Seeing the world, living each day to the most, learning about different cultures, eating exotic foods, meeting new friends…who wouldn't want to be a Contiki Tour Guide, right? After having such an AMAZING and UNFORGETTABLE experience on my first Contiki Tour, I started to wonder how cool and exciting my life could be as Tour Guide for Contiki. I mean, they look like they have SO much fun all the time! They're pretty much getting paid to travel and party with us right? An all expense paid traveling job… seriously, how cool is that? AND they get extra tips at the end of each tour! Who wouldn't want this job? So a bunch of us in the tour group started looking into it…
What exactly are the job qualifications and requirements to become a Contiki Tour Guide? To become a Contiki Tour Guide, you will need fill out a job application on their website, submit a copy of your CV, passport, and work visa (if needed), pass 3 interviews, and then successfully complete 10-week intensive Training Program. And once you have completed all of these steps, you will have officially become a Contiki Tour Guide!
- Contiki leads active 18-35-year-olds on motorcoach tours all across the globe. They offer over 75 different tours and vacation packages that cover over 35 countries on 5 continents.
- Tour Driver Application Form TOUR DRIVER APPLICATION PACK Why join Contiki? Contiki is the world's leading tour operator for 18-35's. When driving for us you're undertaking not only a job but a lifestyle. A life that involves travelling to some of the most exotic destinations in the world with some of the most amazing people you'll ever.
Sounds rather simple, right? However, after doing a lot of research online I realized that it's actually not as easy as it looks. Besides having to pass 3 interviews and an intensive 70 day Training Program, you also have to have the stamina for long work days, living out of a suitcase for months a time, and managing many different personalities, and all while doing it with a positive attitude and a smile. If this hasn't scared you away yet from wanting to become a Contiki tour guide, then keep on reading for the 6 steps needed to get this job.
Step 1: Research the job.
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Do your homework to decide if you are actually up for the task of being a tour guide. It's not as easy as it looks! Is bingo hall legit.
The travel part is great, but are you willing be away from home for long periods of time? Are you overlooking all of the responsibilities that go along with being a good tour guide? What do you want out of this job?
Questions to ask yourself before applying:
- Are you passionate about travel and Europe? Do you like learning new things? Are you okay with spending a lot of time traveling in a bus? Also, are you okay with living out of a suitcase for months at a time?
- Do you enjoy public speaking? Do you have confidence speaking in front of a group?
- Do you enjoy working with people and leading groups?
- Do you have the ability to deal with all types of people from various cultures? There may be a language barrier, different habits, and different expectations.
- Do you enjoy a challenge? Travelling to so many countries may not go as smoothly as you think.
- That being said, are you a problem solver? Can you think quickly on your feet and find a strategic solution or method when things don't go according to plan? For example, lost passports, injuries, personality conflicts, physical altercations, etc.
- Do you have great time management skills? Since you will be leading a big group, you need to be aware of the time, especially for morning departures, meeting times, and gas stops.
- Are you enthusiastic and motivated? Can you inspire others?
- Are you able to be responsible and professional at all times?
- Are you willing to work as part of a team? (For example, the trip driver, other team members, local suppliers, and local guides)
- Are you a positive person? Do you have the ability to make the most out of the worse situations?
Step 2: Apply for a Work Visa (if necessary), fill out the job application online and submit all necessary documents.
- A scanned copy of your passport and work visa (if needed)
- Your CV
- Apply for a Work Visa (if necessary) More details below.
To be a Tour Guide in Europe: You must be able to work in Europe. You can skip this step if you already possess: UK Passport or European Passport
Otherwise, you'll need to apply for a Work Visa:
To obtain a UK Visa (https://www.gov.uk/tier-5-international-agreement), you will need to:
- Have a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed employer (before you can apply to come to the UK)
- Submit all required documents in the online application
- Pay a Visa Application Processing Fee
- Wait for decision on your visa (usually within 3 weeks)
- In most cases you'll be able to stay for 2 years, or the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.
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To obtain a EU Visa (https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-application-guidelines/):
- You can apply up to 12 weeks before you travel.
- Book an appointment (at least 15 days prior to your departure since that is the approximate time an Embassy/Consulate needs to complete the visa issuing procedures.
- Fill out the application form and submit all required documents
- Attend a in-person interview
- Pay a Visa Application Processing Fee
*EU Visas are a little bit different that UK Visas in that you will need to apply for a specific country in the EU. There isn't a General EU Visa. If you need more information, you can go to their direct website for specific details and guidelines.
Step 3: If your application is accepted, you will be scheduled a time for a video interview.
Here is where you show off your personality and work experience. They want to see if you will be able to fit in with their brand. Because Contiki caters to 18-35 year olds, they want to see if your personality will be a good match.
Obviously, previously experience is a plus! This demonstrates to Contiki that you know what you are getting yourself into, and for the most part that you know what to expect. It wouldn't be beneficial for them to train you for 10 weeks and then all of a sudden you decide that this job isn't for you.
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Step 4: Next, you'll be invited to attend a group interview (in either Sydney or London).
According to Contiki's website, during this interview you will be asked to prepare a short speech on a subject concerning Europe. They will choose a topic for you to prepare ahead of time with specific guidelines.
Public speaking and preparing speeches are a BIG part in a Tour Guide's job. You will need to prepare and give multiple speeches daily if you get this job. They want to see your personality, your sense of humor, your comfort level in speaking in front of a group, your professionalism, and so on.
Step 5: Lastly, you will be chosen to attend a final individual interview, which will typically be conducted the following day.
Congratulations! You've made it to the Final Interview! During this portion, you will be asked more specific questions and details. They'll ask you more situational questions like how you would handle and deal with certain situations. Being adaptable and able to be quick on your feet is a very important quality to have in the role of a tour guide. Nothing is ever perfect and there will be many times when things do not go according to plan.
Once you pass all 3 interviews, you will be assigned a 10-week long Training Trip!
Step 6: Complete mandatory 10-week Training Program
To secure your place on the training trip you will be required to pay a deposit of €300.00. (This amount is fully refundable upon the successful completion of your first Contiki trip. Refunds will not be given to those who change their mind about attending, who do not successfully complete the training trip or do not choose to work as a Tour Guide after training)
In this training program, you will spend 10 weeks traveling throughout Europe. You will visit all of Contiki's major destinations throughout Europe and along the way learn the skills of Trip Managing. You will learn about Europe's history, geography, politics and current events, and Contiki products.
You will also learn things like:
- Where the major attractions are located
- Find out where the best Wi-Fi spots are
- How much it would cost to visit a toilet in different cities
- Skills on how to manage a group
- Communicate effectively on a microphone
- Practice in writing speeches to deliver to future travelers
- Then finally, an offer of contract work will be made successfully completing the full training program.
The biggest benefit for working with Contiki is that work is more stable. Contiki Tour Guides (also known as Tour Managers or Trip Managers) are guaranteed a certain amount of work per year. Also, Contiki Tour Guides can receive tips at the end of each tour, which can add up to a rather comfortable salary. Topdeck Tour Guides often advertise publicly that they don't require tips. Also, Contiki Tour Guides are required to meet certain quotas for Free Time Add-ons (also known as Me Time Optionals), so they will need to try to sell these activities (which can sometimes be pretty expensive) to their passengers. Topdeck Tour Guides are not required to do this. According to my research, overall (with tips) Contiki Tour Guides on average make more money than Topdeck Tour Guides.
How much do Contiki Tour Guides (or Tour Managers) actually make?
Alright, so the big question that everyone wants to know is, how much do Contiki Tour Guides (also known as Tour Managers or Trip Managers) actually get paid? How much can someone get paid to have fun and travel the world? Is it enough to live on?
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According to my research, Contiki Tour Guides get paid a base salary of about $45,987, not including tips. Including tips, Contiki Tour Guides can make an additional $18,000, which makes a grand total of about $63,987 annually. This base salary is highly dependent upon how many work contracts they get in a particular year. Since they are considered seasonal workers, they may have long breaks here and there. One year they may get 8 month-long work contracts whereas another year they may get only 4 work contracts. This will greatly impact their base salary that year. However, a big benefit of working with Contiki versus Topdeck is that their work contracts are generally more stable. They are guaranteed a certain amount of work per year.
Also, tips can contribute to a substantial portion of their total salary, so this can add up to quite a bit. For example, just from my 25 day 'European Quest' Tour, there were a total of 50 passengers, all tipping the Tour Manager and Bus Driver each $2 euros per day for a total of 25 days. It was a segmented tour so some people came only for the first 1/3 of the trip (Days 1-7), some people came for 2/3 (Days 8-25), and some people came for only the last week (Days 19-25). However, most of the time we had the maximum of 50 people.
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Just for general calculations sake, let's say that a Tour Guide works for 6 months out of the year, and 30 days each month. This adds up to a total of about $3,000 euros in tips alone for just 1 month of work as a Tour Manager. And all from one tour! Ndb for vegasrush casino. Sure, the job is hard work but man, that is a lot of money! If I calculate this out further, in any given year with the average base salary of $45,987 and 6 months of tips (an additional $18,000 euros), you will make a grand total of about $63,987 as a Contiki Tour Guide. That ain't bad for traveling the world!
