Dialogue with Jane Lee
About Jane Lee
Jane started ski instructing full time in 2018 after spending 5 years in the media industry and had since accumulated over 6 seasons of teaching experience in Japan and New Zealand. She also was one of the expert commentators for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games for RTHK.
When and how did you decide to be a ski instructor?
The idea of getting a ski instructor license was suggested to my parents by my coach in New Zealand when I was a teenager. I was flattered by such comment but I was in my senior year of high school and like most people, the obvious route is to go to university, so I waved that thought away.
However, skiing has always been one of my best hobbies, and this idea lingered in my thoughts for the longest time. I started thinking seriously about it when I reached my 5th work anniversary at end of 2017, questioning how much further I can go in my then workplace. It took me 3 months to sleep on it and research about possible ways of doing it, and when I did a ski trip in Niseko, Japan in end of February 2018, seeing the mountains full of Chinese speaking clients and lack of abundant bilingual instructors, hence a market gap, made me decided to make the move.
Growing up in an Asian family, what were the obstacles you had to go through to make that decision?
Telling my parents about my decision was quite tough, and for me to manage my own expectations. Both my parents are professionals and like most Asian parents, have a relatively definite idea of “successful jobs or careers”. I totally understand though, that was how they moved up the social ladder, needless to say there were some heated arguments and tears when I told them I decided to quit my job and go skiing. They thought I was mad for giving up what I had built up and accumulated over the years for something that I’m not sure whether I’ll like or succeed. Although there were times of doubt over the months before finally deciding , I was so sure I wanted it. I had nothing to lose if I go for it, if I fail I’ll go back to work in the office, but I know I’ll regret and dwell on it for years if I don’t try. So I handed in my letter and quitted my job to prepare for my first ski season.
What are your edges in the ski world?
I would say fluently bilingual is a big edge, native Cantonese and fluent English and Mandarin has really brought me a long way. Skiing has gained so much popularity in HK and Asia over the past two decades and I benefited from it a lot. Secondly, although I started teaching skiing in my late twenties, which is a relatively mature start age compared to many of my colleagues, I had that extra years of exposure and experience working in the corporate world which actually helped me to communicate and observe my students better. And actually, students appreciate this career change, it’s part of my personal brand story - “You can always have a second chance.”
How competitive is the ski industry?
Competitive beyond your imagination. First of all, you need a ski instructor qualification which is divided into four levels, you start with Level 1 and work your way up to Level 4, and these exams are stressful because the pass rate gets lower and lower as you go, but it’s a necessary procedure to equip you to teach a full spectrum of students or if you eventually want to go into management and training. Second of all, competition to get into ski schools, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, is tough. Third of all, competition within the school amongst your peers. A good competition though, because most schools will have a priority system, that rank you according to your qualification levels, teaching experience, training, sales and request frequency, the higher you’re up the chart, more choice you can have. And here was where my language edge jumped in because I appeal to the Chinese speaking community who may prefer learning in mother tongue. My second year in New Zealand I jumped priority overtaking nearly 30 instructors because I had many private requests in the books.
Tell us about your experience as a Winter Olympic commentator.
It was a very unique and humbling experience which I never saw coming. It was nerve wrecking going live on TV and don’t know where to stare, but I had very amazing TV hosts who guided me and helped me out with their professional presentations. It’s also very encouraging to see athletes perform and preserve through their matches, there were some very touching moments. I prepped so much going into the studio but it got easier day by day. Being on TV also made me realised I’m so awkward facing camera and need to practice on that! Hope I’ll do better next time.
Where is your favourite third space and why?
I had to ponder a while about this, I think it’s anywhere I can see mountains and stars. I guess this is why I love skiing so much because apart from the adrenaline there was the nature. And also usually at night with little or no light pollution you can see so many stars. I saw the Milky Way with my bare eyes the other day. I think the peacefulness it brings is beyond words, which is what I really enjoy when I want some quiet time and personal space.
