Flora Goldenberg – All steps to become a Tour guide in Paris
Hello, I am Flora Goldenberg.
I am a professional fully licensed tour guide in Paris. I obtained my license from the Ministry of Culture, in order to guide in all national museums of Paris. The license gives you also the right to go inside all national museums of France and sometimes in Europe for Free.
I have been studing Art and History of Art, Medieval and Western History in the Sorbonne University of Paris 3rd arrondissement before I decided to join a special training to become a fully licensed tour guide in Paris.
The job of Tour guide in Paris is wonderful. You will meet new and interesting visitors every day.
You get rewarded for something you really enjoy, you teach kids and adults about Art and history and you always work in beautiful places : like the Louvre, Versailles, Orsay … with the privilege to get close to the rarest art pieces in the world !
Here is all the steps that I accomplished to become a state licensed tour guide in Paris.
Steps
1. Apply for a State certifying training for Guide Conferencier
search for this License on the official Tourism Website of Paris :
LICENCE PROFESSIONNELLE SCIENCES HUMAINES ET SOCIALES
MENTION : DÉVELOPPEMENT ET PROTECTION DU PATRIMOINE CULTUREL
SPÉCIALITÉ : GUIDE-CONFÉRENCIER
2. Training
During the 1 year of training, you will learn about french History and Paris city, Art and some basics of Art history…
But you will also learn how to guide, how to listen to your clients, how to articulate, how to construct a viable circuit, where to go, the pace, the service quality …
As the certifications are very limited, especially in Paris, you will need to prove your value in the exams. If you have good ranking, you will get the certification.
3. Pass the exam and the interview
The written exam is to test your knowledge in history and art and your analytical skills.
The oral interview is to test your oral communication skills.
Who can apply for a Tour Guide Job ?
At least Baccalaureate + 2 years of training in Art Major and history of France
You need to be legally Resident in France to apply for the training ( you need to have the french citizenship or the “Titre de Séjour” which is the equivalent of the green card in USA )
A diploma in History of Art is a bonus if you want to make it to the top.
Prerequisites :
The tour guide license will be limited to few people (about 100 per year). The license allows you to work in national museums such as the Louvre, Versailles.
Without a license, you are not legally allowed to guide people in national museums.
– Holders of a national diploma or state sanctioning two years of study after the baccalauréat, in one of the following areas: History, Art History, Archaeology, Art Education, Communication, Languages and Tourism BTS
– People involved or not in the labor force after validation of their studies, work experience or personal achievements.
Conditions of admission
Each candidate fulfills an administrative and educational file. Applicants whose applications have been selected are invited to an oral interview with the managers of the training that assess their personality, motivation and language level.
Following the talks, an educational committee will review the candidates selected.
Registration : application file to download on the SESAME website in mid-April 2013.
Skills needed to be a good guide:
Fluent in English and French. Basic Knowledge in a third language.
Qualifications in Art and in History (Western & medieval history).
Storytelling and oral skills.
Perfect organizational skills is a must ! Your clients needs to take care of everything for them, no mistakes are allowed.
Good communication with children and adults : know your clients !
Good capacity to absorb and to digest too much information about History, to summarize, to show the information and make it fun 🙂
Objectives
In terms of knowledge:
The objective of this training is to provide a generalist and multidisciplinary qualities . This ranges from the acquisition of a solid general knowledge on issues related to heritage, culture, art, tourism, politics and regions (regioanl programs, and urban development, transportation, …)
– Transmit learners knowledge of French and European heritage and to provide the appropriate means to seek, understand and return it.
– Acquire and master the research methodologies.
– Top up the level of language to make it operational in the visits comment.
– Provide learners with the communication tools.
– Ability to develop circuits, routes, city visits to determine the essential parameters (customer, product, transport, service delivery, cost …)
In terms of knowledge:
The objective is to prepare and train future professionals capable of working at different territorial levels,
– Learning methodology softwood comment in architecture, painting, sculpture
– Learn how to manage a group
– Provide the necessary resources for learners to become competent and effective professional, compelling cultural ambassador.
Outcome :
Certification that enables guiding in museums and Versailles for example
Career opportunities :
The tour guide profession is part of regulated professions governed by the Tourism Code.
To do this job, you must hold a professional card guide-lecturers. You can not guide in the Louvre or Versailles or any other national museum if you don’t have this card.
This card protects the heritage of France by giving the client a high quality tour with accurate facts.
With a true guide, certified, you will be sharing a great informative experience, you live a true and meaningful moment, bringing to life the landmarks and the pieces of Art around you.
Employers may hire the speaker guides are:
– Public agencies
– Local authorities: Tourist Offices and tourist offices …
– Private companies: agencies or tour operators, private clients
I hope this helped ! Send me your questions by email : flora.goldenberg@gmail.com
See you soon !