Tour guide education criteria lowered

[PeteC]

I don't understand....I just don't understand. There is rather a huge difference between a bachelor's degree and Grade 9.....I would have thought....but maybe not here. Pete

Tour guide education criteria lowered

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... nt-lowered

Published: 25 Feb 2013 at 13.35
Online news: Local News

The government committee on tourism problems has approved in principle a proposal to lower the minimum education level needed to become a tour guide to Grade 9.

The current minimum requirement is a bachelor's degree.

Anuparb Gaysornsuwan, acting director-general of the Department of Tourism, said on Monday that the requirement needed to be lowered because of the shortage of guides for foreign tourists.

"This move will help support tourism growth and there will be more people with expertise in communicating in foreign languages in preparation for the launch of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in late 2015," Mr Anuparb said.

He said people eligible to apply for a tour guide licence under the new critieria must work for a tour agency or as a tour guide's assistant. This would prevent tourists being exploited.

The government had allocated a budget of 10 million baht to train new tour guides, especially in languages such as Chinese, Korean, Russian, Japanese and Spanish. They will also learn languages spoken by people in Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries in the AEC, he said.

"There are inconsistencies in the information provided by tour agencies and the Professional Tourist Guides Association of Thailand, because the tour agencies tell us that there's a shortage of tour guides but the association tells us differently.

"The Department of Tourism will have to quickly and simultaneously raise the quality and quantity of tour guides in Thailand," Mr Anuparb said.

[margaretcarnes]

Sounds very counter productive to me. Tourists want guides who can answer questions and explain things clearly.
I have used guides at the Grand Palace though who have been students supplementing their income, and who have been very good, and keen to chat. I don't know how that fits with the present criteria or licencing?
The best guide ever was a guy from a tiny local tour office in ChiangMai who drove us to the craft workshop sites, spoke excellent English, seemed very knowledgeable about his area, and clearly wasn't making a fortune. Luck of the draw I guess.

[Pleng]

I don't see the issue really. You could have a degree and know nothing about the area you're being a guide in. Or you could have lived somewhere your whole life, know the ins and outs of just about everywhere, yet not have a degree.

Is there even any minimum requirement at all in our home countries for being a tour guide??

[pharvey]

I don't see the issue really. You could have a degree and know nothing about the area you're being a guide in. Or you could have lived somewhere your whole life, know the ins and outs of just about everywhere, yet not have a degree.

Is there even any minimum requirement at all in our home countries for being a tour guide??

100% - I have a degree, but sure as **** I would not even make a bad guide!! Surely they should be looking at qualifications (not necessarily academic) more in line with communication skills, knowledge of the area/subject etc., rather than a piece of paper.

[dtaai-maai]

Yes, yes, yes, this is all so clear to us logical farang, but what you chaps are overlooking is that there are today thousands of students at universities across Thailand sweating their way through final exams in order to complete a BA in Tourism, many of whom have the specific goal of becoming a tour guide. Which of course has always required a degree. Until now.


EDIT:

Which of course has always required a degree

Mind you, I'm sure a kind uncle in the TAT would have done just as well...

[pharvey]

^ Fair comment...... I keep on forgetting about "those" degrees

[Dannie Boy]

Yes, yes, yes, this is all so clear to us logical farang, but what you chaps are overlooking is that there are today thousands of students at universities across Thailand sweating their way through final exams in order to complete a BA in Tourism, many of whom have the specific goal of becoming a tour guide. Which of course has always required a degree. Until now.


EDIT:

Which of course has always required a degree

Mind you, I'm sure a kind uncle in the TAT would have done just as well...

Well the article says there's a shortage of guides so the students studying for degrees shouldn't have a problem, although I agree with the other posters who commented about the need for guides to have a good subject knowledge as one of the main criteria. Obviously as its targeted towards tourists, then a second language is a must.

[dtaai-maai]

a second language is a must.

Obviously not a problem - did you not read this?

The government had allocated a budget of 10 million baht to train new tour guides, especially in languages such as Chinese, Korean, Russian, Japanese and Spanish. They will also learn languages spoken by people in Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries in the AEC, he said.

Shouldn't take long.

[dtaai-maai]

Well the article says there's a shortage of guides so the students studying for degrees shouldn't have a problem

They obviously won't have a problem getting a job, my point is that they'll be studying for 4 years longer than they needed to, with the considerable expense that involves.

[Dannie Boy]

a second language is a must.

Obviously not a problem - did you not read this?

The government had allocated a budget of 10 million baht to train new tour guides, especially in languages such as Chinese, Korean, Russian, Japanese and Spanish. They will also learn languages spoken by people in Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries in the AEC, he said.

Shouldn't take long.

Yes I read this, but even degree holders rarely speak a 2nd language other than English and even then, their ability varies. Although it doesn't say so, it could be that the fund for language training would be available to degree holders as well as non-degree holders.

[dtaai-maai]

Sorry, Dannie Boy, I left off the 'irony' icon!

[PeteC]

There could be more to this. As part of the government initiative to raise the minimum wage to 300 per day, they also raised the starting minimum for Uni grads to 14,000 per month, or thereabouts. 300 per day is 7,800 per month based on a 6 day work week.

They may have received so much flack from the tourism sector about the Uni grad requirement for guides and the subsequent high starting salary, they're now back pedaling. A 9th Grade graduate is going to receive no where near 14,000 per month to start regardless if they speak other languages or not. Pete

[margaretcarnes]

There could be more to this. As part of the government initiative to raise the minimum wage to 300 per day, they also raised the starting minimum for Uni grads to 14,000 per month, or thereabouts. 300 per day is 7,800 per month based on a 6 day work week.

They may have received so much flack from the tourism sector about the Uni grad requirement for guides and the subsequent high starting salary, they're now back pedaling. A 9th Grade graduate is going to receive no where near 14,000 per month to start regardless if they speak other languages or not. Pete

So if I'm reading this correctly Pete, the aim is to keep tour guide salaries at the much lower end of the pay scale. And who exactly are these less qualified (but still eager to learn other languages for peanuts) guides going to work for?
Sorry but I've never done a package deal holiday to Thailand so I don't know what is provided in terms of guides. (Thankfully.) I assume most of the TAT guides are employed in the package deal end of the trade?
There may well be a need for Thailand to cater more for the emerging tourism markets from other SE Asian countries. In terms of rising flight costs these days that does make sense. But without intending to sound too Colonial - surely good English language skills above all are going to fulfill much of the SE Asian tourist demand. And if a tour company from say Korea takes a group of tourists to the LOS won't they have their own guide anyway?

[PeteC]

Just about every hotel Mags has a tour desk in the lobby and if not, a rep is a quick call away if a guest asks the concierge to get one for them. Per the article they are licensed which I guess is enforced.

I'm not sure if lets say a Korean guide shows up with a group they can work without a permit. I guess it depends upon if there is reciprocal treatment if a Thai guide accompanies a group to Korea, etc.

I do think there is more to this than is written in the article, and costs/salaries are part of it. Pete

[margaretcarnes]

Thanks Pete. As I say my experience with guides in the LOS is quite limited. But thinking about it there is certainly a need for well qualifed TAT people at all the tourist information booths in Bangkok! How many times have you used those places and had to turn the map the right way up for them? For a major city the standard should be higher rather than lower IMO.