My future job

Tourist guide
In the future I would like to work as a tourist guide do it this job would please me why I enjoy
meeting new peopleI like to traveland my country has many beautiful places to visit.

Job description
As a tourist guide, this job will involve introducing tourists to the unique and popular attractions,
such as historical monuments, botanical gardens, Royal Parks, museums, art galleries protected
natural reserves and other areas of cultural interest.

in this profession, the primary responsibilities will include planning and organising tours around
a certain area of interest. The role is played of a cultural ambassador, offering commentary and
interesting titbits of information, which will allow visitors to fully experience and enjoy the social,
cultural and historical highlights.

In this field you work as a freelancear, but you must also be registered with a local, regional or
national tourism regulation board. Some tour guides are also employed by licensed tour
operators, travel guide companies, the National Trust and local councils.

Travel and irregular work schedules over a seven-day week are an integral part of working as a
tour guide. However, you can take a sufficient amount of free time once the tourist season has
passed.

Tourist seasons differ by country and region: it may be possible to work abroad as a tour guide
during the low season, as the highest tourist seasons in different countries will be understandably
different. To do this, it is understandable that you need to be willing to travel outside the country.

Duties
To be ethical to develop work efficiently and effectively for customers and suppliers.

Constantly train and be fully knowledgeable of all the necessary data of the places to visit.
 Resposabilities
• Organize tours by groups or individuals in coaches, cars or on foot

• Find an area that can generally be of great interest to a particular group or group of people

• communicate with the group(s) or their representatives about the details of the tour – time
and place of assembly, destination, accommodation, transportation, immigration concerns (if
the tour is set abroad) and costs

• Organize the necessary permits or letters of communication to the destination area before
the tour

• Finish all details with the tour group or their representative

• Offer expertise on topics such as history, arts and sciences, designs and architecture

• During the tour, communicate with the tour group in a cheerful and engaging way

• Lead the tour group to points of interest and at the same time provide useful and interesting
information in any medium - written, oral or through electronic presentations

• Always make sure of the safety and convenience of your tour group

• Make sure that all tour group members follow set times

• Communicate with appropriate officials at your tourist destination, such as police, medical
institution or tourist destination officials

• Make sure that hotel accommodation in case the tour is scheduled for more than one full
day's work

• Make sure the tour group will be sent home as safely as possible.

Schedule
Pay work schedules and dates require I to have time fully available because I that should generally
be available for when my customers requires it during holiday and holiday seasons is when most
could be worked and it's important to mention that during the course of visits you have to be
full-time involved with the work.
 Pay scale
The average wage is MXN 37,071 per month, which means half (50%) of the people who work
as a tourist guide are earning less than 37,071 MXN, while the other half are earning more than
37,071 MXN. The median represents the average wage value. Generally speaking, it is desirable
to be on the right side of the chart with the group earning more than the average salary.

Tourism guide salary distribution in Mexico

Salaries in Mexico are on the rise in the year 2019 based on recent submitted salaries and
reports. As displayed in the chart, salaries in 2019 are 3% higher than those of 2018. The trend
suggests a slow yet continous increase in pay in 2020 and future years.

THE PROS
The thing is, being a tour guide–or as I much prefer, local expert–kind of is the best job in
the world. I get to travel! I get to meet people from all over the world! I get to geek out in
front of historically and culturally significant places all over Mexico and share my knowledge
with thousands of travelers! I get to eat! A lot! And I make money while doing all of it! Then,
I get to take my “off season” and head overseas!

I’ts hard to put a finger on what exactly the best part of being a tour guide is (and to clarify,
when I say tour guide here, I am also including tour manger/director/leader/etc into that
phrase and though some would argue that each of those titles is a different position–they’re
not). So, here’s what I think:

You are an independent contractor: This means that you aren’t really an employee of
any one company. There are a small number of tour operators in the industry that hire
their guides as full time employees with benefits but even these companies
 usually only require 100 days of work out of the year. With most others, you are on a
contract-by-contract basis. This could mean that you’ve said yes (read: contracted) to
lead a two hour city tour one time, or that you’ve actually signed a hard copy sheet of
paper stating that you will take on a 30 day cross-country itinerary five times a year. The
beauty here is that you can create your own schedule without worrying about a
dwindling number of vacation days that some corporation allots you annually. If you
want to take the entire month of January off to go explore Fiji, go for it because no one
will be stopping you. Most guides typically work their tails off anywhere between mid
 February through Thanksgiving, but a lot work continuously throughout the entire year.
Others work a lot less. As an independent contractor you truly are in charge of your own
schedule.
 You get to travel. A lot: I had barely been west of the Mississippi River when I got my
first gig in the industry with Contiki Holidays. After I finally led my last (maybe) tour for
them in 2015 I had been to 45 US states, nearly 30 other countries and had lived in
Australia for a short time. Not all of this travel was on the job. Most of the state visits
were thanks to the job. But, most of the international travel came during long breaks I
scheduled to travel abroad. I was able to do this because I was an independent
contractor (see above).
 You meet people from all over the globe: Over the years, I have guided thousands of
people around the United States. My clients have come from every inhabited continent.
I’ve met people from all sorts of places–Iran, Namibia, Finland, Ukraine and India. The
job is a two-way street. As I was showing off my country to paying travelers, I was also
learning about dozens of other cultures.
 You are very rarely in an office: I learned from the ripe age of 21 that cubicle life was
not for me. Being a tour guide means you are constantly out and about, talking to large
groups and mingling with guests all while leaving behind a very small paper trail. Tour
operators always have some sort of admin paperwork for you to finish that goes along
with the tour but it is very minimal compared to what you would face in an office.

The cons
Like most things in life, traveling all of the time has its pitfalls:

You are an independent contractor: Wait a minute…wasn’t this a pro of being a tour guide?
Yes. And no. Being an independent contractor means that if you are not working, you are
not being paid. So the hustle is real. For most of us, that’s ok, it’s the right fit for our
personality. But, for many, not having a salaried income is too much of a risk.

 You provide your own health insurance and 401k: Most (there are a few exceptions) tour
operators in America do not provide their independent contractors with health benefits
or a 401k. The bright side to funding your own is that there are some tax benefits that
will come back to you.
 You are “on” all the time: Even during your downtime–whether that be tucked away in a
cafe for lunch or in your hotel room for a few hours before a group dinner–you are kind
of working. For example, let’s say you have to go to the hotel’s front desk for something
and you see one of your guests in the lobby who has a problem or question. You’re on!
Or how about if you see one of your guests at the airport after you’ve just spent a 20
day tour with them? You certainly can’t ignore them. As the face of a company, you just
always have to be on your “A” game.
  It gets lonely: Sure, you’re surrounded by interesting people all the time. But they’re not
your people. Even for the biggest extroverts, I would say that there are bouts of
loneliness living on the road away from your family and friends. Being a tour guide sure
*can* be a glamorous life but you will eventually miss out on a lot of life events. I’ve
personally missed weddings, funerals, showers, graduations and other events that I’ve
wanted to attend. When you are on a tour, you don’t have the options to just leave and
come back in a few days. You either lead the whole tour or you don’t. You have to ask
yourself if attending a wedding is worth giving up what could be a large chunk of
income. After a while, that and not having your own shower/coffee maker/bed can take
its tol

I'd like to do this kind of work because

Its hard to put a finger on what exactly the best part of being a tour guide is (and to clarify, when
I say tour guide here, I am also including tour manger/director/leader/etc into that phrase and
though some would argue that each of those titles is a different position–they’re not). So, here’s
what I think:
You are an independent contractor: This means that you aren’t really an employee of any one
company. There are a small number of tour operators in the industry that hire their guides as full
time employees with benefits/401k but even these companies usually only require 100 days of
work out of the year. With most others, you are on a contract-by-contract basis. This could mean
that you’ve said yes (read: contracted) to lead a two hour city tour one time, or that you’ve
actually signed a hard copy sheet of paper stating that you will take on a 30 day cross-country
itinerary five times a year. The beauty here is that you can create your own schedule without
worrying about a dwindling number of vacation days that some corporation allots you annually.
If you want to take the entire month of January off to go explore Fiji, go for it because no one will
be stopping you. Most guides typically work their tails off anywhere between mid February
through Thanksgiving, but a lot work continuously throughout the entire year. Others work a lot
less. As an independent contractor you truly are in charge of your own schedule.
Tour Guides wear multiple ‘hats’ while running a trip. It may look like your guide is having a
relaxed holiday alongside the group, but the reality is that a tour guide is a travel agent, therapist,
accountant, event manager, historian, conflict resolution manager, tax and currency expert and
professional public speaker. All skills which carry across impressively to any future career.

Depending on what types of tours you decide to lead, you’ll also be required to become certified
in a few different core competency areas which are irreplacable skills to possess for your own
travels as well.

You will see more countries & cities than you ever thought possible
In most cases, a tour guide does not just do the same tour loop for an entire season. A fully
trained tour guide will have the opportunity to guide many different itineraries for their tour
company – meaning you will visit, study and experience new destinations multiple times! Start
racking up that country count, you’re about to become a professional full-time traveller.

3. You will be living the dream

You will be paid to travel. Your job, every day, will be to show first-time travellers their way
around a new destination. As a tour guide, ‘work’ means being a part of someone’s happiest
holiday memories. You are actually required to have fun for a living while travelling! Be warned
– most of your friends back at their desk jobs will be insanely jealous of your daily updates from
Monaco, Barcelona and Bali.

4. You’ll become an expert on history, art and architecture

To be a truly excellent tour guide, you need to know your stuff, which means studying up on
architectural styles, historical fun facts and the best places to eat, drink and party. This isn’t your
boring old history teacher studying – think researching the funniest stories of a royal family or
the perfect recipe for goulash to share with your groups. Pretty soon you will be an expert in
Corinthian columns, traditional eating habits in multiple countries and the hilarious history of
inter-country grudges. Your pub quiz score is going to go through the roof once you’ve become
a tour guide!

5. Your colleagues will be just like you!

Forget trying to make friends with Steve from HR who just doesn’t understand your wanderlust
obsession. When you work in the travel industry, all your colleagues are as crazy about travel as
you are! You will finally be surrounded by people who understand and encourage your need to
see the world and experience new cultures. It will be a relief and inspiration all at once. (Sorry
Steve)

6. You can save while travelling

When you are guiding, your transport expenses, accommodation and some meals are all covered
– meaning half of what you earn can be saved. With no rent, car payments or gas bills, you can
accrue a decent amount in savings while you travel. This means that at the end of a season of
guiding you will have some cash stashed for your own travel adventures!

Being a tour guide lets you save money while travelling.

7. You will become a destination expert

Knowing a destination inside out means you’ll know all the best restaurants, bars, cafes and
insider tips to maximize the fun you’ll have while also getting the best possible price on meals
and drinks.

8. You’ll have friends all over the world

Just like anyone who takes a tour, at the end of a trip you are best friends with the other people
who shared the experience with you. That means, as a tour guide, you will have hundreds of best
friends who were on your tours scattered across the world. Next time you go backpacking in
Australia, Mexico, South Africa or Canada you’ll have local friends from your tours ready to show
you their home towns, and maybe even a free couch to crash on. What an excellent excuse to do
even more travelling!

The Moroccan tour group in action.

Becoming a tour guide isn’t easy, there are some intensive training and a long interview process,
but if you manage to score the job, it is undoubtedly the best way to travel the world and still
earn the cash you need to enjoy it!
So, are you ready to abandon the 9 to 5? Why tourism?

Tourism – an economic and social phenomenon

Over the decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to
become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Modern tourism is closely
linked to development and encompasses a growing number of new destinations. These dynamics
have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress.

Today, the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, food products
or automobiles. Tourism has become one of the major players in international commerce, and
represents at the same time one of the main income sources for many developing countries. This
growth goes hand in hand with an increasing diversification and competition among destinations.
This global spread of tourism in industrialised and developed states has produced economic and
employment benefits in many related sectors - from construction to agriculture or
telecommunications.
The contribution of tourism to economic well-being depends on the quality and the revenues of
the tourism offer. UNWTO assists destinations in their sustainable positioning in ever more
complex national and international markets. As the UN agency dedicated to tourism, UNWTO
points out that particularly developing countries stand to benefit from sustainable tourism and
acts to help make this a reality.