Tour guiding is becoming an increasingly popular fallback option in a China rife with employment instability as the economy slows. - China Daily/ANN
BEIJING: A growing number of young Chinese are getting certified to become tour guides, driven by unstable job prospects in white-collar work and hopeful that a domestic vacation boom will provide steady pay.
Some 320,000 Chinese have signed up for the country’s annual tour guide certification exam this year, up 45% from 2023 and hitting record highs in provinces across the country, according to government-linked industry publication China Tourism News. An increasing number of candidates hold university degrees and majored in foreign languages, it said.
Tour guiding is becoming an increasingly popular fallback option in a China rife with employment instability as the economy slows. Sweeping layoffs in tech and finance has swelled the number of white-collar job hunters, while millions of graduates compete for fewer entry-level roles.
Finding a stable job is increasingly challenging for even well-educated Chinese, with youth unemployment hovering around 17%, leading many to settle for part-time or gig work, or take on blue-collar jobs once considered below their station.
"While tour guiding has historically been seen as a transient or seasonal job, the post-pandemic recovery has changed perceptions,” said Subramania Bhatt, founder of digital marketing and research firm China Trading Desk, which offers travel data analytics.
China has seen a robust recovery in domestic travel in the past year as many opted for cheaper local getaways and sought out new experiences promoted on social media. While tourism spending per capita has remained subdued, tour guiding is an accessible, quick way to make money from visitors especially in tourist hot spots, as it requires only the passing of a certification test.
Foreign visitation is also recovering, albeit more slowly. With visa waiver extended to 38 nations so far, inbound traveller trips to China has jumped nearly 80% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to a year ago, though they’re still hovering below pre-pandemic levels.
Leading foreign tour groups - especially English speakers - typically nets more than guiding domestic travellers, prompting more college students majoring in foreign languages to take the tour guide qualification test. Guides typically earn 500 yuan (US$68) to 600 yuan per day during peak seasons, according to Bhatt.
English-speaking guides can make up to 1,000 yuan per day, and the rate can be even higher for those fluent in languages like German or Italian, he said. Those fees makes guiding a lucrative option in China, where the average monthly salary companies offer to new recruits hovers just over 10,000 yuan.
Tour guiding is just one skill sought by local college students, who often burnish their resumes and widen their job options by getting various qualifications, from teaching to accounting and translation. A growing number of middle-aged Chinese are also now seeking various certifications in the face of employment concerns.
Chris Men worked as a full-time tour guide for foreign visitors to Beijing for years before becoming a kindergarten teacher when tourism dried up during the Covid pandemic. Now that travel has opened back up, he guides on his days off, making 3-4,000 yuan for a two-day English language weekend tour - and at least 30,000 yuan a month during summer vacation, more than triple his teaching salary.
"I can get work assignments anytime I want,” he said. "The demand for English-speaking tour guides is high, especially in cities like Beijing and Shanghai.”
Anyone with a high school degree can take the exam, consisting of a written test and interview in which the candidate is usually asked to introduce a tourist attraction. They’re typically employed full-time by travel agencies, or cultivate client bases and work freelance.
Still, tour guiding isn’t for everyone. It can be physically challenging walking for hours, while often wrangling dozens of travellers. Knowledge of Chinese culture and a wide range of contacts is typically needed to cultivate a client base, and the test itself is difficult to pass: Only 20% to 30% of takers do, local media has reported.
That’s not deterring Alice Ma, 34, who’s been searching for a job for nearly a year after getting laid off from her marketing role in the auto parts industry. Now, faced with a dearth of full-time options, the Shanghai resident is considering working as a freelance guide.
"I have this gap time, so I took the tour guide test,” she said.
"I might have to be a tour guide if I can’t find a suitable job.” - Bloomberg
