My name’s Philip and I’m going to tell you a few things about my job. I’m an American tour guide and I spend most of my time taking groups of American tourists around Europe; England and Italy mostly, but sometimes France and Germany, too.
Before starting, I’d done a two-week European trip as a tourist, then I worked in a travel agency in Chicago, and also worked for a holiday company in Turkey.
However, I still had to go through a complicated procedure before get- ting this job. First, you must fill in the application form and answer all sorts of questions. Next, you have a formal interview and then you have to stand up in front of a group of people and give a talk. They want to see how you can perform in a real situation, because it’s no good being shy or too timid.
There’s a lot of competition for these jobs because they give you a chance to travel and meet lots of new people. But to be a good travel guide, you’ve got to have a genuine interest not only in the travel, but also in the people. The tours can be rather long, and you’re with the same fifty people all the time. You’re never really off duty because you’re responsible for making sure all the arrangements go well and for keeping everyone happy.