Become a tourist guide in Barcelona

If you have visited Barcelona at least once in your life, we are sure you will want to come back or even move here. The level of tourism in the city of Barcelona is very high, and there are many reasons why visitors to the city want to take the step to move to the Catalan capital, especially because of the warm climate, good food and job opportunities. Barcelona is a city that lives off tourism and finding work in this sector is quite simple: for example, have you thought about becoming a tourist guide? For those who have been following this dream for a long time, or have had their curiosity piqued... here is all the useful information! 

Difference between guide and companion 

Above all, it is important to know the difference between a tourist guide and a tourist companion. To make things simple, it could be said that the former works mainly inside the museums, galleries, archaeological excavations and attractions of the city; the latter is in charge of the service of welcoming tourists, of the trips and of the assistance in case of any need. The tourist companion, for example, will be responsible for purchasing tickets for transport or museums, while the guide will be the person with the knowledge and skills to tell the story of a particular painter, architect or general of the city.

How to become a tour guide

To become a tourist guide in Spain, it is necessary to take an exam that allows you to obtain the qualification, also known as a license, which consists of three parts: a written part, an oral part, and a technique that simulates a guided tour with the help of multimedia material. This exam can be taken at a regional or provincial level. The registration forms for the qualification test are published every two years and it is good to check the institutional websites of the said autonomous community or province. It is good to have studies related to the history of art, gastronomy or even interpretation. It is important to clarify that each region has its own regulations to regulate the obtaining of the qualification as tourist guide, but whose validity is of national level. It is also very useful to know languages. 

Requirements to become a tourist guide in Barcelona  

Becoming a tourist guide in Barcelona is possible if you already have a licence from another European country. All you have to do is apply for approval from the Spanish Ministry of Education. Among the fundamental requirements to become a tourist guide in Barcelona, besides the title, are the knowledge of Spanish and Catalan, the co-official language of Catalonia. It is also important to pass an exam that will be based on the requirements set by the autonomous community. If you are interested in obtaining this qualification as a tourist guide in Catalonia, which allows you to practice the profession of guide in Barcelona, take a look at this link on the Barcelona City Council website.

Tips to become a tour guide

As in all sectors, it is essential to have a good CV in order to present yourself to the future employer and to have the possibility of being hired as a tour guide. The advice is to collect a series of work and volunteer experiences linked to the world of tourism and training: start from the bottom to reach the top and try to present yourself as a tourist assistant in the well-known cooperative economy, that is, the economy of sharing. There are, in fact, some new apps that allow you to register as a tourist assistant, offering a series of services chosen in that city and being available to be contacted by foreign tourists who are curious to explore the chosen destinations with the help of a local person. The knowledge of at least one foreign language at a conversational level is fundamental to that end. Attend courses to perfect your knowledge of foreign languages... it will always be useful in the future! To be a tour guide it is also important to know how to deal with people, to be able to manage a certain audience so that they follow you physically and at a level of attention: these things cannot be learned in any other way, only through experience. A strategy to have something more in your favour is to attend the explanations of other guides and observe their behaviour during the job. For example, why not book a visit with a guide in Barcelona provided by Barcellona.shop and ask the source directly?