# Self Employed Ski Instructor



## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

I am retired but I am interested to know if anyone knows if I could set up a company and then become a self employed ski instructor. I'd like to explore the possibility of doing this so I could claim the necessary certification training costs as a business expense.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Gothenburg83 said:


> I am retired but I am interested to know if anyone knows if I could set up a company and then become a self employed ski instructor. I'd like to explore the possibility of doing this so I could claim the necessary certification training costs as a business expense.


You could just go as a sole proprietorship and take off the certification costs against your income. Setting up a legal company has set up costs and time to report separately for taxes I am guessing this is more of a hobby and part time, so the amounts aren't huge. The tax savings you get for the certification, will be eaten up by the set up costs, not including the effort for the additional accounting.


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## Covariance (Oct 20, 2020)

Agree with Plugging on the economics. One suggestion from a different perspective is to check on insurance (liability) costs. Incorporation may or may not help with residual risk.


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## Mechanic (Oct 29, 2013)

I'm retired and would like my golf lessons and new clubs to be tax deductible too. I don't think my instructor revenues would be enough though 🤣


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Mechanic said:


> I'm retired and would like my golf lessons and new clubs to be tax deductible too. I don't think my instructor revenues would be enough though 🤣


Golf lessons if it was a requirement for certification would be possible, assuming it's a certification, not just lessons. Golf clubs are CCA and only for the prorated amount for personal vs business use. 

I wrote off the referring class certification for my kids for soccer against their referring income. I also tried to claim their whistles (they lose a lot) and ref jersey. . I didn't do their soccer equipment or fees because that's consider personal. When I provided this to our family accountant, she rolled her eyes at me, and reminded me about materiality and that it was only a few dollars so don't worry about either end. She said she would charge me more to file the line items for my kids separately. 

Good thing she's a family friend and knows I was in accounting, and I often get in my head.


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

Plugging Along said:


> You could just go as a sole proprietorship and take off the certification costs against your income. Setting up a legal company has set up costs and time to report separately for taxes I am guessing this is more of a hobby and part time, so the amounts aren't huge. The tax savings you get for the certification, will be eaten up by the set up costs, not including the effort for the additional accounting.


Thanks I will give this some consideration. The additional accounting would be a drag. Nobody becomes a ski instructor to get rich but I think it would be a good fit for me.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Gothenburg83 said:


> Thanks I will give this some consideration. The additional accounting would be a drag. Nobody becomes a ski instructor to get rich but I think it would be a good fit for me.


Unless the certification is really expensive, the tax savings on it is quite secondary. I know lots of private ski instructors. I would say keep track of you income and expenses, and go from there at tax time. You could also write off the milage to the ski hill and back if you have lessons that day. Depending on how far you are, that might net everything to zero. 

My approach to any side hustle/hobby that may make money is track the income and expense well up front. If there is milege, make sure to do that properly (there is a way CRA expects), then after a little while look at it and you will know what to do. I have many side hustles that have not made any money but I do it because I enjoy it, and there are few that I have made a lot. I never know until I start tracking.


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

Why not work for a resort? If you are good (ability, personality, etc.) you can make pretty good money. Even if you managed to get your own insurance, etc. I don't even know if resorts in Ontario would permit independent instructors - essentially running a business on their private property. I would start with asking the resorts and the certifying bodies in your Province.

You don't need to be independent to claim expenses related to income generated while teaching skiing.


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

Thanks for the post. 


Synergy said:


> Why not work for a resort? If you are good (ability, personality, etc.) you can make pretty good money. Even if you managed to get your own insurance, etc. I don't even know if resorts in Ontario would permit independent instructors - essentially running a business on their private property. I would start with asking the resorts and the certifying bodies in your Province.
> 
> You don't need to be independent to claim expenses related to income generated while teaching skiing.


Thanks for the post, I think you have hit the nail on the head when it comes to being a self employed instructor on a resort since they all have ski schools as part of the resort income generation. The ski club I am with gives "1 hour tips" (not lessons) for this same reason.


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

Plugging Along said:


> Golf lessons if it was a requirement for certification would be possible, assuming it's a certification, not just lessons. Golf clubs are CCA and only for the prorated amount for personal vs business use.
> 
> I wrote off the referring class certification for my kids for soccer against their referring income. I also tried to claim their whistles (they lose a lot) and ref jersey. . I didn't do their soccer equipment or fees because that's consider personal. When I provided this to our family accountant, she rolled her eyes at me, and reminded me about materiality and that it was only a few dollars so don't worry about either end. She said she would charge me more to file the line items for my kids separately.
> 
> Good thing she's a family friend and knows I was in accounting, and I often get in my head.


Thanks for the post. I have a friend who was setting up a post retirement side hustle as a scuba pro and I think some of his discussions with me when partaking in adult beverages have got in my head. I just don't want to miss an opportunity because I'm ignorant of such matters. So again thanks


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

Mechanic said:


> I'm retired and would like my golf lessons and new clubs to be tax deductible too. I don't think my instructor revenues would be enough though 🤣


It is true to say that a ski instructor course is an avenue to getting great ski lessons but in the end I'd be starting from the bottom so I'd be teaching absolute beginners on the the flat stuff. Not exactly the bit of the hill I'd be skiing by choice


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## afulldeck (Mar 28, 2012)

Gothenburg83 said:


> It is true to say that a ski instructor course is an avenue to getting great ski lessons but in the end I'd be starting from the bottom so I'd be teaching absolute beginners on the the flat stuff. Not exactly the bit of the hill I'd be skiing by choice


But on the bright side, its a great exercise cross country skiing with alpine skis. Perhaps you'll get to practice on top of death cookies (Are you in the west or the east?)


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

afulldeck said:


> But on the bright side, its a great exercise cross country skiing with alpine skis. Perhaps you'll get to practice on top of death cookies (Are you in the west or the east?)


East, death cookies suck and spoil a day's skiing for sure. I can't imagine learning alpine on that stuff. Maybe spending the day on the flat would give me the thighs of a cyclist. 
I have never tried cross country but I imagine it can't be fun encountering less than ideal condition on those skinny planks and only the toe locked in (or any kind of gradient for matter)


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

Gothenburg83 said:


> East, death cookies suck and spoil a day's skiing for sure. I can't imagine learning alpine on that stuff. Maybe spending the day on the flat would give me the thighs of a cyclist.
> I have never tried cross country but I imagine it can't be fun encountering less than ideal condition on those skinny planks and only the toe locked in (or any kind of gradient for matter)


Purchase some touring bindings and book a trip out West, you won't be disappointed. Great exercise and first tracks! Fortunate for some unfortunate for others, many of the resorts have built additional lifts to access some of these untouched areas.


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

I am late to the party, or thread, but just an FYI. The CSIA (Cdn Ski Instructors Alliance) provides insurance for their members - life, disability, and liability. The catch? It only applies when employed by a Ski School, including traveling to and from the resort. If you 'free lance', you are not covered.
Just tried to arrange for an instructor to give lessons, not tied to a specific resort, to a recreational club. The Club has other liability insurance but downhill skiing and kayaking are excluded as high risk.
OTOH you could start a ski club 😉and arrange membership and insurance through Alpine Canada. You would have to insure each person taking lessons at a cost of 20.00 per person as a 'member' of your club. They provide insurance to the club and coaches but all members have to be insured and registered with Alpine Canada for the insurance to be in effect to protect the 'club'..


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Gothenburg83 said:


> Thanks I will give this some consideration. The additional accounting would be a drag. Nobody becomes a ski instructor to get rich but I think it would be a good fit for me.


Yup, one can run a small business on a personal basis and file a T2125 as part of your tax return. It's easy to file and gives you incredible flexibility on claiming expenses.

But do you have to be concerned about liability? That's the only part that would worry me.


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## Gothenburg83 (Dec 30, 2021)

james4beach said:


> Yup, one can run a small business on a personal basis and file a T2125 as part of your tax return. It's easy to file and gives you incredible flexibility on claiming expenses.
> 
> But do you have to be concerned about liability? That's the only part that would worry me.


thanks, it'll have to be next year now. My Dad passed away and so I had to shift my energies to getting back to the homeland for a few weeks to help . So the ski course idea got ditched as you can imagine.


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