned this.
--For this reason there is no general progression of skills all students go through, moving from one level to another, that all ski schools understand and affirm. Students do not graduate from one nationally recognized skiing level before going on to the next.
--An adult student can get taught to do very different things from one instructor to the next. An adult taking lessons at different times and at different mountains can experience inconsistency from instructor to instructor and from ski school to ski school.
--So yes, the line-up boss at a ski school will try to match a student to an instructor. They try to know the interests and strengths of each instructor. This matters since there is no required progression to be taught.
--Many American recreational skiers don't take lessons after they learn enough to ski blue trails. "Why would I take a lesson? I already know how to ski!" is something one might hear. They perceive that skill level is correlated with the terrain they ski. So if they ski "advanced" or "expert" terrain, then they assume they are advanced or expert skiers. Many also assume that if they ski fast on groomers, then they are experts. They do not know there are nuances in ski performance. Most don't see it and they don't feel it.
Ski Area Monopoly on ski instruction; no competition among ski schools; low pay for ski instructors
--A ski resort has exclusive right to teach on its terrain. That means all ski instructors at a mountain work for the one ski school that belongs to the business running the ski operation there. There is little to no competition between ski schools. Each mountain has a monopoly on instruction. This has an enormous impact on who chooses to teach, and how much they get paid.
--Making a living as a full-time ski instructor is very difficult here in America. The pay is notoriously low. The ski school takes a huge amount of the price of the lesson. The instructors get little of that price. Sometimes instructors get tips to supplement their low rate of pay.
--Ski instructors can work part-time or full-time. In the east, many are part-time, working only on weekends. One might call them "hobby" instructors.
--An instructor working for a resort's ski school does not have to be certified at any level. Some are, some aren't. Adult students don't know much about PSIA or its certification structure. They don't usually know if their instructor is uncertified, or Level I, II, or III. They don't ask, and they are not told.
--Some ski instructors take the job because they are simply interested in getting a season pass and a locker in the locker room and free training. They may be retirees, or high school students just graduated looking for a fun way to bridge the gap to college, or they may be gainfully employed elsewhere but passionate about skiing. Many in the east take the part-time job because of the perks, which may include season passes for their family.
