High School

If you hope to become a tour guide, there are several high school courses you can take that will prepare you for the position and improve your chances of finding a job. Perhaps the single most valuable class is a foreign language. Tour guides who can speak a second language fluently will be in the greatest demand. Public speaking courses can also prove to be valuable as guides have to keep up a steady patter of information and engage small groups. 

A good tour guide should have a grasp of his or her destination's history and culture; therefore, classes in social studies, sociology, geography, and history are excellent choices. Since knowledge of the arts is also important on many tours, courses in art history or appreciation would also be helpful. Because much of the tour guide's work involves communicating with people—and often involves speaking to groups of travelers—speech classes can help prepare you for this job.

Postsecondary Training

Although there is no formal education requirement for becoming a tour guide, many guides do have some postsecondary training. Many two- and four-year colleges, as well as trade and professional schools, offer courses in tour management and guiding. Some large travel agencies offer their employees in-house training classes.

Some tour guides, especially those interested in leading special interest tours, have bachelor's or master's degrees in various subjects, such as art history and architecture. If you hope to combine your interest in a particular field with a career as a tour guide, you should focus heavily on your area of interest, as well as taking supplemental classes in public speaking and travel and tourism, where available. Some who want to advance in this career and in the hospitality industry may pursue a degrees in hospitality and leisure management. 

Certification or Licensing

Some cities may require tour guides to have city-issued permits. For example, New Orleans requires all tour guides to have a permit. To obtain a permit, guides must show proof of residency, pass a test of general knowledge of the city, and pay fees for a permit, background checks, and drug test. Requirements vary by city; check your city government's Web site for details. Sightseeing guides in New York City and other major metropolitan areas require licensing as well.

Other Requirements

Inbound tour guides must be able to walk, be on their feet, and talk for long periods of time.

Aspiring tour guides should obtain six months to a year of experience working as a volunteer at a tour site. Once hired, new tour guides obtain further experience by participating in on-the-job training. 

Tour guides should be excellent communicators and enjoy working with large groups of people. Occasional encounters with difficult or demanding tour group members are a reality, so patience is more than a virtue for this job, it's a necessity.

As a tour guide, you should also be fun-loving and able to help group members enjoy themselves. Another important trait is the ability to deal with unforeseen difficulties and situations. Leadership and a take-charge attitude are also necessary in this job, where guides are relied upon to answer questions, deal with problems, and generally take care of travelers' needs. Finally, tour guides need to be willing and able to work long hours. During a tour, guides are never really off duty, and this can mean phone calls in the middle of the night to resolve any problem a guest is having.

For general skills, you should get as much public speaking experience as possible. Acting can help and actors often supplement their income working as tour guides. Sales work can help as well since you have to be very good at engaging your audience. Tour guide jobs are usually very specific to the location so learning as much as you can about a site where you want to work can be essential. A site may be a wildlife park, an amusement park, a film studio, a brewery, or museum.