Your guide to become an Tour Guide in Malaysia

Average Salary
2,100 - 3,100

Job Demand

Who is an Tour Guide

A Tour Guide leads tourists, jumping from landmark to landmark while explaining the culture or history behind it.

Tour Guides play a huge role in making a tourist’s journey a smooth one by ensuring that they are well taken care of throughout their holidays. If you like travelling around and learning about the story behind each location, then this career might just be for you! As a Tour Guide, you will be assisting and providing your clients information on the culture, heritage or history of all the popular places in an organised tour. Hence, knowing all the crooks and corners of significant places such as museums, landmarks and historical sites will be helpful.

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The pros and cons of being an Tour Guide

Pros

Get to promote your country's cultural and historical treasures
Opportunity to meet people who share the same love for travel
Opportunity to work freelance

Cons

Modest salary and may not come with good health benefits
Job can be physically draining as you may need to start the day early and always planning ahead
Long and irregular work hours that may include weekends and holidays

What are all the responsibilities of an Tour Guide ?

Escort people on trips and tours
Explain the history and background of the building, location or people in the place of interest
Arrange entry to places of interest such as museums, galleries and exhibitions
Arrange meals and accommodation
Act as an interpreter
Describe the plan of the tour to your group
Keep a close eye on the members of the group to ensure their safety and that they don’t violate rules
Give out relevant pamphlets, and explaining the rules of a site to your clients

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What skills do you need to become an Tour Guide?

Multilingual

Tour Guides meet with tourists all over the world who are comfortable speaking their native languages. Despite the fact that you are leading the group who agrees to join a tour in English, being able to converse in their native language helps you connect and engage with them.

Friendly, helpful and responsible

Some of the characteristics of being a good Tour Guide is to be friendly, helpful and responsible as it shows good morale not only for you and the company you represent, but also Malaysia as a whole. A Tour Guide acts as an unofficial spokesperson for the country. How you treat tourists reflects who Malaysians truly are so the image of Malaysia rests in your hands.

Knowledge on historical matters

It’s one thing to pass your History exam in high school but it’s another to go to historical sites and explain in detail its historical background. Tour Guides must be equipped with as much knowledge about the country as possible, be it in history, politics, education system, developments, and of course, the food. You never know when tourists might ask you a random question out of the blue, and you don’t want to get embarrassed.

What field(s) of study should you choose to become an Tour Guide?

Tourism Management
Hospitality Management
Mass Communications

What are the requirements to be an Tour Guide?

Whatever you study, you can still be a Tour Guide as no specific qualifications are needed. You only need to obtain a license. Those who drive passengers need special licenses. Tourist guides with lots of experience and knowledge will be higher in demand.

What are the working hours of an Tour Guide

Irregular and long work hours as you will likely have to lead the group most of the time during the day and sometimes at night if there are nighttime attractions. You will also have to give tours on weekends. Most Tour Guides work part time or freelance. Working hours are not fixed and can vary depending on peak seasons and the weather.

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