Objective
To prepare students to enter the tourist industry as qualified guides for their region. Registered tourist guides are qualified by examinations set and administered by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. Those students who are successful in these examinations will be awarded the Blue Badge for London.
Course Content
During the course students study the following:
- Core knowledge - a wide cultural background to Britain. London knowledge - an in-depth local knowledge.
- London knowledge - an in-depth local knowledge.
- Regional knowledge - covering sites frequently visited from London.
- Guiding techniques - communication and presentation skills for guiding on foot, on site and from a moving vehicle.
- Business skills - learning to work as a self-employed guide within the tourist industry.
Subjects covered include: history, geography and geology, agriculture and countryside, law, English literature, visual and performing arts, monarchy, government, tourism, sport, industry and commerce, finance, various galleries and museums in London, religion, architecture and current affairs, tour planning and problem solving.
In depth: St. Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, a London gallery, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey and a City walk.
Regional sites include: Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon, Windsor, Stonehenge, Salisbury, the Cotswolds, Bath and Canterbury.
A handbook containing the full syllabus is given to students at the start of the course.
Course Structure
The five components of the course content form an integrated course of study. The course is designed to be part-time, with lectures and practical training sessions outside normal office hours.
Lectures: There are two evening lectures in central London each week (These will usually be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays 18.30 - 20.30).
Practical training: There are also practical training sessions and visits most Saturdays. These sessions are an essential part of the course and should not be missed.
Private home study: The student should expect to spend several hours each week on private research and learning of material. In addition to this, the holiday breaks are intended as study leave.
Contents
Course Dates
|
Introductory weekend
|
31 March - 1 April 2007 |
|
Part 1
 |
04 September 2007 – end March 2008 |
|
Summer small group sessions
|
June 2008 |
|
Part 2
|
September 2008 – end January 2009 |
The fee for the 2007/09 course will be in the region of £3,500.00. This includes all teaching, entrance fees, coach travel as part of the training, core knowledge CD and other course learning materials.
Also included is a two day communications seminar on practical presentation skills, a half day voice training session and a first aid training course, all of which will take place mid-week.
Half of the course fee (£1,750.00)* is payable upon acceptance of the place before 23 March 2007. The other half (£1,750.00)* is payable before 1 September 2007. *exact amount to be confirmed.
No refunds will be given if a student withdraws form the course or any part of it, nor for non-use of services provided. The Guild of Registered Tourist Guides reserves the right to cancel and refund all fees paid or to offer the course at a higher fee if insufficient enrolments are received.
The fee includes all teaching, entrance fees, coach travel as part of training, core knowledge booklets and other course learning materials. Also included is a two day communications seminar on practical presentation skills and a half day voice training session, which will take place mid-week.
Half of the course fee is payable upon acceptance of the place.
No refunds will be given if a student withdraws from the course or any part of it, nor for non-use of services provided. Training Professional Guides Ltd. reserve the right to cancel and refund all fees paid or to offer the course at a higher fee if insufficient enrolments are received.
Final Assessment
Having completed the course, the course director will submit students for practical and written assessment administered by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. To gain the Blue Badge qualification students have to pass all the sections:
| - Planning and problem solving project | late June 2008 |
| - Background knowledge written examination | Spring or September 2008 |
| - Regional knowledge written examination | Late September 2008 |
| - 2 London practical examinations | Late September 2008 |
| - London knowledge written examination | February 2009 |
| - Practical site and coach assessments | February 2009 |
For 2007/9, the examination fees are likely to be in the region of £800.00, payable in two instalments, half by the end of June 2008 and the second half by September 2008 to the Institute of Tourist Guiding.
There is an additional linguist test and fee for those wishing to qualify to guide in a language, which is not their mother tongue.
Successful candidates will have their name added to the Institute of Tourist Guiding's Register of Guides and will be issued with the London Registered Guide photo card and Blue Badge.
Contents
Working as a Guide
The role and function of a tourist guide is to welcome, organise, inform and entertain. This rewarding work allows great opportunities to meet a wide range of people, to travel and manage your own working environment. Tourist guides in Britain are mainly freelance and self-employed. Work is seasonal, often involving unsocial hours, and is usually obtained by direct contact with tour operators and other agencies. In addition, a guide with good marketing skills can successfully establish a strong client base.
Registration with the Institute of Tourist Guiding signifies that a tourist guide has achieved an acceptable level of professional competence. The Institute does not offer work to tourist guides but promotes the Blue Badge in general. Tourist guides are listed in its annual register, which is distributed to users of guide services.
Depending on what type of work is being undertaken, tourist guides will charge a range of fees. For mainstream guiding work in 2006/07, fees for freelance London Blue Badge guides are in the range of £105 - £120 per half day and £150 - £190 per full day.
Contents
| 1. | Application should be made by completing the form and returning it with a cheque for £35, made payable to Guild Training - London Account, to London Blue Badge Course, The Guild of Registered Tourist Guides, 52d Borough High Street, London SE1 1XN You can download an application form here . |
| 2. | All applicants will be asked to sit a pre-entry general knowledge test. This will take place on Friday 2 April 2007 at 18.30 at a central London venue to be decided. Details will be sent to all applicants nearer the time. |
| 3. | Shortly after the pre-entry test, selected candidates will be informed in writing and asked to attend an interview. These interviews will take place during the week 26 February - 2 March 2007. Offers of a place on the course will be sent by March 16 |
| 4. |
Candidates’ acceptance letters (together with 50% of the fee) should be received by 23 March 2007 in time for the Induction week end 31 March - 1 April. |
Candidates, of a minimum age of 18 years, will need to demonstrate an outgoing personality, smart appearance, physical stamina, good general knowledge, organisational ability, flexibility, a genuine interest and concern for people and the motivation to develop their own business. Preference for places on the course will be given to those who are fluent in more than one language and to those with a background in the tourism industry.
The Institute of Tourist Guiding
The Institute of Tourist Guiding is the standard setting body, not only for Blue Badge guides, but for the whole tourist guiding sector. The Institute provides examinations, accredits courses which meet its standards.
Contents
Course Director
Hazel Docherty, MA Hons PGCE MITG. Hazel qualified as a guide in 2002 after spending many years in education for both adults and children and leading visits abroad. She is course director for the Guild of Registered Tourist Guides. Hazel is a trustee on the Board of the Institute of Tourist Guiding and Chair of the Language Committee. She guides in English, Spanish and French.
Training Provider
The Guild of Registered Tourist Guides is both a membership organisation and a training provider of guide training courses in London and other areas of England
Course Tutors & Lecturers
All the tutors on the course work as London Blue Badge guides. Many of the lecturers are guides and specialists in their subject
Steering Group
There is a steering group for the course made up from representatives of the industry. These include the Course Director, the Chief Examiner, the Chair of the Guild of Registered Tourist Guides, a representative of Visit London, an academic, 2 users of guide services or representatives from sites and working blue badge guides