To become a licensed tour guide in China, one must take the annual national tour guide certificate examination sponsored by the China National Tourism Administration. This exam is required to obtain a tour guide certificate from the associated tourism authorities. China has tens of thousands of trained and licensed tour guides, including teachers, librarians, and others who work part-time as guides. To become a licensed tour guide, one can determine their desired type of tour guide, enroll in a tourist guide course, and pass any required license or permit exams.
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued a plan for the country’s annual tour guide license exam, which will be held on November 14, 2022. Foreign students in China often share their experiences at China Highlights, providing a ground-level view of life in China, including its history, traditions, culture, food, and modern life. A private China tour guide can provide peace and comfort to visitors.
To obtain a general tour guide license (导游证) and more specific ones for wherever they are touring, one must take a pre-service training within three years after receiving the pre-service training notification from the Tourism Administration. China’s tour guides are categorized into three classes: Class 1, which works directly with foreign tour operators; Class 2, which works with local tour operators; and Class 3, which combines practical knowledge like tour design and logistics with psychological study of human behavior.
To obtain a tour guide license, one must pass the National Tour Qualification Test, which covers subjects such as Chinese history, tourism, and psychology. The findings indicate that the dominant workforce in China’s tour guide sector is female with an education background from professional schools. A tour guide certificate is required to conduct tour-guiding activities within the territory of the People’s Republic of China.
📹 I Quit My Job to Become a Tour Guide in China – Best Decision Ever!
Recently, China’s 144-hour visa-free policy has opened the door for more foreign tourists to explore the country. This policy, along …
What are the disadvantages of being a tour guide?
Freelance tour guides offer various benefits such as flexibility in work hours, exposure to diverse groups and cultures, and potential for higher income through various gigs. However, they also face drawbacks such as lack of job security, variable income based on seasons or demand, and the responsibility for personal marketing and client acquisition. They must also manage administrative tasks and may face competition in popular tourist areas.
The benefits of freelance tour guides include flexibility, variety, independence, and networking opportunities. However, they also face drawbacks such as instability in income and job security, lack of benefits like health insurance, paid leave, or retirement plans, self-management, and competition.
Despite these challenges, freelance tour guides can enrich their professional repertoire by exploring different destinations and types of tourism. However, they also face challenges such as financial instability, fixed benefits, managing multiple contracts, and the responsibility for self-promotion and personal marketing.
Can you tour China freely?
China has signed agreements with over 150 countries, allowing certain citizens to travel to China without a visa. However, most visa-free arrangements only apply to diplomatic or official passports. Some countries, such as Armenia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, The Maldives, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Suriname, and The United Arab Emirates, allow citizens holding ordinary passports to travel to China without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, travel, business, and visiting family or friends.
What is the highest paying tour guide?
Individuals employed as high-paying tour guides may be found in a number of different roles, including those working as fishing, museum, outdoor, river, vacation, and hunting guides. The salaries offered to these professionals range from $32, 000 to $33, 000 per year. Other potential avenues for employment include roles as river guides, vacation guides, and hunting guides.
Can you make a living as a tour guide?
Tour guides are compensated up to $242, 500 annually for their services, which include providing assistance, monitoring crowds, and disseminating information. Some possess considerable expertise in particular fields, such as history or ecology.
Where do tour guides make the most money?
The cities in the United States with the highest average salaries for tour guides are Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois.
How much do tour guides in China make?
The mean annual income for a tour guide in China is 78, 522 Chinese Yuan, with an hourly wage of 38 Yuan and an average bonus of 1, 123 Yuan. Entry-level tour guides receive an annual salary of ¥61, 526, while senior-level guides earn ¥93, 824. The figures presented here are based on data from salary surveys conducted among employers and anonymous employees. The information presented on this page is intended for promotional purposes and is not intended for professional use.
Is it easy to tour China?
Traveling independently in China can be challenging and stressful, especially compared to the West. To avoid tourist traps, culture shock, and stress, it is essential to prepare thoroughly and learn as much Chinese as possible before embarking on your journey. Using a Chinese language app and planning well can help you make the most of your time in China. Additionally, be patient, tolerant, and take it slow to avoid frustration.
By following these four key steps, you can successfully travel independently in China, avoiding the hassles and difficulties that come with group tours or private tours. Remember to be patient, tolerant, and take it slow to enjoy the experience.
How do I start being a tour guide?
In order to become a licensed tour guide, it is first necessary to decide on one’s career goals, then to select the desired position, obtain the requisite training and work permit, and finally to begin working and engage in continuous learning.
How much is the salary of a Tour Guide in Dubai?
The mean monthly income for a tour guide in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is 6, 250 dirhams, with an additional cash compensation of 1, 500 dirhams, ranging from 1, 000 to 3, 333 dirhams.
How to become a tour guide in a foreign country?
While international tour guides are not typically required to possess formal qualifications, they are often required to complete on-the-job training under the guidance of experienced professionals. Nevertheless, there are avenues for voluntary certification pertaining to particular countries, cultures, sites, or tourism zones.
📹 China FAQs! Tips/Travel Advices from an Insider!
China has recently resumed tourists visa and reopened its borders! Many of you have left comments asking me about practical …
hi all here are some frequent discussed questions: 1. Wechat payment, I want to correct that to set up WeChat transfer you need a Chinese mobile number and a Chinese bank account. Although one can link a foreign credit card to WeChat, it is limited only to certain payments. So for travelers, it is not easy to have WeChat payment (I am sorry for that!). So always bring some cash with you! 2. Simcards can be purchased easily in mobile service providers, but you need to show your visa, passport, and it isn’t expensive. the most used provider is China mobile (best network), but there are also China Unicom, china telecom. Best regards, Yan :face-red-heart-shape:
Hello Yan. My name is Joe. I am American. I am 65 years old. I got remarried late in life to an amazing woman from China. We met online. We shared WeChat articles every day for one year before she came to America. Finally, she came to America, we met face to face and we have been very happily married now for almost one year. I just want to tell you how much we enjoy your articles. I love learning more about your/her amazing country and she enjoys helping me to learn about China. And your spoken English with Chinese subtitles helps her with her learning the English language. I just wanted to tell you that we both appreciate what you are doing here. We wish you good health and happiness. Thank you, Joe and Jenny.
I have visited China twice,2014 and 2019 and absolutely loved it and would go back in a heart beat. We used Google Translate on the last trip, having downloaded a VPN before we left Australia. That made life a bit easy but I found the people everywhere were so helpful even if they couldn’t speak English. And laughter and kindness are universal languages. Can not wait to go back.
I once travelled with my family on a guided tour through China..after that I really started to get frustrated with the very one sided presentation of China in the west..I wish I was younger,the tips given here are really helpful and encouraging travelling outside guided tours..thank you,love the website..and I notice that the number of subscribers is growing..🎉yeaaaah👍🏻
On my first trip I found China has the highest language barrier from any country I’ve visited and it’s was about impossible to pick up Chinese on the road. Travel style (bicycle) and route (lots of different dialects and minority languages) were certainly contributing factors. But I found it a super interesting country too, so learned a little Chinese and gave up my policy of every trip outside Europe to a different country and returned a few times.
I visited China with some highschool friends for a month when I was 16 in 2006 coming from Ontario, Canada – at the time it was a great experience, but all these years later I consider it even more interesting of an experience after seeing how smaller Chinese towns/cities have proliferated in population and development since that trip. I would hardly recognize anything – It makes me treasure my experience in China when I was younger and I’d love to visit now to explore its new cities and developments.
I just returned from my first visit to China and cherished every moment. Although some people stared at me, it didn’t bother me at all, in fact, I even took pictures with them. many locals were kind enough to offer me fruits or even prepare meals. I was mostly in the Hunan area. i will surely be visiting again!
Hi Yan Love looking at your website Im a retired 77 year old and have a young son 17 who looks Chinese due to his mothers genes. We live in NZ I have been to China twice in the 80s but we dont speak Chinese. Your app advice has given me great confidence to take my son around China after he finishes high school this December. Thank you very much Yan .
Apart from specialized vegetarian restaurants in the Tier-1 cities, the concept is not always well understood. So a vegetable dish may still use animal-based products in e.g. a sauce. Rather than try to explain exactly what you mean with vegan/vegetarian, one “hack” is to tell them you’re an observant Buddhist.
I absolutely loved my trip to China in 2007! I went with a small British-run tour group & we traveled for about a month using trains, planes & their own provided minibuses for some trips. Our accommodations were inexpensive & at least some of the places we went to were “off the beaten path.” Once we got to a location we roamed around independently. Chinese people I met were friendly, curious & at that time, very interested in practicing English! I treasure this website for showing me all the people & places in this huge & magnificent country that I didn’t see!
I just sent a message to Ms Yan to add this question: would she lead a small travel group? I last visited China in 2014; had such a great time on our own, me and my late husband. But I don’t have any travel companions at this time. I sure would love to visit Quanzhou, Anhui, ancient water towns. And many of the places she showed case…small rural unseen China plus for me some of the great archeological sites! Love for some of you who follow Yan’s website if interested perhaps we can nudge her to organize a tour! ❤️☮️👍🇻🇳
People really have so much misunderstanding of China. I thank you so so very much for debunk everything for the youtube community. Let me put it simple, if you are a foreigner to China, Chinese people are gonna be way nicer to you to their own Chinese citizens. You need to worry about nothing when travel to China. You only need an open mind.
Thank you, Yan! 👏🏻🙏🏻👏🏻 Such a delight, listening to your useful and precious advice. I have several languages in my pocket, but I have now decided to add 中文 to them, with the ultimate goal of visiting China, eventually. I have also heard, that at my blessed age learning 汉语 和 汉字 is one of the best exercises for my brain! Once again, thank you, ❤ I’m so happy for your website! Greetings from Prague, 伊文
Great article Yan, You helped me a great deal as I am one who had a lot of questions concerning as visit to China . The information you shared was very easy to understand and I liked that you took the time show all the needed apps to have a wonderful time in your beautiful country my friend . I would like to visit some time in the future and experience the wonderful people, small towns, villages and mountain areas of China . I would love to enjoy the new learning of another fine culture . Thank you for the honest warning of scams that may happen to a person not from China . The information about hotels that may not take you as they are not set up to take a person not from China is also very helpful my friend . Once again great article, keep posting them and I will keep perusal them all . Have a wonderful day my friend and all my best wishes to you, your fine family as well to all the fine people of China .
It is so good advices,that is the things we will like to know before we will start doing the things.Thank you so much for sharing and explaining all the material which is connecting with the traveling tips especially all the accommodations. Well,Yan i am only like to know the different cost (charges) in china with Malaysia(Sarawak)because you can compare and explain it to the supporters and also have understand how to use uro.Collect the money before enjoy.(Malaysia/Sarawak)to china.
China is home to the highest end vegan food in the world! Are you kidding (whoever asking about vegan food)…we are talking about 3-star Michelin vegan food near my house in Beijing, it’s literally dining as an artistic performance (the restaurant is called kings joy in Beijing for those interested)
If you travel out of the beaten tracks, hotels choice can be very limited. As in Hotan (Xinjiang), Tungren (Qinghai), Lingxia (Gansu), Tongxin (Ningxia)… where only high-end hotels were authorized for foreigners in 2018. In Xinjiang, some cities were out-of-reach for foreigners despite being officially open.
A big thank-you! You are really nice and your very well done article makes us want to visit your very beautiful country. We wish you Happiness and Success! Un grand Merci! Vous êtes vraiment gentille et votre vidéo très bien faite nous donne envie de visiter votre très beau pays. Nous vous souhaitons, Bonheur et Succès!
Merci pour ce partage. J’ai rencontré une amie Chinoise « online », nous communiquons depuis presque deux ans maintenant. Je vais la retrouver😊 dans un mois . Je prépare ce voyage avec beaucoup d’espoir. J’aime beaucoup la culture Chinoise et je trouve que vos vidéos sont très réalistes et vraiment intéressantes. J’apprends le mandarin depuis 18 mois et je commence à comprendre la logique Chinoise qui repose sur un passé millénaire. Je pense comme vous que l’on se fait souvent de fausses idées sur la Chine. Merci encore pour ces jolis reportages.
Hi Yan. I have manged to visit China eight times over the past 15 years on business. This has mainly been Shanghai but also Guangzhou/Foshan, Zhanjiang, Fangchenggang, Panjin, Nanjing. You mentioned CTrip and Wechat; CTrip used to exist (and was very good) but I am not sure whether it exists any longer ? (maybe incorporated into Trip ?). I think,as a foreigner, Wechat does not have has many options compared to if you are a Chinese national – for payment by Wechat, I think you need a bank account with a Chinese bank ? (maybe I’m wrong ?). Great content.
Can’t wait to live in china. I want to visit before thought to make sure I really do like it though. It’s so aesthetic the people are healthy kind hardworking beautiful and I just love the culture omg I get so happy when I think of china. Can’t wait !!!! Thank you for this article it helped 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳
Thanks for all those tips and another great article. We’re going to China on 12th April and will be touring, after we’ve finished visiting various relatives. Regarding travel advice-wht about when you go on a day trip with a tour guide and they stop a few times to visit a jade factory, pearl factory etc and you feel like you have to buy stuff? Also what’s the best way to avoid getting drunk, when you have a meal with 20 people and are expected to drink the mou tai with each person, so you end up drinking 20 glasses to their one? Next time, if I get forced into ‘trying’ mou tai, I will pretend to have a fit and collapse under the table and ask to be sent to hospital, because I take some medication for heart problems and don’t want to mix too much alcohol.
I’m loving your website. As a North American-born Chinese person I’ve started longing to learn more about my culture as I get older and I love your website as a result. However, I’ve followed a handful of youtubers who do similar articles and I hope you stay safe. Advocating for VPN use and interviewing people on article without a press permit have gotten other youtubers arrested. I believe this is more of a situation where they will use these things against you if they need to find a way to press charges, but you would know better. Please stay safe and I hope you can continue to do this for a long time!
Thank you for the extremely useful information. I do have some questions though. Dialysis options (腎衰竭患者的血液透析) For kidney failure patients, traveling is an absolute dream and it would be a truly life saving piece of info for us to know how to go about getting dialysis when traveling in China. Questions like are there any centers that we can pre-contact to set up the dialysis sessions, what are the costs involved per session, etc. Again, thanks for the amazing articles~
I hope every Chinese just like you, beautiful. kind, knowledgeable, and kind. By the way, as a Chinese descendant with thick Chinese look, I have experienced some not very kind attitudes. Maybe that because most of people expected me speak and read better Hanyu, and in the big city such as Shanghai and Beijing, people in particular taxi’s driver, street merchants, thrown me back with question “Which part of China are you come from?” ((I don’t even know which part of China my ancestor was))
I have been lucky enough to have traveled to China 3 times and seen most of the country the 3 things I found important were 1 Hire a guide/translator they are not that expensive. 2 If a Chinese person offers you something for free always take it you will insult them if you say no and 3 Learn to say “Boo yow shie shie ” in mandarin it will come in handy at tourist sites .Happy traveling
Howdy Yan, this is Bruce, a 78 yr old Texan. Are you familiar with couchsurfing? I have successfully couchsurfed all over Europe. Do you think couchsurfing is a good option in China? I could afford to stay in hotels. I love it because I get to meet and know real people, and they get to meet and know me. I don’t think it is workable in small towns but the cities certainly have quite a few hosts signed up for it. For instance, Quanzhou has 211 active hosts available who speak English. Beijing has 6,607 active hosts’ available who speak English.
Very useful clip, and thank you. Recently read two books by Peter Hessler – River Town and Country Driving. They give excellent insights into many cultural aspects of Chines life, recent past and current. I want to suggest that Country Driving may provide you with another approach /angle to presenting China to the Western mind. (Didn’t enjoy your ‘solo’ trip through Europe and the Middle East. Loved all your travels around your own country, where your spontaneous natural interaction makes for refreshing, informative and delightful viewing 🤩).
Ascertain that a hotel you want to stay at will accept foreigners. All hotels are required to register their guests details with the local police station. Many hotels cannot accept foreign passport holders. Sorry even with cheap chain hotels like “Super 8” or “7 Days”, not all branches will accept foreigners. Even hotel staff cannot be expected to speak English. Most cannot. They cost about RMB 200/USD 29 per night.
I loved your clip and i want to visit your contry for a months or maybe two. What is the best months to visit bejing regarding beuty of the nature and low tourist season? I will travel around China. What cities or areas do u recommend to visit. Will people stare at me because im 6 feet tall, have dark blue eyes and blonde?
Hi! So sorry to trouble you 🫣 but I’m planning to visit Shanghai & suzhou some time in June this year. Heard that after covid, tourists are required to prebook tickets/indicate their intention to visit certain local attractions (7 days in advance?). Just wanted to ask where this is done (app/website)? 😅 heard that many foreigners have issues filling up the relevant pages due to restrictions on input…
Hi I am from the UK and would like to spend a month in China. I am not sure what parts of China I shall be visiting. Can I put on the online visa form arriving in Beijing and flying out from Beijing? and still visit other parts of China like Shanghai, Lhasa etc. I would like to be flexible in where I will be going and not 100% sure what airport I shall use when leaving China to Japan. Any advice would be appreciated.
What happened to the black taxi people at airports? The first few times I traveled there around 2017 they were everywhere inside arrival outside airport even standing next to the info booth. By 2019 before covid I noticed they were all gone did they make a law to prohibit them by airports? They were a pain to get by they saw a tourist and they would all flock and follow you.
hello,thanks for the article.i have also a question about the wechat.i am in my county now and i am willing to go to china.i have my county phone number on wechat and i want to link my credit international card to wechat.won’t it be a problem? also,can i when arriving to china use that wechat account to pay for my train and also subway tickets .thank you so much .
Lets say I jumped on a plane tomorrow and came and then just “played it by ear” backpacking around, as a foreigner, would I be safe? allso, a hot question, does the average Chinese citizen really care whether the island of Taiwon is part of the China mainland or as I suspect, they couldn’t give a rats rear end about it, those “wet markets” would be very hard to walk through.