Becoming a Bird Tour Guide (1 Viewer)

Hi, this is just something that may interest me in the future, so I'm just interested in knowing a little more about it...
Are there usually Degree Requirements to become a tour Guide (ie. If I was to join a company such as Nature Trek or Bird Quest?)
Who do they normally employ as Guide for tours? Locals? or knowledgable Ornithologists?
I there training or is there a test I would have to pass to become a Guide?

Thanks for any info,
Rocky

You don't need exams - that'd be the easy bit! No, what you need is:-
1 - phenomenal eyesight & hearing
2 - intuitive knowledge of birds
3 - 'regular' knowledge of birds
4 - good fieldcraft
5 - an ability to get with folks even those that give you the screaming abdabs
6 - natural ability as a teacher
7 - good organiser
8 - unflappable
9 - luck - being in the right place at the right time helps to get noticed
- all this plus, if possible, a good command of several languages other than English.
So passing some exam really would be the easy bit,
John

http://www.birdforum.net/member.php?find=lastposter&t=96521 Check this out.

Rocky,

Much as what John mentions, though it does depend on which company you would be aiming to work for. Some bird tour operators would not require you to have such an in-depth knowledge of the country and birds that you visit, the more specialist (and expensive!) companies would require you to have an in-depth knowledge of the birds, mammals and the country, not only that but you would be expected to know 95% of the bird calls and have seen the vast majority of species already.

Above all else though is your people skills and natural ability to lead and take charge of people; to be able to get on with all sorts of charaters, be able to remain positive and light-hearted and have endless amounts of patience.

Real enthusiasm for the birds and areas help no end...it really rubs off onto the participants. I have led many tours and thougherly enjoy each tour, if you plan to make a career from it then remember you would be in it for the love of nature and not for the love of money!

I am off back to Ecuador on 1st November to do exactly this. I am initially a volunteer and trainee and am going to see how it goes. If it doesn't work out then there's no harm done and I will still have had a fantastic experience.

Rocky, what I suggest is that you do what I did. Go off to the Neotropics (Ecuador or Costa Rica, maybe) and see if you can get a lodge to take you on. I got talking to the owner of Bellavista, told him I was pretty bored doing a mundane job in England and he asked me if I'd ever thought of being a bird guide. I said yes, but I have no degree, no qualifications and so on. His reply was that everyone has to start somewhere and asked me if I'd like to come back and be a trainee. I got lucky, I was in the right place at the right time.

Start small at a lodge and go on from there as your knowledge and confidence grows.

Go for it, if that is what you want to do, you only live once!

In addition to those abilities listed above, you also need to be able to keep the clients attention with background information on the birds in question AND keep your concentration on finding them at the same time. This is not as easy as it seems. As for exams, no, not required.

Thanks for all your help, it is definitely something I'd like to do at some point, it is just I really want to take English Creative Writing at University... So was worried I might need to take Zoology or Ornithology.

RockyRacoon said:

Thanks for all your help, it is definitely something I'd like to do at some point, it is just I really want to take English Creative Writing at University... So was worried I might need to take Zoology or Ornithology.

Click to expand...

Either might help as would general knowledge of natural history other than just birds, the best guides know a bit about butterflies, plants etc.

A few self organised trips & some voluntary work at an RSPB reserve would also look good on your C.V.

Dave J

There are probably as many ways of getting into guiding as there are months in the year...

I have been on many birdwatching holidays with different bird tour companies, and the birdwatching tour leaders job is certainly not a easy one to do,They can have many different problems to sort out such as people loosing there passports and tickets, mini buses braking down ,people getting ill ,accidents ,dealing with awkward people .Showing people birds is the easy part of the job.So it can be a hard and stressful job being a tour leader

Employ your self on your local patch!
you need a first aid at work cert
insurance
knoledge of your area
a bit of creative advertising
Register the rest if you get a decent pace going after six weeks

rokermartin said:

I have been on many birdwatching holidays with different bird tour companies, and the birdwatching tour leaders job is certainly not a easy one to do,They can have many different problems to sort out such as people loosing there passports and tickets, mini buses braking down ,people getting ill ,accidents ,dealing with awkward people .Showing people birds is the easy part of the job.So it can be a hard and stressful job being a tour leader

Click to expand...

Lets not forget dealing with the corrupt agents (customs, cops etc) of dodgy third world countries while managing all the other aspects of the trip!

A great bunch of people.

John

An additional useful skill for a guide is knowing how many people there are in your group and what they look like. If you're not careful, an independently travelling birder could sneak out from behind some bushes, latch on to the back of the group for a short while, and before you know it you might inadvertantly pass on some useful gen to them, or even put them onto something they wouldn't otherwise have seen for free.

In 1990 I was asked to guide by a friend who owned a tour company and since have guided a few times a year, mostly single days for individuals, but also for brand name tour companies.

I have no scientific qualifications or background but I had learned my birds and I could speak Chinese so I was able to guide in China as well as HK. Language skills plus the ability to think on your feet to solve problems of varying degrees of seriousness is essential.

I totally agree that the people skills are as important for birding and that showing consideration for , and an interest in your clients as people, and communicating your passion is what people respond to. Many of my clients have been retired and consideration for their fitness levels is important - its all too easy to spoil a great day by pushing just that bit too far at the end - walking an extra 2km in the heat when knackered can whip the gloss off a good day - no-one likes to feel old!

I do it because I enjoy sharing HK, China and the birds with my clients and because birding is my basic state of wakefulness - I love it! Even when I'm not adding new species myself, showing others new birds for the first time allows me to rekindle the excitement and enjoyment of common and familiar species. However I have never pushed that extra step to start a tour company because you answer 50-100 emails per person you take out and there can be a mountain of other admin to running any small business. I have no interest in this so I don't advertise, but let business come by word of mouth.

Expectation management is also essential - he that over-promiseth goeth first and fastest to the wall. If a client sends me a hit list, I will offer my assessment of the likelihood of seeing the birds within the timeframe and budget. I've learned to my cost never to guarantee seeing a bird.

I also set the expectation of my own ability - I'm not the best with calls - especially in parts of China I've visited rarely (sometimes never before), and I'm prepared to say this at the utset and to admit immediately to a cock-up in ID or logistical arrangements. So far none of my clients has expected perfection and because I don't promise it, they don't hold it against me. Most good birders are all too aware of their own falliability!

Other helpful things are learning when your client wants you to find every bird for them, and when to let people find and identify birds for themselves, with a minimum of guidance. Some even enjoy learning how the guide finds and identifies the birds and how to put this into practice.

I think the suggestion to get in some practice by guiding people round your patch or on outings for your local group is a great one - you'll soon find out if you have the combination of patience, confidence, humility and competence to do it and enjoy it.

A bit off the topic of how to start, but reading some of this may help to set your own expectations and build up the skillsets necessary to be a guide.