Result from Interview for resort job..

Well, Orange does operate in Austria. It almost certainly will be cheaper to get a local sim card. But~ is it not the case that you will be supplied with a mobile for your work operation? You can check on private usage.
Do you know which resort you will be in?
Your current mobile will operate from Austria, and text costs have fallen rapidly.
I just used to send a post card once a month to my parents!

Hmm I see.. I have heard nothing of being issued with a mobile for work use and as for the resort - I have not yet been told which resort I will be placed it. They sent my contract out earlier today and I will recieve it over the next coming days.

Post cards will work for sure and I intend to do this every month also but I would like to send a text every now and again for some instant communication!

Have you worked in a ski resort before?

Thanks for the info Dace Mac, much appreciated!

I have had four seasons in Austria, predating mobiles by some decades! Hence the postcards. In my second seaason, I took my girlfriend with me, it cut the frequency of evening outings, but I saved a lot on stamps!

Ahh nice one - The more I think about doing this season the more I get excited and the more I just want to get out there now.. It's immense.

Unfortunately my girlfriend has to stay here in sunny Scotland while i'm away as she's in 4th year of uni now so she can't find the time to come with.. Nor does she ski/snowboard so that doesn't help!

But still.. I want to experience working in a ski resort before I get too tied down with life in general - other jobs, houses etc :)

That is the same position that I was in, so after my first season ended, as I drove back, I collected my GF in London, and drove up to Scotland, briefly pausing to say Hi to my folks in Manchester, and to take the opportunity to steal several days worth of food.
My GF then was introduced to skiing on Cairngorm. The following winter, we both went for the season on Niederau. By the time we got there, I had totally mixed up the finances, so, erm, later that year we got married. Result, innit.

Except, that she now has a much better ski style than I do!

Life is hard on guys....

Ballie, congrats on the job. You'll have a blinder!

For the phone, stop off in a big city and go to a large electrical retailers (Media Mart or Saturn). You can pick up a crap hanset with local pay as you go SIM for about 30€. Beware however, you will need proof of address in Austria to register the SIM for security reasons. I am sure you could use the resort HQ. Then you can either dump the phone and put the SIM in yours or have two. You'll need one to keep up with the movements of your colleagues, and I mean out of working hour ;)

Baillie,how good is your Deutsch?

That's a nice story Dave Mac - Congratulations on building such a life - sounds awesome!
I am hopeful that one day I can get a pair of skis under my girlfriends feet and she takes well to it.. I'll get there!

And thank you Tino - I am familiar with Saturn electrical store, they have huge ones in Germany - been many times!

And Dave Mac - I can speak and understand fluent German - my mum is German and every year since I was as young as I can remember we have visited family over there and from that I have picked up so much and I also studied it in school to prove it on paper getting an A at Higher.

At the interview they also tested my German abilities by handing me a piece of paper with two paragraphs written on it in German and I had to translate.
The interviewer didn't know any German herself but she did have the same text translated in English infront of her and I managed the first paragraph just rolling it off the tounge and I could make out 3/4 of the second paragraph.
My weak points in German are reading and writing - I can do it, but not as well as what I can speak it and naturally, I don't know every single word in German so there were some words in the text that made the sentence but I couldn't translate.

I did turn and say to her that I couldn't translate some of it and told her why - speaking being my fluent side and she totally understood and was happy with my performance :)