Tourist guide: the requirements of this profession

Would you like to work as a tourist guide? This is one of the most popular jobs for young people, as it is ideal for people who are social and passionate about architecture, culture and traditions. If, in the not too distant future, you want to meet people of different nationalities every day while showing them your knowledge about a city, building, museum, etc., then we will show you the requirements of a tour guide.

Languages

It is very rare that a company will want to hire you as a tour guide if you don't speak two or more languages. In fact, this is almost essential on city tours, as this is where most international tourists who want to learn about cultural details, traditions and architecture in their own language are received. On tours where you are going to do a physical activity such as kayaking, canyoning, rafting, etc., being fluent in another language is not so necessary, but it is always handy to have a basic vocabulary about the activity to be performed, and its natural environment.

Knowledge

To be a good guide, you need to have adequate knowledge about the main topic of the tour or excursion. For example, if you want to work as an adventure sports tour guide, you will need to know all the technical aspects of the physical activity you will be doing for the participants' own safety.

Personal Qualities

Your personality will be as important as your knowledge. If you are not able to connect with the tourists in a pleasant and fun way, the tour or excursion will be a real slog and in the end the customers will leave quite disappointed. Moreover, working in the tourism and service industry requires a lot of patience, as you will have to resolve certain situations in a peaceful and polite way. So, remember to be responsive, friendly, talkative, outgoing, funny, polite and above all, have a good sense of humour.

Agility

The number of tourists is changing depending on the time of the year. Therefore, you need to be flexible to adapt to the needs of the market and the company you work for. In some weeks you will have to work 8 hours or more (especially on weekends), while in other seasons the workload will decrease and you will have more time for yourself.