Do you have a desire to change your monotonous office work for something more extraordinary and exciting for a long time? Then you should think about the profession of a tour guide! Especially if you are into geography, history, or culture and love visiting exciting places. Even without special higher education, you have a chance to build a reasonably successful career in this field.
What do you need to know to become a tour guide?
Firstly, this profession requires certain character traits. The most necessary in the list are sociability, patience, and endurance. It would be best if you were ready to work for over 10-12 hours, during which you will have to be as friendly as a puppy to all people, answer all the questions patiently. You must figure out how to make your speech more interesting. You can also learn the art of public speaking by dint of some courses, but the courses will not teach you to be cheerful, so you must remember this. Another essential feature for a tour guide is punctuality. You need to be able to wait for others.
Secondly, the professional training of the guide is also an important point. Without it, you can conduct tours only for your friends or relatives. The preparation involves studying particular theoretical material, according to which you will take exams and obtain new experience and necessary papers confirming your qualifications. In addition, you will need knowledge of foreign languages for a successful career. You must be fluent in your mother tongue and have at least B2+ (Upper-Intermediate) in English. Knowledge of additional languages will be your advantage over future colleagues.
How to become a tour guide: how to start?
The first step: MAKE A DECISION
To become a tour guide, think carefully about tours you would like to conduct. Be creative, but do not forget that this direction should also be interesting to you.
The second step: PREPARE YOURSELF
Find information on certified professional tour guide courses. This certificate will be your advantage over other candidates upon being hired. Professional classes last no longer than three weeks, usually only two. You can save time by enrolling in online courses, but remember that real communication with professionals, where you can always ask for advice, will help you much more. Some companies offer their courses, upon completion, you can get a job as a tour guide right there.
The third step: PASS AN INTERVIEW
Consider all available suggestions for working as a tour guide. Even if there is no perfect vacancy for you yet, choose something similar, but do not put off your dream of changing professions. The main thing is to start working, gaining real experience. Prepare carefully for the interview because it is more important than a resume for a tour guide. This is your chance to demonstrate all your personal qualities. As a rule, at the interview, you will be asked about your strengths and weaknesses and why you decided to choose to work as a tour guide. You can also imitate a problematic situation that may arise during the tour and ask yourself how you would solve this problem. So, be prepared.
The fourth step: NEVER GIVE UP
So, you succeeded: you got a job and became a tour guide. Now the main thing is to channel all your efforts into your job. Working as a tour guide requires constant self-improvement. Improve the material you tell, and improve your qualities. Enroll in additional foreign language courses or improve your English skills. This will allow you to continue working in a more prestigious company, perhaps even a foreign one. The growth rate of your career now depends only on you: your ambitions and efforts to achieve them.
If you desire to try yourself as a tour guide, don’t forget to check out the positions on Jooble website.
