Becoming a Tour Guide in Taiwan

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

(Photo by Vernon Raineil Cenzon on Unsplash)

“It’s never too late to have a life you love. Don’t ever feel like you’ve missed the boat, don’t have what it takes or can’t achieve your dreams. Instead of removing your dreams, remove the doubts and fears keeping you from them. It’s never, ever too late.”

Everyone is telling you to quit your day job, live the dream, escape your office cubicle and travel the world, right? You’re sitting at your desk reading this, dreaming of open roads and stunning sights, but probably wondering ‘how the hell can anyone afford that?’

The answer, my friends, is to earn while you’re travelling.

There’s a number of different paths to earning as you travel; teaching English overseas, working remotely for your company, becoming a virtual assistant or even travel blogging – but only one option that will enrich your travel experience. Becoming a tour guide is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating ways to see the world, learn about a country’s culture and history while sharing your love of travel with people just like you. Knowing a destination inside out means you’ll know all the best restaurants, bars, cafes and insider tips to maximize the fun you’ll have while also getting the best possible price on meals and drinks.

Forget trying to make friends with Steve from HR who just doesn’t understand your wanderlust obsession. When you work in the travel industry, all your colleagues are as crazy about travel as you are! You will finally be surrounded by people who understand and encourage your need to see the world and experience new cultures. It will be a relief and inspiration all at once.

Just like anyone who takes a tour, at the end of a trip you are best friends with the other people who shared the experience with you. That means, as a tour guide, you will have hundreds of best friends who were on your tours scattered across the world.

How to get a tour guide license in Taiwan

You will need to pass the tour guide assessment test and complete pre-service training before you can get your own license. Since 2024 the test has been run by the Tourism Administration (交通部觀光署) under the Regulations Governing Tour Guides, replacing the old national exam held by the Ministry of Examination. Professional tour guides lead interpretive tours within cities across Taiwan and abroad. They provide tourists with information, as well as some entertainment. They may give tours of historic areas, museums, landmarks and more. They generally have extensive backgrounds and knowledge of the subjects they are talking about. Professional tour guides usually give multiple tours a day to different groups of people, but some may conduct longer tours that take days or weeks usually spread out over a trip. These tour guides typically work with travel companies.

(Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash)

The assessment test is held once a year or every other year, and the Tourism Administration announces the dates, subjects and registration rules in the year before each test. There are two categories: foreign-language tour guides (a written test plus an oral test in the language you choose) and Mandarin-speaking tour guides (written test only). The written subjects cover tour guide practice, tourism laws and regulations, and Taiwan’s tourism resources, plus the foreign language for foreign-language guides.

Who can apply? ROC nationals, foreign nationals, and residents of Hong Kong and Macau can take the test, as long as they have graduated from senior high school or vocational high school (or an equivalent school abroad), or have equivalent academic qualifications. Foreign diplomas need to be authenticated by a Taiwan overseas mission and come with a Chinese translation.

Here are the basic steps:

• Prepare your documents: ID (or passport / residence permit for foreign nationals), your diploma, and a recent head shot photo.
• Register online through the Tourism Administration’s tour guide assessment website during the registration period announced on the Tourism Administration website, and upload your documents.
• Pay the registration fee. Under the current regulations it is NT$1,300 for the written test and NT$1,100 for the oral test (check the latest registration guide, as fees can change).
• Take the test, but don’t worry, we know you got this!
• After passing, complete the pre-service training (80 class periods) within three years of receiving your training notice, then apply for your tour guide license, which is valid for three years.

“Take the first step, the rest will follow. Book the ticket, apply for the job, send the email, jump into the water. The rest gets easier from there.”

Can a tour guide find customers without a travel agency?

No. In Taiwan, a licensed tour guide may only work when hired or assigned by a travel agency, or engaged by a government agency or organization, and must follow the itinerary arranged by them. Soliciting your own customers without going through a licensed travel agency is not allowed. Also be aware that licenses differ by language: a foreign-language license (English, Japanese or another language) lets you guide foreign visitors, while a Mandarin license is for Mandarin-speaking visitors. So make sure you have the right license and guide in the language your license covers.

(Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash)

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

What is the purpose of Tour guide organizations in Taiwan

 There are all sorts and types of tourist organizations, tour guide organizations in Taiwan. They promote different goals and purposes. One of them is the Tourist Guide Association, R.O.C. Like any other organizations, their purpose is to lead tourism in Taiwan to a better place, to set and upgrade tourism values within the country. Here are some of their goals as written on their website:

• Academic research on tourism and promote tourism business
• Help tour guides follow the government’s tourism policies
• Collect, edit, and publish tourism magazines and books
• Provide guidance to tour guides and promote the profession
• Assist tour guides in getting jobs and assign where needed

“The biggest addiction a person can have is discovering the unknown. Once it takes hold, there is no getting out and the only way to get your fix is by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and exploring new horizons, culture, and places.” – Stephen from A Backpackers Tale

Tour guide trainings and programs

There are many tour guide programs and trainings in Taiwan, but one is compulsory: after you pass the assessment test, you must complete the pre-service training run by the Tourism Administration (交通部觀光署, the former Tourism Bureau) or an organization it commissions before you can receive your license. Few of the topics the course will cover are related to traveling safety, traveling policies, and cultural experience exchange. They also educate tour guides on Taiwan tour spots and history.

Some interesting topics also include the ability to identify plants that you may often see around Taiwan, Taiwan cultural buildings, authentic cuisines. Licensed guides also take in-service training, and if you don’t guide for three years in a row you need to retrain before you can work again.

Tour guide experience: special requests

As a tour guide, you will be meeting all sorts of different people. There are people from all over the world with different cultures, different family, and different points of view. And as a tour guide, you get to meet these people. As people have different mind sets and thoughts, there are times when we come across some requests that seem unusual. 

(Photo by Lisanto 李奕良 on Unsplash)

People are weird. They do and say crazy things. Some of these people turn to travel agents to help with their vacation plans, which ultimately leads to great stories. Some of us have only humble hotel requests: fresh towels, a shower with hot water, maybe a restaurant reservation or two … and please, no bugs in the bed. But then there are the travelers who are just a little bit more demanding.

We think people are just trying to do things they don’t usually  do. They are on vacation, they are willing to do crazy things. So wanting to swim with fishes, wanting to go to a local funeral isn’t weird at all. What they really want to do is to experience what we know as daily life. 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― Mark Twain

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