| How would you like an all expenses paid trip around | | | | In addition to specialist knowledge, guides need to be |
| the globe? Visiting foreign lands, meeting interesting | | | | able to entertain the clients and present themselves |
| people and exploring new places? Sounds too good | | | | well. Could you manage a group of travelers and |
| to be true? Well, believe it or not, thousands of | | | | maintain a good sense of humour at all times? |
| people are quite happily getting paid to do this every | | | | Ultimately you will set the tone of the group and if |
| year by working as a tour guide or escort. Guiding is | | | | you are enthusiastic and positive about the trip then |
| an interesting job in a growing segment of the travel | | | | others will join in and have fun too. |
| industry. | | | | Employment can normally be found by applying to |
| The role is extremely varied and you could find | | | | the tour operators directly. You may be asked to |
| yourself working anywhere from a museum to a | | | | prepare a presentation on your chosen topic for your |
| Caribbean island. Its definitely not your normal 9-5 | | | | interview and your presentation style will be equally |
| role and guides have to be adaptable and flexible in | | | | as important as your specialist knowledge. You can |
| their working routine. On longer tours you may be | | | | also gain a certificate in tour guiding through the |
| asked to accompany tourists on trips across | | | | World Federation of Tourism Guides Associations. |
| continents where your specialist knowledge or | | | | This not-for-profit organisation aims to improve the |
| language skills may be of particular importance. As | | | | standards of guiding within the travel industry. They |
| well as working on land, tour guides are often | | | | also offering training for individuals who are starting |
| employed on cruise ships to provide information and | | | | out as tour guides as well as courses of |
| local knowledge to the passengers on board. There | | | | improvement for those already in employment. You |
| are also many opportunities working on trains such as | | | | can visit their website at |
| the Orient Express or the Trans-Siberian Railway. | | | | Working as a tour guide can be both personally and |
| Like much of the travel industry, competition for jobs | | | | financially rewarding. If you're popular and enthusiastic |
| is fierce. Candidates will need to have skills and | | | | then your tips can be very good. For example, tour |
| abilities that set them apart from the crowd. | | | | guides working on luxury cruises around the |
| However, with modern travelers now requiring more | | | | Galapagos islands can make an additional £400 each |
| in depth knowledge about the places they visit and | | | | week in tips alone. As well as the financial rewards, |
| the cultures around them, demand for specialist | | | | you will meet people and build friendships that will last |
| guides is set to rise. Tour guides with knowledge in | | | | a lifetime. So if your looking for an exciting job within |
| ecology, history or architecture are often in high | | | | a growth industry then you should consider life as a |
| demand as well as foreign language and sign language | | | | tour guide. |
| skills. | | | | |