Working as a guide abroad in 2021

Working as a guide abroad today: which position to choose?

When looking for a job as a professional guide, you must also take into account the fact that this specialty has more than one area of work itself:

Excursion professional guide. The specialist is engaged in accompanying clients who have contacted a tourist organization during any chosen excursion. A wide variety of attractions are visited. This worker must have an excellent knowledge of not only history, but also geography. He searches for comprehensive data about all kinds of historical objects and various places that are included in the selected tour today
Transfer specialist. This is a highly qualified representative of a tour operator who accompanies travelers on the road from the airport to the hotel. Naturally, we are talking about the opposite direction as well.
Dedicated guide. The specialist works immediately in several hotels located nearby. The main job responsibilities of this specialist include meeting clients of the travel company at the counter intended for registration. The employee resolves numerous organizational issues, as well as the actual accommodation of guests. Various additional excursions are also possible.

Top 30 professions for travelers

Career guidance specialists identify several dozen areas of activity that are suitable for lovers of active recreation, tourism and travel. These include the well-known professions of travel agent or guide-translator, and less common ones: tour manager, diving instructor, environmental activist.

Let's start with specialties directly related to the professional tourism business.

Tourism Manager

Organizes vacation:

draws up a tour program;
is responsible for logistics: books tickets and selects optimal travel routes;
helps clients in case of problems: negotiates with medical institutions, insurance companies, administration of hotels and boarding houses.

The travel agent spends most of his time in the office, but several times a year he “tests” new resort destinations. Business trips are paid for by the owners of hotels and entertainment complexes, and this is done primarily for advertising purposes.

Tour managers are trained in universities and colleges (specialty “Tourism Manager”). An additional advantage for the applicant will be knowledge of foreign languages, stress resistance, and communication skills.

A travel agent, unlike a manager, sells a finished product - a prepared tour. Such specialists travel less often and work mainly from the office.

Guide

A sought-after specialty in resort towns, cultural and museum centers, and nature reserves.

The guide draws up a program and route for the excursion, selects interesting material about the sights, and introduces tourists to the city and its surroundings.

This work is suitable for graduates of humanitarian universities and all people interested in local history and local history. There are also short-term training courses for guides and tour guides.

A guide (with rare exceptions) is a seasonal profession. Most often, there is demand for excursions only in the warm season, and this must be taken into account when choosing a specialty.

Translator

Specialists with knowledge of foreign languages can easily find work in the tourism business. The most popular directions are:

tour guide working with foreign tourists. You can lead group and individual excursions, conduct one-time events or oversee the entire tour - from arrival to departure of travelers;
translator working at international conferences, meetings and seminars;
a personal translator who works with the client on an ongoing basis and accompanies him on trips. Most often he also performs secretarial duties.

What is the salary of a professional guide?

The salary level of a professional guide can be in a fairly wide range. The monthly income of this specialist can be affected by a wide variety of factors. And, initially, the following types should be included here:

Professional specific knowledge, numerous skills and vast experience
State where the activity is carried out
Various functional responsibilities of a specialist
Degree of proficiency in a specific foreign language
Numerous excursions and numerous bonuses
Having such a fairly important skill as competent selling of travel services

In any case, working as a guide abroad is extremely common today. You can not only improve your own knowledge in various areas, but also constantly receive a stable and high salary. If we talk about different countries, then the salary of a professional guide, today, is at the following level:

Russia – $750
Italy – $1150
Türkiye – $1100
Belarus – 300 dollars
USA – 1750 dollars

How to find a suitable guide vacancy?

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Finding a vacancy in this area is not too difficult. A huge number of people choose the following methods:

Finding a job using the Internet. There are a huge number of portals with information on where you can profitably get a prestigious job as a professional guide
Finding a job using personal connections. You can always try to find a profitable vacancy through your own various acquaintances. Such a decision is considered especially relevant for a person for whom someone is already working in this direction. Such people can share their own experience on how to get a good job more profitably
Websites of travel companies. Numerous vacancies in this area are often published on such resources.

Working as a guide abroad: what are the requirements for the candidate?

To get a job as a professional guide, each person must meet the following important requirements:

Good appearance, sociability, and real neatness. In this job, you will have to interact with a large number of people every day. The need to answer various questions from tourists is not excluded. A solution to the numerous problems of travelers is also a must. In connection with all this, it is necessary to have such a characteristic as the ability to communicate well with different people
Clear voice and oratory skills. The tourist group itself may turn out to be not only quite small, but also, naturally, quite large. Regardless of the total number of people, everyone should be able to clearly hear what the professional guide is saying
Possession of the skills of a qualified psychologist and resistance to stress. A highly professional and experienced employee must be able to please even the most capricious person. It must exclude the possibility of all kinds of conflict situations. This is done by quickly switching the attention of a group of people
Positive mood and goodwill. Travelers should only receive a good boost of energy and positive emotions. Therefore, a specialist must be able to correctly create a really good mood. Only the most friendly atmosphere should be created
Knowledge of a particular foreign language at the highest level. This requirement is considered relevant for those specialists who intend to work abroad, or, for example, with various foreign groups of tourists. It is better if a person speaks more than one foreign language. In this case, you can get a really well-paid job much faster

The chances of getting a good job will be at a higher level in a situation where a person fully possesses all of the above qualities. In any situation, working as a guide abroad is also a huge responsibility.

Requirements for applicants for the position of guide

If you intend to get a job as a guide abroad, you need to understand that, in addition to your requirements for such criteria as working conditions, salary, list of responsibilities, etc., there are also requirements that you must meet in order to get the desired vacancy. They are approximately the same for most countries. This:

Language. This is one of the main criteria for selecting candidates for a vacancy. You will need to communicate with guests, hotel staff, locals, etc. This requires not just passable, but quite decent English. The better you are at it, the more valuable employee you will become. Your charges at the hotel will receive everything they need, since you can always agree with the staff about their comfortable accommodation and fulfillment of their requirements and whims.
Communication skills. You will have to communicate endlessly, answer questions, solve problems.
Goodwill. Your wards hope to relax in body and soul. You need to be able to constantly smile, always give those around you a boost of cheerfulness.
Stress resistance. In every group of tourists there will definitely be a capricious man or lady who is very difficult to please. The guide’s task is not to strain the situation and to easily get out of any psychoclonic situations.
Mastery of oratory. Groups can be large or small. Even those who are at a decent distance from you should understand what you are saying. The voice should be clear and clear, just like announcers and actors.

Pleasant appearance and neatness are also important for a guide. If you have all of the above, you can get a job.

Working as a professional guide: disadvantages and advantages

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Like other specialties, it has its own not only positive, but also various negative sides. If we are talking about negative aspects, then they all most often relate to wages, as well as conditions. Although, regardless of this, the advantages are, in fact, much greater. And, initially, it is worth noting the following important advantages:

The opportunity to see various sights and the whole world
Simply wonderful self-development
Organization of high quality holidays
Enjoy your time
Leading an active and healthy lifestyle
Making a large number of useful contacts from a wide variety of countries

The tourism industry always employs charismatic and creative people. They are fluent in all kinds of foreign languages. The ability to competently and beautifully present all kinds of interesting information to a wide variety of people is also possible.

Working as a guide abroad also has some negative aspects. And, first of all, it is worth noting the following disadvantages:

Piece-work payment. Salary directly depends on the number of organized excursions
Responsibility for a large number of complete strangers
Constant work outdoors, regardless of the time of year, as well as the weather conditions themselves
Highest and constant stress on your own legs, as well as on the vocal cords
Instability of the work schedule itself

A professional guide often has to endure numerous antics, as well as the whims of a wide variety of people. All these are real features of this line of activity. When organizing an excursion by a highly qualified and experienced specialist, it is imperative to maintain complete calm. Under no circumstances is it advisable to lose your dominance.

Working as a guide abroad: what is worth knowing?

Working as a professional guide outside of your own state has a number of different nuances. If we are talking about Russian citizens, then outside the country, they most often find work in Russian travel companies. Although, we can also talk about fairly large foreign organizations that have their own branch network in Russia.

Certain states impose various restrictions on the list of professions for foreign citizens. For example, in Thailand, foreigners are strictly prohibited from working as professional guides. Domestic travel companies can only simply cooperate with various local agencies.

As for Europe, here things are much simpler. Foreign citizens have several options to choose from:

Independent work by a highly professional guide
Working under the guise of a specialist from a Russian tour operator

The first option implies the need to obtain a special permit for one’s own work in the state where the person intends to engage in the relevant activity. Naturally, you cannot do without obtaining such a permit as obtaining a professional guide’s license. Do not forget that it must be confirmed 2 times within one year. It is necessary to take specialized courses. Naturally, in the future you will have to pass a rather difficult exam. It is taken in the language that is considered national in the selected country.

When working independently as a professional guide, while in a foreign country, you need to take independent care not only of your own food, but also, accordingly, of your accommodation. Today, those specialists who are employees of some travel agency are deprived of such problems. In this situation, all issues related to food, as well as accommodation for their own employees, are resolved by management.

Businessmen, fugitives and romantics

The Newslab.ru correspondent's interlocutor turned out to be a modest man and asked not to use his last name. Alexey has several seasons of work in Turkey and Thailand under his belt. He returned from his last “watch” just the other day and said that he plans to quit - he’s tired, and most importantly, there are no prospects for further growth.

— Three categories of people become guides: businessmen, fugitives and romantics. The goal of the former is to look around in a foreign country, find out the laws and regulations, and, if possible, make contacts in order to then “start up” some kind of business. The latter are literally fleeing Russia - from personal problems, everyday unsettlement or troubles with the law - there are such people too. With romantics, everything is clear - people are attracted to distant countries, seas, oceans, etc. I myself once became a guide for romantic reasons. Although my previous job was far from romantic - after graduating from the Pedagogical University, I worked in the police for 5-6 years. It’s just that at some point I suddenly got fed up with everything, and I decided to change my occupation. Now I’m in a similar situation - I’ve had enough of romance and exoticism, and I want to exchange them for something more significant,” says Alexey.

Working as a guide abroad without knowing a foreign language: is it possible or not?

Specialists who are fluent in a foreign language have a much greater chance of becoming a professional guide with a high salary. You can count not only on a high salary, but also on the possibility of employment in some prestigious foreign tourism organization.

If we are talking about Russian-speaking specialists who do not have knowledge of any foreign language, the doors to Russian agencies are open. Such specialists are offered numerous positions that are related to serving travelers from Russia. We can also talk about tourists from those states that were previously part of the CIS. When applying for a job, special attention is paid to the specialist’s ability to competently and effectively sell various tourism services.

You should not count on the fact that working in a tourism destination is a fairly simple matter. This requires special knowledge, as well as certain skills. Mere knowledge of a foreign language is simply not enough. Today, the profession of a highly professional and qualified guide is quite difficult. Such an activity can only be suitable for a person who is always in a great mood and can easily win other people over.

The need for good resistance to stress, as well as simply remarkable endurance, is not excluded. Erudition, as well as real erudition, can play a special role.

Working conditions and salaries of guides abroad

During the tourist season, you should not expect to have many days off. As a rule, they rest 3-4 days a month. Guides and animators do not have a set working day.

As for earnings, it depends on the flow of clients, on how many tours were sold.
On average, guides earn about $500 per month.
For example, a transfer guide in Turkey receives 300-400 dollars. This amount is stated on many job sites.

Additional charges may be made in case of successful sale of vouchers. Also, your salary depends on what type of profession you choose. Tour guides earn slightly more than their colleagues.

Working as a guide abroad: is the specialty in demand?

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The demand for professional guides exists in a wide variety of countries. Although, the nuances of the work themselves can vary significantly. Naturally, it is much easier for Russian citizens to find work when contacting Russian travel companies. There are a huge variety of them. Therefore, you can always choose the most suitable option.

Most often, foreign organizations are simply not interested in employees who come from Russia. In this regard, if you receive an offer to get a job in some foreign travel company, it is recommended to be as careful as possible. You need to check everything carefully to avoid getting into too bad a situation.

What else do you need to know about activities in this direction?

Today, there are various additional tips that will definitely be useful to those people who intend to get a job as professional guides outside their own state. If there is no other option and you need to find a job using the Internet, then it is better to give your preference to larger companies that have been operating in this market for a long period of time. Due to this, you can avoid the possibility of falling into the hands of real scammers.

It is imperative that you carefully read the various information available on numerous forums. It is necessary to study various reviews of those people who have previously worked as professional guides outside their own state. There is no need to contact the first travel company you come across. It’s better to weigh everything well and think it through carefully. In this situation, it is never recommended to rush anywhere.

Interested in working as a guide abroad? Then you should definitely familiarize yourself with all the nuances of this type of activity!

Colleagues

Relationships with colleagues are different, much depends on the difference in age and the number of colleagues. The young people are mostly all friends and often get together. And if the team is more than 20 people, then communication takes place in a “hello-bye” format. But nevertheless, small gangs of “rooted” guides are emerging, those who have been working for a long time. And everyone knows each other, even working in different companies. Some become friends, some become enemies. In general, everything is the same as with ordinary people.

You look at some colleagues and get really angry because they behave terribly towards tourists. I had several colleagues, hotel guides, who might not provide assistance to a tourist who did not buy any excursion. Or communicate with him in such a way that any desire to contact him will disappear.

And when I worked for a season in Vietnam, I was amazed by my colleagues who worked for Vinpearl and were frankly impudent. For example, an individual excursion costs 200 dollars, but they sell it for 400 - because the tourists who vacation there can afford such a trip. This is possible if the “extra” money goes to the company’s cash desk. They took this money into their pockets.

Guides always tell all tourists that they should buy excursions exclusively from the company and under no circumstances on the street. This is done, first of all, to ensure that there are no complaints against the tour operator regarding poor quality service.

I was friends with most of my colleagues, I don’t remember there being any negativity.

When we got together with a group of colleagues, we began to discuss everything in the world - the loss of suitcases, various oddities, like, for example, the guide slept through the program or how he fell asleep right during the excursion.

There was a case when a car arrived early to pick up tourists, somehow the time was not calculated correctly, and the guide and driver decided to get some sleep. As a result, the tourists walked around the car for about 20 minutes and knocked on the windows, trying to wake them up.