IA'S Group (Izza & Afina)
How To Be a Tour Guide
1
Pass any necessary exams for your area. Many cities and countries require tour guides to pass exams before they can lead groups. Some sightseeing companies may require you to pass this exam before you even apply for positions. Search online to see if your area requires you to take a licensing examination, and then pay necessary fees to register for the test.[4]
- You can also look online to find details about the test, study guides, and registration information. Enter something like “Professional licensing examination for sightseeing guides in New York City” to find everything you need to prepare for and take the test.
- Take the exam seriously. If you fail, you’ll need to pay the fee again!
2
Get training to gain experience and contacts. Professional tour guide associations and groups like the International Guide Academy in Denver, Colorado offer classes to professionalize guides. These classes teach public speaking, tourism and travel industry terminology, leadership and teamwork, and other skills valuable to tour guides. They’ll give you a certification when you complete their programs.[5]
- Be sure to register for courses meant for tour guides rather than tour directors. Tour directors are responsible for logistics and management, while guides lead groups and provide narration about places the group visits.
- These programs are great for meeting people in the field. Your teachers, in particular, could connect you with people they know are looking for guides.
3
Take classes in relevant fields to expand your knowledge. If you live near a local university or community college, check out the course listings. If there are offerings in linguistics, leadership, hospitality, and/or tourism, register. These courses will improve your resume and up your chances of getting a job as a guide.[6]
- Be sure you have the time and money to dedicate to the classes. If you’re currently working a full-time job, look into taking night classes.
4
Get a hospitality or tourism degree if you can afford it. While a degree like this won’t guarantee you a job as a guide, it’ll show your potential employers that you’ve got some basic skills in the field. If you’re currently a college or university student and you know you want to be a guide, this could be a great degree option for you.[7]
5
Apply for positions online or in person. Once you’ve chosen a few different companies that you’d like to work for, fill out their applications by going online or picking up a paper application from the company. You’ll need to provide your contact information, employment history, a few good references, and a resume.
- Most reputable companies will run a background check before hiring you.
- If they like your application, most companies will contact you for one to two follow-up interviews before hiring you.
6
Be prepared to answer tailored application questions. Tour guiding companies will want your application to show that you’re ready to be a tour guide. Their questions may be designed to see how you’ll handle crises, to check if your personality is right for guiding, and to make sure you’re excited to be a tour guide.
- These questions could be things like, “What would you do if the bus broke down?” or “What makes you excited to be a tour guide with us?”
7
Accept the best offer you receive. If you’re lucky enough to receive multiple offers, make a pros and cons list. Consider the locations, work hours, and salaries. Decide which job provides the best balance of fun and financially practical, and go for it!
So You Want to Be a Tour Guide posted by Annie Fitzsimmons
Know the Lingo: Tour Director vs. Tour Guide
A tour director is the one responsible for logistics, confirmations, planning, damage control, and group dynamics. They also give commentary on history and culture. A tour guide gives specific narration in a place, often joining the tour group for just a couple of hours. If you want to dip into this world, local guiding is great, and perfect if you want to go home each night. There is also long-term contract work available on cruises, from big ships to smaller river cruises.
Know the Pros
If you’re in a rut at your current job, here’s a chance to do something different each and every day. This is a job that can take you all over the world to events like the Olympics and the World Cup. “It’s the ridiculous things I get to do every single day — whether it’s museums, shows, or eating dinner in the Eiffel Tower — but it’s also the dynamic of people,” Fitchett said. “When someone waits their whole life to go to Paris, I get to take them. It’s the look on their face as they experience it for the first time, and I’m a part of that memory.”
Know the Cons
Most tour directors are freelance, which brings its own set of challenges, like needing independent health insurance and struggling to cobble together enough work — especially at the beginning. You’ll also be getting very little sleep when you’re confirming the next day’s activities and studying commentary. “True colors come out on tour,” Fitchett said. “Sometimes people are ungrateful or bossy or think they know more about a place than you…But even if I think it’s the silliest question I’ve ever heard in my life, I have to answer it so they feel good about it.” Scheduling may keep you away from home for weeks or month at a time, so you might have to skip important events, like weddings or funerals.
Consider Training
The International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) is a well-known guide program, offering two-week trainings in San Francisco and an annual symposium to connect tour companies with guides. The high price tag (around $3,500 for tuition) doesn’t include housing or meals, but the pay off can be well worth it. “The money will come back to you in your first couple of tours,” Fitchett said. “Plus, I made amazing friends and priceless contacts.” There is also the International Guide Academy in Colorado, as well as many online options.
Adults vs. Students
Most tour directors choose to work a mix of adult and student tours. Student tours provide a way to make money in the spring in places like Boston, New York, and D.C., when adult tours run less frequently. Adult tours, usually clustered in summer and fall, can take you all over the world. But there’s a difference: “With kids, you affect and change lives. Maybe they’ve never traveled and you show them what’s out there,” Fitchett said. On the other hand,with adults, “the whole trip is more chill, but in the downtime you might be freaking out over what question they’ll ask next.”
Going Off Road
You may burn out or get tired of always being on the road. That doesn’t mean your career in the tour business is over. There are behind-the-scenes roles to be played at tour companies — like developing product, which involves choosing the right hotel, transportation, and activity partners, as well as sales, event planning, and social media.
Bottom Line: Is It Right for You?
“For this job, you have to love every part of travel, and know you will be living out of a suitcase and never sleeping,” Fitchett said. “But I absolutely love what I do, and I don’t need the stability right now.” But, like anything, timing is everything. “In the meantime, love
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