A guide is a guide for tourists on excursion routes

It seems that now any information about any place can be found easily. But the guide turns dry lines into a fascinating story – and an unfamiliar city becomes close and dear.

Average salary: 30,000 rubles per month

Profession rating

Demand 40% Payability fifty% Competition fifty% Entry barrier 35% Perspectives 55% ContentHistoryDescriptionSpecialties and educational institutionsDutiesWho suitsHow much getCareerPerspectives

A guide is a specialist who accompanies excursionists or tourists along a certain route and tells them about all the sights that come along the way.

History of the profession

The name of the profession comes from the French word guide, which means “guide”. This could be the name of any people who knew a certain area and the traditions of its inhabitants, and accompanied the traveler when visiting this area.

Most researchers consider Thomas Cook, the British entrepreneur who actually became the “father” of organized tourism, to be the first real guide. In 1841, he gathered 570 people for a walk on the railway and accompanied them himself. Subsequently, Thomas Cook created a tourism society and developed a number of routes through the cities of Europe and later in America.

Description and characteristics of the profession

Now almost everyone knows who the guides are. These are the people who are the first to meet the guests of the city, help them to settle in the hotel, and then accompany them throughout their stay. They can also accompany tourists on water, bus and walking tours.

Usually the guide takes guests along a certain worked-out route, accompanying the journey with an interesting and informative story about the history of the region, its architecture, sights and outstanding personalities.

However, the profession of a guide requires not only guiding excursions, but also solving a number of related issues, most often organizational.

A good guide can make a visit to the city unforgettable for guests, and a bad guide can ruin the whole experience. Therefore, the specialist must be able to establish contact with the group, adjust the route if necessary, and answer the questions of tourists in a professional and interesting way. Depending on the organization of the tour and the composition of the group, the following categories of guides are distinguished:

Guides-tour guides who can not only talk about the sights along the route of the bus, but also conduct a 123helpme.me qualified excursion in some museum, temple or historical part of the city.Guides-translators who are fluent in a certain foreign language and serve groups of tourists from abroad.The accompanying guides work with groups of Russian tourists traveling abroad.

There are also such specialists who reserve the right to conduct separate excursions to their museum colleagues, and they themselves focus on the organizational and administrative support of the tour. This is a considerable piece of work, since tourists are not always disciplined, responsible and friendly people. Often the guide has to extinguish emerging conflicts and misunderstandings.

Directions, specialties and educational institutions by training profile

Now let’s dwell on how to become a guide. A specialist in this area must have deep knowledge and a broad outlook, so higher education is simply necessary for him. In principle, a liberal arts education in the areas of philology, cultural studies, tourism, history, art history is suitable. You can also get a diploma in excursion and museology.

On the basis of this knowledge, you can build your future activities. Good humanitarian knowledge is given by such universities:

Moscow State Pedagogical University. Here, at the Faculty of Geography, the specialty “technology and organization of tour operator and travel agency services” is taught, which trains professionals in the field of excursion activities.The Russian State University for the Humanities offers courses in Tourism at the Faculty of History, Political Science and Law.The Russian International Academy of Tourism, which has branches in a number of cities in our country, provides an opportunity to receive both higher and secondary specialized education in the specialty “tourism”. Its graduates can be group guides, tour guides, guides.Sochi State University, at the Faculty of Tourism and Service, prepares specialists (bachelors and masters) of tourism and hospitality. There are programs “Domestic and incoming tourism” and “Organization of activities of tourism enterprises”.Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service offers training at the Department of Tourism and Ecology. Here they will give knowledge of a foreign language, as well as of world culture and art.

But for a full-fledged work as a guide, in addition to graduating from a university, it is advisable to take more specialized courses in which they teach a well-delivered speech, the legal nuances of organizing tours, the formation of interesting routes, the peculiarities of the psychology of tourists. Among the training centers are the following:

The training and coordination center “Guides and Guides” (Moscow) trains specialists in all areas of tourism.The Tourist Center “Tourist Center” (Moscow) prepares guides in 4-5 months, there is also an opportunity to study on weekends.The National School of Guides, Translators and Tour Guides (St. Petersburg) prepares guides around St. Petersburg and the surrounding area, along rivers and canals, as well as across the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland).The Yekaterinburg Guide Center offers knowledge to serve tourists in the city and the Sverdlovsk region.Educational and tourist center “Jumages” prepares accompanying guides, as well as tour guides in Europe and Prague.

Having a diploma of graduation and a certificate of successful completion of the courses, you can take an aptitude test (be accredited) and receive a license.

Professional responsibilities

The main duties of a guide include:

development of excursion programs and routes;study of attractions, their history, interesting facts about them;meeting, escorting a group of tourists and informing them about interesting places;interaction with local guides along the route;filling in the necessary documentation;instructing guests on safety measures and rules of conduct;first aid if necessary;coordination of actions in emergency situations;resolution of conflict situations.

Sometimes, with knowledge of the language, the attendant can also perform the functions of an interpreter. It is also often required to provide guests with additional information that is not directly the responsibility of the guide.

Who suits

A guide is a profession that is suitable for literate and energetic people who are ready to spend the whole day on their feet, interacting with a variety of people.

But only that specialist who has a list of important qualities will become successful:

sincere love for your city or region, erudition;the ability to compose an interesting program and present it masterfully, convey it to the listener;well-placed literary speech and acting skills;talents of a teacher and psychologist, a sense of humor;the ability to work with different categories of people;friendliness and sociability;physical and emotional endurance;the ability to quickly find a way out of difficult situations;a responsibility.

In addition, it is very important for a professional to constantly undergo advanced training, increase his knowledge and broaden his general horizons.

Wage

Several important factors affect the guide’s earnings:

seasonality (in the warm season, the number of tourists is several times higher than in winter);place of work (in Moscow and St. Petersburg, guides are paid much more than in the outback);the way of organizing work (in a tour company, travel agency or independently).

On average, a guide’s salary is about 35-40 thousand rubles, but in the capitals in the summer you can earn up to 60-80 thousand rubles. The agencies pay a little less than freelance, but they provide orders. In winter, earnings may drop to 15 thousand rubles.

How to build a career

As for a career, a good specialist, having started his career in the field, over time may well become a manager in a well-known travel company. You can also try to open your own tour desk or travel agency, especially if there are unique routes of your own design.

Profession prospects

The large number of inbound and outbound tourists indicates that the profession of a guide will be in demand in the coming years. However, the competition in the market is very high, especially in large cities, so you need to be a very good specialist to achieve success and decent earnings.

Having learned a foreign language and the tourist peculiarities of other countries, you can apply to accompany groups of Russian tourists abroad. You can not only make good money on this, but also see the world.