How to find a job and housing In Banff, on a working holiday visa
At the top of Ha Ling, a hike overlooking the town of Canmore.
This has to beone of the most frequently asked questions other fellow travelers ask, and when we were moving to Canada, I’m sure we both researched its over a thousand times.
Did anyone else find that when researching this, there was an overwhelming amount of posts and information on this question, but none of it gave a direct and clear answer? That’s exactly how I felt, and I’m sure I wasted hours scouring blog posts to find my answers to simple questions.
When I researched this question in Google, it would direct me to companies asking me to pay them a fee of $1000+ to help me find work and accommodation. Don’t get me wrong; these companies and agencies are beneficial and can take away all the stress you experience when trying to find work and housing overseas. I have used one of these companies in the past when I moved to the UK, and they have great benefits. But moving to Canada isn’t cheap, especially when you have to pay for things like ski passes, snow gear, thermals, and the list goes on. If you're anything like us and prefer to save that $1000, you're in the right place because we're here to tell you that you can 100% get a job and housing on your own, and we are going to save you time and give you all the answers to your burning questions right here. By the end of this article, you will feel confident to go away and apply for jobs and housing on your own in Banff.
To simplify this and save you time, I have broken down this article into an FAQ blog. So, if you want to skip to the most burning questions you need answered, you can skip right ahead!
1- Can I find jobs with housing provided in Banff?
Short answer- YES!
I found this the easiest way to get my foot in the door in Banff and at least guarantee me an income and roof over my head from the moment I arrived. Most people prefer to do it this way because it's a great way to meet people when you first arrive, and securing housing if you're not in Banff can be very hard, as most landlords want to meet you first; they require you to have a job in town and want to see proof of employment from a local business.
Most businesses that provide staff accommodation usually take your rent out of your pay, and the cost of staff accommodation can vary in price. When I was in staff accommodation, I paid $340 a month but had other friends paying nearly $1000 a month. These prices reflect the standard of living. I was in a room under the hotel, sharing with two other girls, and my friends paying the ladder were in an actual house right in the heart of town with a private room.
2- What companies provide staff accommodation with jobs?
Please know that the companies mentioned below are based on personal experiences and resources who worked for them. Staff accommodation is also usually based on availability, and not all jobs can guarantee staff accommodation in all instances. This list may change from year to year, and this information is based on our time in Canada from 2022 to 2024.
Most of the big resorts offer staff accommodation, but you may be surprised to know that some of the smaller restaurants in town can also. Even if you don’t see staff accommodation advertised on job postings, I recommend applying and asking the question when you get an interview, as not all businesses advertise this.
Views from one of the rooms at my very first job at the Rimrock Resort.
Below is a list of each of the businesses that I’m aware of offering staff accommodation during our time in the Bow Valley:
1- The Rimrock resort
2- The Fairmont
3- Sunshine Village - please note most of this staff accommodation is up on the ski hill, which is about 20 minutes outside of town, and you need to get the gondola up to the Accom on the mountain.
4- Banff Park Lodge
6- The Pursuit Collection
7- some of the business are part of the Banff Hospitality Collective umbrella.
8- Norquay ski resort
9- Lake Louise Ski Resort
10- Basecamp Lodges
11- The Banff Centre
12- Resorts and hotels under the Banff Lodging Company Umbrella
3- When is the best time to apply for jobs with housing?
The earlier you apply, the better, as most businesses try to have all seasonal jobs filled before the seasons start.
Winter - the ski season officially starts around November, and the shoulder season is generally around the end of September and October. The earlier you arrive in Banff before the season begins, the more options you have for the jobs available, and the higher your chance of securing your first job preference with housing. The later you leave it, the more likely you are to be left choosing a job no one wants to work. Leaving it too late decreases your chances of finding a job with accommodation as all rooming vacancies would have been filled. I recommend starting to apply around June for the upcoming ski season. However, don’t be disheartened if you don’t have a job by September/ October, as most businesses take their time hiring. In the next question below, I will go into detail on how to apply for jobs before you arrive in Canada and speak about my experiences.
Summer season—The summers are short-lived but extremely busy. They generally start to get busy around mid-June and end around mid-September. If you want to work a summer in Banff, it's best to start applying for jobs earlier in the year. They will likely want the job to begin around May so you can be trained before the tourists start arriving around the mid-end of June.
4 - Can I apply for jobs before I arrive in Canada to guarantee housing and a job as soon as I arrive?
Yes! This is one of the main reasons people prefer to use a company to help them find a job and housing: it takes away the stress of not having anywhere to live before they arrive.
But if you’re like us and want to apply on your own, then the answer is still YES; you can apply before your arrival, but my advice is to be persistent and patient. Applying on your own, takes a lot of time and work. You will be applying for a million jobs before you get an answer. I know many people who secured jobs before they arrived on their own, but if I’m speaking from my experience, I found that my response rate was a lot lower when I wasn’t in Canada, and when I arrived in Canada, I received a lot more replies from employers on my applications.
I consistently applied for jobs before I got to Canada, and many of the responses I received were “let us know once you’re in the country”. When I arrived in Canada, I had 5 days of accommodation booked in Vancouver, and that’s it. I started emailing all the same employers I had already spoken to and applied for new jobs, with my Canadian phone number and location, Canada, written on my resume. Immediately, I had at least 50% more employers replying to me. Within 5 days, I secured a job and housing and booked my bus to Banff ready to start my next adventure in a little mountain town!
Josh and I had many of our friends come straight to Banff on their arrival in Canada without a job or housing. They stayed in one of the hostels and applied for jobs once they were in town.
Most of these friends had jobs within the week of moving to Banff. They went into businesses and handed their resumes in person, and employers could also see they were in Banff when applying online, which meant they could start immediately.
We feel mentioning these experiences is important because Banff is a very transient town. People always come and go and employers must be hiring 24/7. If employers have the option, they prefer to hire someone already in town over someone still in Australia and “plan” to get to Banff soon, because commitment is the one thing employers in Banff need. Therefore, if you're feeling discouraged when applying for jobs before arriving in Canada, don’t be. Don’t be afraid if you don’t have a job before you arrive because it’s very possible to secure housing and a job once you're in Canada, and it generally seems to happen very quickly for most people once they arrive in Canada and in the Rockies.
5 - Where do I apply for jobs if I’m applying on my own?
Indeed is always a good place to start because most businesses use Indeed, and it’s a quick way of scouring the internet to see all the jobs on offer in the Bow Valley. But if you see jobs advertised on Indeed, I recommend going one step further and going onto the business website and applying directly via the link advertised on their site. Or, if there is an email to HR, recruitment or the hiring manager on the job post, email them directly, too. As someone with a background in recruitment, this is a great way to stand out as a candidate in the sea of applications the business receives.
Another site that we LOVE for jobs in the Bow Valley is The Banff Job Resource Centre employment page. This website advertises jobs available in the Bow Valley and posts new jobs daily. To apply for the jobs posted here, they generally have the hiring manager's direct email on the posting and can send your resume straight to the right person or they will direct you to the business's career page. This is a great resource that people generally don’t know about unless you have lived in the Bow Valley.
6 - I want to work in Banff but don’t want to be in staff accommodation. IS it possible to find my own housing in Banff?
Yes, you can!
It's harder to do, but you definitely can. Like many places around the world, the Bow Valley has a housing crisis, and it's only getting worse. Even more so now since the Jasper fires, as many people on working holiday visas who were living there, as well as the locals who have lost everything, are having to relocate while they rebuild the beautiful town of Jasper.
The best place to look for housing in the Bow Valley is on Facebook and joining the private pages.
Some of the best groups and pages to join are:
Bow Valley Home Finder
Bow Valley Home Finder 2.0
Banff and Canmore Rentals
Most people post rooms for rent in shared houses or whole units/ apartments for rent here, too. However, please note that when asking to join these groups, the admins will ask you a series of questions before allowing you to enter. This is to stop scammers from entering the groups and ensure the people in the group are part of the Bow Valley Community.
Kijji is another great website for finding housing. I lived in two different houses during my time in Banff and found both of these rentals via Kijji; it hasn’t let me down yet!
The only downfall to finding your own housing is that it's much harder to find housing if you're not in town yet. Most landlords require you to have proof of employment in the Bow Valley. If you can find an employer that's willing to hire you and give you a contract before you have housing, this would be the best solution. However, many employers will ask you to have your housing before hiring you because the biggest reason for staff turnover in the Bow Valley is people leaving because they could not find housing and the pay of their job couldn’t fund them living in a hostel full-time.
In the Bow Valley, most of the time, it's a case of who you know and not what you know. Meaning, that once you get here and start to meet people and ask around, you'll start to meet people in shared houses who know of rooms opening up, you’ll meet people who are leaving and have a room opening in staff housing and much more.
I recommend that you start applying for housing and jobs right away. Message everyone you see posting about rooms and houses on Facebook, as you never know how your luck might turn out. If you can’t secure housing before you arrive, make sure you have enough savings to stay in a hostel for a couple of weeks. Be persistent in your housing search and talk to as many people as possible; don't hesitate to ask around. From our nearly two years in the Bow Valley, we’ve learned that things often have a funny way of working out!
7- If I find my own housing, what is the general price of rent in the Rockies?
This depends on your living situation. Prices vary based on your situation: whether you're in a shared house and paying for a room or paying for an apartment, whether you're a couple splitting the cost, or whether some people share rooms with friends and split the cost because it's more affordable.
If you're paying for a room in a shared house, the price can generally range from $700 to $1500!
When we were living in Canmore, we paid $1800 for a room in a house shared with one other girl, which was a lot. But, splitting this cost between the two of us, and we had our own ensuite and the room was huge, this was actually a reasonable price.
Before Josh and I met, I was living in a shared house with random people and shared a room with my best friend Poppy, we paid $1500 a month for the room, and it was tiny, and we still had to share a bathroom with the other flatmates (who were very strange, lets just say we didn’t last very long in this share house).
If you like your own space, be prepared to pay anywhere from $1000-$3000 a month for a one—to two-bedroom apartment. For a single person, this price would be your entire paycheck, assuming you're on the low wages that most jobs pay in Banff. These prices are a little more affordable for a couple or two friends sharing, as you can split the cost, but you will still be paying a lot more to live on your own.
8- should I live in banff or canmore?
When I refer to the “Bow Valley,” this includes the Banff and Canmore areas, including Three Sisters and Deadmans Flats. Of course, everyone wants to live in Banff because it's the hub of it all. But Canmore is only a 20-minute drive from Banff, and it often gets forgotten about. There is a direct bus that travels between Canmore and Banff every 30 minutes and is only $6 one way, which makes living in Canmore a great alternate option.
We have lived in Banff and Canmore, and honestly, if someone asked us what we preferred, it would be hard to say because we lived very different lifestyles in each place.
**Banff** - Banff is beautiful any time of year, but I particularly loved it in winter due to its proximity to the ski hills. Norquay is only five minutes away, while Sunshine Village is about twenty minutes away. If you’re looking to party, Banff offers much more than Canmore in the winter. Most nights, there are events at bars and clubs scattered throughout town, ensuring there’s always a party to enjoy, whether it's a Monday or a Friday night. During the summer, Banff gets extremely busy with tourists, making it difficult to get into many restaurants and bars on the main street. However, if you don't mind the crowds, Banff is still stunning in summer.
**Canmore** - Canmore is larger than Banff and offers a more livable environment with better options for shopping and employment. While Banff is beautiful, it is quite small and primarily caters to tourists. It only has an IGA, which is very expensive, so most locals venture out to Canmore once a week to shop at larger grocery stores like Safeway and Save On Foods. You'll find many residents who have lived in the Bow Valley for 20 to 30 years in Canmore, as it is more of a township than a small tourist town. In winter, Canmore tends to be quieter, and it's an additional 20 to 30-minute drive to reach the ski hills in Banff. There also aren't many events happening on weeknights. If you're not in the Bow Valley for the nightlife, Canmore is a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Banff.
During our summer in Canmore, we found ourselves biased, but we definitely prefer it to Banff during this season. Canmore has a lively atmosphere with bustling streets that provide a great vibe without feeling overwhelmingly chaotic. You can still easily walk around without constantly bumping into people or struggling to find a table in bars and restaurants. The bars in the summer are vibrant too, and Canmore boasts some of the best patios and breweries.
While we would love to choose our ideal place to live, my advice for anyone seeking housing in Banff is to "not be too picky." If you find a room or apartment you like, keep in mind that there could be 50 other people interested in the same place. It’s likely you will view many rooms and apartments before finding one that suits you.
If you’re offered a place in Canmore but prefer Banff—or vice versa—don’t hesitate to take that opportunity because both locations have their advantages. It’s not every day that a housing offer comes your way, and you might have to wait another six months for a similar opportunity. So, be flexible with your living arrangements, as both towns have their pros and cons!
The view from our deck at our house in Canmore.
9 - How much do most jobs pay in Banff?
We won’t sugarcoat it. You're not coming to Banff to save or make unreal money. If you're moving here, it's for the experience. Most jobs tend to pay between $15-$20 an hour, maybe a little above $20 if you're in a high position like a supervisor.
Some of these jobs may pay you tips or bonuses on top of this hourly pay, too, if it's a job in the service industry. You may be thinking that the best thing to do is to apply for jobs with a higher hourly wage. However, jobs that pay less an hour tend to make more money as you get tips in cash on top of that, and these tips can boost your pay to anywhere from $20 to $30 an hour, depending on the job.
10- What jobs pay the best in Banff?
Following on from the previous question and chatting about earnings, there is no doubt that if you’re here to work a seasonal job, being a server would be one of the best-paying jobs. Many of us come from our home country, where we had a skilled job career. I worked a 9-5 in recruitment and sales, and Josh was an electrician.
We didn't come to Canada to do the same jobs; we came to work seasonal jobs that allowed us to travel as much as we wanted and snowboard in our free time. But I never did I think that being a server could make such great money. Most servers are on $15 an hour but usually walk away with an extra $100-$300 in cash per shift; some weeks, I made over $1000 a week in tips. Bartenders, baristas, and support staff can also make decent money as they get a certain percentage of the server's tips tipped out to them each shift.
Other positions a lot of people work are reception, ski chair lifty, working in reservations, ticketing at the tourist attractions, housekeeping etc, which all pay a little more an hour, usually around $16-$18 an hour, but generally don’t make tips on top of that but may get bonuses at the end of the quarter or season. If you're working for the resorts, you may not be on the greatest money, but these employers get great perks like free season ski passes and subsidized food, discounts on hotel stays, and more. Although they may not get paid as much as servers in town, they’re cutting costs in other areas of their life.
11 - If I get a job and housing in Lake Louise, will I be too far from Banff?
No, I know many people who worked and lived in Lake Louise, and I still see them in Banff often. Lake Louise is about a 50-minute drive from Banff, and if you don’t have a car, that's okay. There is a frequent bus that operates every day between Banff and Lake Louise.
The buses run generally every 30-60 minutes, and the first bus is usually around 6am, and the last one is close to 11pm. Which is great….. Expect for the people who like to party until the clubs shut in Banff at 2am. If you miss the last bus of the night, you're waiting for the first bus at 6am to get home. It depends on the individual and who they are, which can be a factor that plays into people's decision to work in either Banff or Lake Louise.
12- What are my options if I can’t find a job with housing or my own housing?
Most people who come to Banff find themselves in a challenging situation regarding accommodation. While this can be a bit stressful, there are various options available, and these alternatives are a great way to meet new people upon your arrival in Banff.
From my and Josh's experience, we initially stayed in one of the hostels in town. I was in the hostel for just a week before moving into staff housing, but Josh ended up living there for nearly four months. Many hostels tend to have long-term residents, largely because finding accommodation can be quite difficult.
Both Josh and I stayed at the International Hostel, and if it weren’t for this place, we wouldn’t have the friends we cherish today. The costs can be comparable to renting a room in a shared house; for instance, during the winter months, a 10-bed dorm typically costs around $1,100 per month. Some of our friends who lived in the hostel for an extended period eventually met others doing the same and upgraded to a four-person private dorm to avoid the constant rotation of random roommates.
Other hostels people stay in long-term:
The Samsun Hostel (right across the road from the International Hostel and it has a super cheap bar)
HI Banff Alpine Centre
International hostel
Canmore Downtown Hostel
We know staying in a hostel long term isn’t ideal, but it's a great temporary option. We promise you, even if your living situation isn’t the best, you will take away friends for life from this experience. It's a great way to find your group and people when you first arrive in a new little ski town like Banff.
Sunrise views from our home in Canmore.
To conclude this blog, we want to emphasize that no matter what you choose—whether it’s finding a job with housing, securing your own accommodation, or even staying on someone’s couch for six months—it will be an unforgettable experience. Our time in Banff was truly special, and if it weren't for this little mountain town and living in a hostel, Josh and I would never have crossed paths.
Remember, you’re not alone. We understand that moving countries can be stressful; we have gone through it ourselves. However, we promise you that everything will work out in the end.To conclude this blog, we want to emphasize that no matter what you choose—whether it’s finding a job with housing, securing your own accommodation, or even staying on someone’s couch for six months—it will be an unforgettable experience. Our time in Banff was truly special, and if it weren't for this little mountain town and living in a hostel, Josh and I would never have crossed paths.
Remember, you’re not alone. We understand that moving countries can be stressful; we have gone through it ourselves. However, we promise you that everything will work out in the end.