• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
North East Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • European News
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Science
    • UK News
    • World News
    woman on boat

    Where have all the EU citizens gone, long time passing…?

    to seek asylum is not a crime

    Momentous week ahead for women trapped in detention in County Durham

    RMT official picket

    Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

    Curfew bracelets

    Curfew bracelets

    Sign saying welcome refugees

    World refugee day 2022

    Söke

    Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

    Chi Onwurah backs Mencap campaign

    Chi Onwurah backs Mencap “Listen to us” campaign

    Nigel Todd

    Nigel Todd remembered: a socialist legacy

    Taj mahal

    Passage to India: box set

    Trending Tags

    • Ukraine
  • Culture
    • All
    • Animation
    • Books
    • Illustrations & More
    • Music
    • Performance
    • Poetry
    • Social Media
    • Theatre
    • TV & Radio
    doctorbird

    Doctorbird (Jamaica 1998)

    Curfew bracelets

    Curfew bracelets

    Söke

    Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

    Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

    Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    gymnast

    Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

    Kennedy and Rhind

    Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

    Hoppings

    The Hoppings is back in Newcastle!

    Chi Onwurah MP

    Chi backs watchdog for fast fashion industry

    High Force waterfall

    Feeling the full force of Teesdale at the High Force Hotel

    A group of swimmers stand in the sea at sunrise.

    Interview with cold water swimmer Sarah Rowland

    Meat feast pizza

    Bella Italia launches new menu

    Ukrainian necklace

    Ukrainian Cultural Heritage: jewellery, accessories and some morale boosting art

    Leek and mushroom bake

    Leek and mushroom bake

    Trending Tags

    • Business
      • All
      • Economy
      • Rural
      • Technology
      • Trade
      • Voluntary Sector
      Friends Action North East

      Friends Action North East: supporting people’s lives

      Söke

      Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

      Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

      Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

      Refugee week

      Sing up for refugee week in Newcastle!

      Lachlan and Ryan

      Top sports stars step in to help male suicide charity

      Older person enjoying TikTok

      Go glammas! How older people are turning to TikTok to dispel myths about ageing

      A group of volunteers in high vis jackets, with their backs to the camera, operate a table giving out food distributions.

      Charity helps feed communities amidst the cost of living crisis

      young people talking

      Counselling support for young refugees in the North East

      Russia and China flags with two people shaking hands

      Russia’s quasi-colonial dependence on China

      Trending Tags

      • Region
        • All
        • Co. Durham
        • North East
        • Northumberland
        • Teesside
        • Tyneside
        • Wearside
        RMT official picket

        Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

        Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

        Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

        Nigel Todd

        Nigel Todd remembered: a socialist legacy

        Three boys stand in front of a man. All three of them are stood in front of a fire engine.

        Firefighting Uncle helping to raise £260,000 for nephew with rare cancer

        Kennedy and Rhind

        Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

        Campaigning for Samuel in Loftus Market Place, 1906 - "More Boots - less Beer."

        Opposition to the first immigration bill

        dead fish

        Defra on the defensive over toxic dumping in Tees Bay

        Secret Garden

        The Secret Garden at Hexham Abbey Gardens

        empty purse

        Cost of living crisis could put thousands more North East families into deeper poverty

        Trending Tags

        • Opinion
          Titanic coming out of Southampton

          The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

          There is an England

          There is an England

          Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

          The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

          Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

          TV Agency staff jumping in the air

          The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

          North East of County Dublin

          North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

          North Sea oil rig

          Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

          Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

          Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

          close up on a child's eye

          Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Brexit
          • Education
          • Environment
          • European News
          • Health
          • Politics
          • Science
          • UK News
          • World News
          woman on boat

          Where have all the EU citizens gone, long time passing…?

          to seek asylum is not a crime

          Momentous week ahead for women trapped in detention in County Durham

          RMT official picket

          Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

          Curfew bracelets

          Curfew bracelets

          Sign saying welcome refugees

          World refugee day 2022

          Söke

          Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

          Chi Onwurah backs Mencap campaign

          Chi Onwurah backs Mencap “Listen to us” campaign

          Nigel Todd

          Nigel Todd remembered: a socialist legacy

          Taj mahal

          Passage to India: box set

          Trending Tags

          • Ukraine
        • Culture
          • All
          • Animation
          • Books
          • Illustrations & More
          • Music
          • Performance
          • Poetry
          • Social Media
          • Theatre
          • TV & Radio
          doctorbird

          Doctorbird (Jamaica 1998)

          Curfew bracelets

          Curfew bracelets

          Söke

          Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

          Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

          Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

        • Lifestyle
          • All
          • Fashion
          • Food & Drink
          • Health & Fitness
          gymnast

          Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

          Kennedy and Rhind

          Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

          Hoppings

          The Hoppings is back in Newcastle!

          Chi Onwurah MP

          Chi backs watchdog for fast fashion industry

          High Force waterfall

          Feeling the full force of Teesdale at the High Force Hotel

          A group of swimmers stand in the sea at sunrise.

          Interview with cold water swimmer Sarah Rowland

          Meat feast pizza

          Bella Italia launches new menu

          Ukrainian necklace

          Ukrainian Cultural Heritage: jewellery, accessories and some morale boosting art

          Leek and mushroom bake

          Leek and mushroom bake

          Trending Tags

          • Business
            • All
            • Economy
            • Rural
            • Technology
            • Trade
            • Voluntary Sector
            Friends Action North East

            Friends Action North East: supporting people’s lives

            Söke

            Reflections on Söke and lessons to learn

            Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

            Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

            Refugee week

            Sing up for refugee week in Newcastle!

            Lachlan and Ryan

            Top sports stars step in to help male suicide charity

            Older person enjoying TikTok

            Go glammas! How older people are turning to TikTok to dispel myths about ageing

            A group of volunteers in high vis jackets, with their backs to the camera, operate a table giving out food distributions.

            Charity helps feed communities amidst the cost of living crisis

            young people talking

            Counselling support for young refugees in the North East

            Russia and China flags with two people shaking hands

            Russia’s quasi-colonial dependence on China

            Trending Tags

            • Region
              • All
              • Co. Durham
              • North East
              • Northumberland
              • Teesside
              • Tyneside
              • Wearside
              RMT official picket

              Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

              Visitors in the former Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland

              Seventeen Nineteen: Hidden Stories in Sunderland church

              Nigel Todd

              Nigel Todd remembered: a socialist legacy

              Three boys stand in front of a man. All three of them are stood in front of a fire engine.

              Firefighting Uncle helping to raise £260,000 for nephew with rare cancer

              Kennedy and Rhind

              Kennedy and Rhind: more time to enjoy a North East favourite

              Campaigning for Samuel in Loftus Market Place, 1906 - "More Boots - less Beer."

              Opposition to the first immigration bill

              dead fish

              Defra on the defensive over toxic dumping in Tees Bay

              Secret Garden

              The Secret Garden at Hexham Abbey Gardens

              empty purse

              Cost of living crisis could put thousands more North East families into deeper poverty

              Trending Tags

              • Opinion
                Titanic coming out of Southampton

                The 110th anniversary of the Titanic’s departure

                There is an England

                There is an England

                Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union"

                The parody of disinformation: Boris Johnson on Ukraine and Brexit

                Boris Johnson’s comments on Ukraine and Brexit are an insult

                TV Agency staff jumping in the air

                The TV Agency celebrates 10th anniversary with global success

                North East of County Dublin

                North East of England and North East of County Dublin: Compare and contrast

                North Sea oil rig

                Copping out of COP: Ukraine, fossil fuels and nuclear fusion

                Placard with Boris Johnson as a clown

                Dictators, media and mobility: erosion of identity, sustenance and safety

                close up on a child's eye

                Racism and misogyny where there should have been safeguarding and security

              No Result
              View All Result
              North East Bylines
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home News Brexit

              The end of the British seasonal workers?

              Without free movement employers such as me will find it very difficult if not impossible to second staff abroad.

              Liam CampbellbyLiam Campbell
              23-02-2021 07:00
              in Brexit, Business, Economy, European News, Politics, World News
              British seasonaires

              British seasonaires are being ignored by Brexit negotiations. This could leave 25,000 British workers unemployed next year. Photo by Liam Campbell

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
              ADVERTISEMENT

              As the nights draw in and the northern hemisphere slips into the cold of winter there is a group of people throughout the UK for whom hibernation is far from their mind.  Every winter around 25,000 people travel from the UK to work in the EU in seasonal jobs within the travel and tourism industry. This includes instructors, chalet hosts, bar staff, musicians, maintenance and managers. The list of potential jobs is almost as inexhaustible as the snow in the alps, or at least they were. WIth the end of free movement the idea of working a season may be a thing of the past. 

              Since the beginning of the ski industry boom in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the UK companies have seconded their staff to France, Austria and Switzerland on British seasonal contracts. This means employees were hired in the UK and continued to pay any tax and national insurance contributions to HMRC, making it possible for companies to send their staff abroad giving British people the chance to live and work in a foreign country. 

              If the chance to experience different cultures and take in incredible scenery didn’t sound good enough; companies generally provide a ski lift pass, accommodation and food as well as your wage. Alright, the pay isn’t the best in the world but when you have no outgoings, your wages combined with tips could see you through the winter in comfort with plenty of change to spend on a mulled wine on the mountain. 

              ‘Seasonaires’ as the staff became known spend winter in the mountains; summer on the coasts and rivers of Europe or some just stay in the mountains; providing the means of seasonal employment all year round. Seasonaires encompass all ages, backgrounds and all nationalities; they are all united by one thing, their love for travel and adventure. The chance to live and work abroad is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. 

              Photo by Liam Campbell

              Following university I worked in a bar in the Spanish Pyrenees for a small independent chalet holiday company. The days were long, the work was hard but working in the mountains was awe inspiring. Hospitality was not a sector I had much experience in before but I found interacting with guests, the varied conversations and wonderful friendships that could be formed after only a week to be as exhilarating as throwing myself down a mountain on skis. 

              I did further seasons in France and Austria before being offered a resort manager position. Eventually having shown my worth and understanding for the role I was lucky enough to land my dream job of thinking and dreaming of skiing full time by joining the team in the head office where I now manage guests bookings and run the recruitment for over 30 members of seasonal staff. 

              The wonderful experiences and fantastic opportunities that have shaped my life may now be a thing of the past. The end of free movement of labour and the secondment of staff abroad means the British seasonaire could be a thing of the past, a huge disappointment not just to seasonaires but guests who have enjoyed the British run chalet holidays for decades. Without free movement employers such as me will find it very difficult if not impossible to second staff abroad. If a company wants to employ a British member of staff in France from January 1st 2021  it is likely they will have to carry out the following

              • Advertise for eight weeks in France and show proof that no French person can fill this role
              • Apply for a work permit (this can take up to three months) 
              • The member of staff must go to in person to the French embassy to apply for a visa before they can enter the country

              Note. At any point in this process the application for that individual can be rejected 

              This makes it very risky to employ British staff because even after the long and arduous process of recruitment and visas there is no guarantee a visa would be offered; meaning it’s pretty much game over for the British seasonaire.

              Ski seasons are not just an excuse for people to enjoy themselves; they provide an opportunity, particularly for young people to learn life skills and build self-confidence and for the lucky few like myself, an opportunity to make a career out of it. 

              These skills and experiences whilst not a trade, with no certificate or diploma on offer are transferable benefiting their future employers. Young people learn to think critically, prioritise workloads and work independently gaining a sense of pride in what they are doing as they strive to earn their 5 star reviews at the end of the week. 

              It is a tragedy that future generations will be denied this incredible opportunity to learn, laugh and grow as individuals working seasons. Some make friends for life and some find love for life. I found the benefits of working a season on a personal level are immeasurable. 

              When you multiply those benefits by the 25,000 British seasonaires working in the EU each year, the new found confidence and skills they learn and bring back home is a major boon for the UK economy and their future employers. 

              With the end of free movement, immediately; many people will lose their jobs. But far worse than that, is the fact young people in the future will not have the same chances opportunities I had to experience things which will open your mind to the rest of the world. 

              This will be a regrettable loss to us all and is continuing to be ignored by the UK government in the negotiations with the EU.

              With young people being the hardest hit when it comes to job losses as a result of COVID, it is high time for our Government to stop arguing about fishing quotas or breaking international law and do all they can to protect these 25,000 jobs which are disproportionately filled by young people, all the training and travel opportunities that comes with them.

              If you have ever worked a season or you want your children to be able to have this amazing experience then please sign the petition. 

              You can read more real stories from real seasonaires on The Forgotten 25,000.

              ADVERTISEMENT
              Previous Post

              Take one leave one: “love in action”

              Next Post

              Abolish private education

              Liam Campbell

              Liam Campbell

              Related Posts

              woman on boat
              Brexit

              Where have all the EU citizens gone, long time passing…?

              byStina Müller
              June 27, 2022
              to seek asylum is not a crime
              Politics

              Momentous week ahead for women trapped in detention in County Durham

              byNorth East Bylines
              June 26, 2022
              RMT official picket
              Politics

              Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

              byAde JBones Van Vliet
              June 26, 2022
              Curfew bracelets
              Illustrations & More

              Curfew bracelets

              bySuzy Varty
              June 24, 2022
              Sign saying welcome refugees
              Politics

              World refugee day 2022

              byCarol Westall
              June 24, 2022
              Next Post
              Eton College

              Abolish private education

              Want to support us?

              Can you help North East Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

              DONATE

              Sign up to our newsletter

              If you would like to receive the North East Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

              NEWSLETTER

              LATEST

              woman on boat

              Where have all the EU citizens gone, long time passing…?

              June 27, 2022
              to seek asylum is not a crime

              Momentous week ahead for women trapped in detention in County Durham

              June 26, 2022
              RMT official picket

              Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

              June 26, 2022
              gymnast

              Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

              June 25, 2022
              doctorbird

              Doctorbird (Jamaica 1998)

              June 25, 2022
              Curfew bracelets

              Curfew bracelets

              June 24, 2022

              MOST READ

              woman on boat

              Where have all the EU citizens gone, long time passing…?

              June 27, 2022
              to seek asylum is not a crime

              Momentous week ahead for women trapped in detention in County Durham

              June 26, 2022
              RMT official picket

              Rail strikes: is class solidarity back?

              June 26, 2022
              gymnast

              Culture of fear in British gymnastics uncovered by the Whyte Review

              June 25, 2022

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Beach Brexit Business castle leazes climate activism Co. Durham cost of living crisis Culture defra democracy ducklings Economy Education Environment fire and rescue firefighter Food & Drink food poverty Health Health & Care Home Affairs just stop oil Lifestyle Local Lockdown Northumberland Peace Performance Politics rescue Science Social Media Teesside TV & Radio Tynemouth Tyneside Ukraine volunteer Wearside

              North East Bylines is a regional online newspaper that supports citizen journalism. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in the North East and beyond.

              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Contact
              • About
              • Letters
              • Donate
              • Privacy
              • Bylines network
              • Shop

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Brexit
                • Education
                • Environment
                • UK News
                • Transport
                • World News
              • Politics
              • Opinion
              • Lifestyle
                • Culture
                • Music
                • Poetry
              • Business
                • Economy
                • Technology
                • Trade
              • Donate
              • Newsletter sign up
              • Boriiis Cartoons
              • Authors

              © 2022 North East Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In