When Lila Werner quit her job to become a professional figure skater, she didn’t do it for money. She did it for an all-expenses paid trip to Saudi Arabia.
This winter, the 27-year-old, who previously worked as an experience coordinator for companies like Dell in Austin, Texas, was paid 5,000 euros (approximately $5,450) for seven weeks of skating, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
For four of those weeks, Werner trained in Belgium before performing 22 shows in Saudi Arabia over three weeks and returning to the United States in early January. The tour was an invaluable opportunity, she says.
But there is a downside to being an international figure skater: Werner says she will return with very little left of her salary. She is not alone. Other contracted skaters who quit their jobs and performed abroad during vacations didn’t make much money — but they were essentially allowed to travel for free.
“I had to withdraw money from my savings account to be able to pay my rent and my car on time,” says Werner. However, she adds that the tour included her accommodation, plane tickets and food stipends.
“It almost feels like paid vacation,” says Werner.
Get paid with experiences
Ever since Lily Samuels-Shragg hung up her skates in high school—she works as a box office saleswoman at New York music venues—she’s been skating for fun.
But after sending her skating videos to a touring company, she landed a role in a traveling ice show and was asked to take part in a four-week tour from Paris to the south of France between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, she received 1,800 euros (approximately $1,965). That’s about half of what she would have earned if she had stayed in New York, she says – but the trip is worth it.
“I don’t want to limit myself to experiences,” says Samuels-Shragg. “If I can break even or get paid to do the things I love when I’m young and have the stamina to live a chaotic life, then that’s the perfect storm for now.”
Strolling through Nice and Paris on vacation satisfied her wanderlust, and performing for the royal family of Monaco was the icing on the cake, she says. Likewise, Werner says that when she wasn’t planning shows, she went on excursions like camel rides in the desert and hikes to scenic viewpoints.
These experiences cost money, but both women say they saved some of their paychecks — Samuels-Shragg says she ended up pocketing about $900 — and still enjoyed the trip.
Start a career
For other skaters, it’s not about globetrotting. Experience and exposure are more important.
In October 2015, Toronto-based figure skater Victoria Smith was asked to help coach a synchronized figure skating team in Australia for a month. Smith had just won the 2015 World Synchronized Skating Championships and saw it as a chance to extend his career.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve broken even with this contract,” says Smith, now 29. “I just wanted coaching experience.”
The performance led to further coaching and choreography experiences abroad. These jobs are often more lucrative than shows, Smith says. And while many artists simply accept the terms offered to them, prioritizing travel over money, Smith negotiates with her employers.
The more hats you can wear, the more irreplaceable you become.
Victoria Smith
Skater from Toronto
During the summer and fall, she earns about $80 an hour — at least eight hours a day, for at least six days per performance — choreographing for skating teams in the United States, Canada, Turkey and France.
In the winter, she skates at Busch Garden’s annual Christmas show in Williamsburg, Virginia. Because she performs for eight years, she earns more: Last December, she earned $8,000 for four weeks of work.
The rest of the year, she helps the teams she coaches as needed, gives one-on-one lessons to skaters and takes short-term teaching contracts in Canada to make ends meet.
“It takes years to complete back-to-back contracts, but once you do that, you can rely on that infrastructure,” Smith says. “The more hats you can wear, the more irreplaceable you become.”
The costs of international appearances
For many skaters, these trips come with hidden costs. The monthly bills at home don’t go away just because you’re abroad.
Werner, for example, continued to pay the rent for their one-room apartment during their trip. And it’s not cheap: According to Rent.com, the average one-bedroom apartment in Austin costs $1,594 per month.
Samuels-Shragg gets around Manhattan’s high rent prices — an average of $4,550 for a one-bedroom apartment — with short-term subleases. The frequent moves are annoying and not knowing where you’re going to sleep next month is stressful, but it’s cheaper to only pay rent when you’re actually in the city, she says.
Sublease agreements can also offer significant discounts as absent tenants desperately try to recoup some of their rent. The result: Samuels-Shragg says she pays an average of $1,000 a month in rent in New York.
Health insurance also plays a role, especially for those under 26. Werner’s health insurance contributions came directly from her salary and totaled about $280 over the course of her tour, she says. Samuels-Shragg is still covered by her parents’ health insurance, which helps her collect more from each paycheck.
Perhaps predictably, Samuels-Shragg would like to continue skating abroad. Werner, on the other hand, says she probably won’t accept another contract, especially one that keeps her away from home for months.
“That was an experience of a lifetime,” says Werner. “But I also like my home. I like being in my home and keeping my routine.”
CNBC Make It converted euros to USD on February 1, 2023.
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