Ski Instructor

You teach people to ski, which means spending your days on a mountain getting paid to do what most people save all year for a one-week vacation to do. The catch: you're teaching beginners who pizza when they should french fry, your body takes a beating, the pay barely covers rent in a ski town, and your 'season' is 4 months long. The other 8 months, you're a bartender.

What you'll actually do

• 01Teach beginners the snowplow while they careen toward you at terrifying speeds
• 02Ski backward down the mountain to watch your students' form — and catch them when they fall
• 03Manage groups of kids who treat the bunny hill like a demolition derby
• 04Adjust lessons for skill levels ranging from 'never seen snow' to 'just needs some polish'
• 05Maintain enthusiasm at the end of a long day when your legs are screaming and it's -10 degrees
• 06Work every weekend and holiday because that's when people ski — your social life is weekday-only