Love people and exploring? How to become a qualified tourist guide

If you have a passion for storytelling and history, pride in your country or city, and enjoy talking to and meeting new people, becoming a qualified tourist guide may be the job for you.

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“Tourist guides are ambassadors for the country. It can be a fun, exciting job that includes a lot of exploring," says Motylska.

The path to becoming a qualified guide will include either a one-year full-time national certificate program through a tertiary institution or a part-time Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority in South Africa (CATHSSETA) accredited course.

Qualified national guides can work across all provinces, while provincial guides are limited to specific regions.

“You do need to learn a certain extent in the course and while you are writing exams, but we can’t keep everything in our heads all the time, so you can always go back and brush up on your knowledge.” 

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To listen to Motylska in conversation with 702’s Relebogile Mabotja, click below: