Information About Professional Guiding in Colorado:

[Admin]

The purpose of this thread is to help educate anyone looking to hire a guide in Colorado about the local guiding profession.

We have asked professional guide members at this destination to reply to this post and answer one or more of the following questions, or to add anything else related to this topic.

Are Guides Licensed at this destination?
If the answer is yes, how does one get a license?
What type of tests and qualifications are required to be licensed?
How can someone verify if a guide is licensed?
Anything else about licensing at this destination you would like to add.

Are there any certifications for guides at this destination?
If the answer is yes, who sponsors the certifications?
What does it require to be certified?
How can someone verify if a guide is certified?
Anything else about guide certification.

Are there any local guide organizations at this destination?
If the answer is yes, What are these organizations and what do they do?

What type of training do most guides have?

What should people look for when hiring a guide?

What are some good questions to ask when hiring a guide?

How does one go about becoming a guide?

[fmslater]

1) There are no licensing requirements for Tour Guides in the State of Colorado.

2)A certification is awarded by the International Guide Academy in Denver Colorado to students who complete an 80 program successfully. The students must complete a number of research projects, do multiple oral presentations, pass two written tests, complete a narrated tour on a motorcoach and upon certification be able to do a walking tour of Denver, a motorcoach tour of Denver, the Foothills, Colorado Springs and Rocky Mountain National Park. Additionally, they are trained in "meet and greet" at airports, hotels and conferences. They are capable of handling conference seminar registrations, staffing information booths, registering clients at events, doing "dine arounds", etc. Some of the students are bi-lingual. The graduates of the International Guide Academy are sort after by the local Destination Management Companies.
http://www.bepaidtotravel.com

3) There is a local association the Rocky Mountain Guide Association which provides local awareness through monthly meetings and Colorado FAM trips for its' members throughout the years. About 80% of its' members are graduates of the International Guide Academy.

What type of training do most guides have? Some guides have extensive training and awareness and experience,others are just in business to "socialize and make a few bucks".

What should people look for when hiring a guide? Look for a guide that is certified specifically by the International Guide Academy who have been training and certifying Tour Guide and Tour Managers since 1973.

What are some good questions to ask when hiring a guide?Are you certified and if so by who? How long have you been a resident of the state? What companies have you worked for as a Tour Guide? What is your experience level? etc. Why not just contact the International Guide Academy 303.780.0131 who can get you a qualified and certified Tour Guide at no cost to you for placement.

How does one go about becoming a guide? The best approach is to receive an educational program leading to certification in the area of Tour Guiding. Since the DMCs in the Colorado area look to International Guide Academy graduates to fill their jobs you should also.