ToursByLocals Blog Posts
How Does ToursByLocals Find The Best Guides?
Jan 04 2021
On the ToursByLocals platform, you can find an amazing team of local guides: 4803 of them in 189 different countries at last count! We respect and admire these individuals for their knowledge, their passion, their expertise, their charm, and their own unique brand of joie de vivre. The guides are the essence of ToursByLocals.
So it stands to reason that one of the most important projects we dedicate ourselves to is choosing the right people to join our global network of guides. We want every traveller who books a tour with ToursByLocals to be so delighted with their guide that they return to our site again, and again – until booking a ToursByLocals tour becomes an essential part of every trip.
So, how does ToursByLocals find the best guides for our site? It’s a question we’re often asked! We have a global team dedicated to sleuthing out the right guides in the places we need them most, then putting them through a rigorous screening process, involving the following steps:
1. Submitting an online application including details of relevant guiding experience.
2. Completing an online questionnaire to determine their suitability for ToursByLocals.
3. Taking part in an hour-long video interview to assess English language skills (guides often speak multiple languages, but all speak English), personal skills, guiding experience, and overall fit for ToursByLocals.
4. Undergoing a background check.
We’re picky, and only around 1 in 9 applicants who go through this process are accepted. Once they’re “in”, the new guides are supported every step of the way; they go through a 2-3 week onboarding process, and receive one-on-one support from ToursByLocals support staff until the day they get their first 5-star review for a tour. Our support staff continue to keep an eye on reviews that come in for every guide, and provide constructive feedback along the way.
Fun fact: we read every single review submitted! It adds up to tens of thousands every year.
Our processes ensure that the guides on ToursByLocals are truly outstanding at what they do. It’s their goal - and ours - that their tour become the highlight of your vacation, every time.
So, how does ToursByLocals find the best guides for our site? It’s a question we’re often asked! We have a global team dedicated to sleuthing out the right guides in the places we need them most, then putting them through a rigorous screening process, involving the following steps:
1. Submitting an online application including details of relevant guiding experience.
2. Completing an online questionnaire to determine their suitability for ToursByLocals.
3. Taking part in an hour-long video interview to assess English language skills (guides often speak multiple languages, but all speak English), personal skills, guiding experience, and overall fit for ToursByLocals.
4. Undergoing a background check.
We’re picky, and only around 1 in 9 applicants who go through this process are accepted. Once they’re “in”, the new guides are supported every step of the way; they go through a 2-3 week onboarding process, and receive one-on-one support from ToursByLocals support staff until the day they get their first 5-star review for a tour. Our support staff continue to keep an eye on reviews that come in for every guide, and provide constructive feedback along the way.
Fun fact: we read every single review submitted! It adds up to tens of thousands every year.
Our processes ensure that the guides on ToursByLocals are truly outstanding at what they do. It’s their goal - and ours - that their tour become the highlight of your vacation, every time.