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Thousands of trained tour guides work in China,
assisting the tourists. Most of these have taken up the job of
tourist guide as a full-timer. However, there are many whose major
source of income is their work as teachers or shopkeepers. They earn
money part-time working as a tourist guide.
Government Licensed Guides
The Chinese Government grants licenses to tour guides after they
have qualified a stringent examination and thereafter, received full
training. Licensed guides are good in speaking English and you would
find no problem communicating with them.
Class 1 Tourist Guides
Chinese travel companies could be categorized into three classes.
Class 1 tourist work directly with foreign tour operators while the
Class 2 and Class 3 companies are not directly in touch of the
foreign tourists. Tourist guides working for Class 1 travel
companies are usually more experienced of working with foreign
tourists and are efficient of taking care of their guests. These
guides are generally full-timers and their employers pre-arrange
their work schedules.
Guides in Less Developed Regions
Tourist guides in less developed regions of China would not be as
efficient in their work and communication as their counterparts in
bigger cities.
Volunteer Guides
Thousands of volunteers have enrolled themselves to work as
volunteers during the Beijing Olympics. For sightseeing and other
tourist activities, you could take the assistance of these volunteer
guides too. |
