Tour Guides and Escorts: Career Profile
Escort individuals or groups on sightseeing tours or through places of interest, such as industrial establishments, public buildings, and art galleries.
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What Do Tour Guides and Escorts Take On?
The core tasks performed by tour guides and escorts include:
- Describe tour points of interest to group members, and respond to questions.
- Escort individuals or groups on cruises, sightseeing tours, or through places of interest, such as industrial establishments, public buildings, or art galleries.
- Monitor visitors' activities to ensure compliance with establishment or tour regulations and safety practices.
- Conduct educational activities for school children.
- Research various topics, including site history, environmental conditions, and clients' skills and abilities to plan appropriate expeditions, instruction, and commentary.
- Provide directions and other pertinent information to visitors.
- Select travel routes and sites to be visited based on knowledge of specific areas.
What Tour Guides and Escorts Need to Know
Successful tour guides and escorts draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Tour Guides and Escorts Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Admitting Office Escort
- Adventure Guide
- Alpine Guide
- Art Museum Aide
- Art Museum Docent
- Discovery Guide
- Docent
- Duck Driver
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 202,973 tour guides and escorts working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -2.8% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Tour Guides and Escorts
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $28,297 |
| Hourly median | $13.60 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $23,974 |
| 75th percentile | $32,619 |
| 90th percentile | $36,942 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Tools and Technology
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Internet browser software: Apple Safari (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for tour guides and escorts is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Public Speaking
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Education and Training
Typical tour guides and escorts positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling (Supplemental)
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (Supplemental)
- Park Naturalists (Primary-Short)
- Historians (Primary-Long)
- History Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors (Supplemental)
- Self-Enrichment Teachers (Primary-Long)
- Curators (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Future tour guides and escorts often complete programs in:
History
1 programs across 1 majors
Social Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
References
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 39-7011.00 (Tour Guides and Escorts).
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