Tour Guiding in Israel

Training Courses | Subsidies for New Olim | Course Curriculum | Licensing Exam | Finding Your First Job | Working as a Freelancer | Working Hours | Developing a Stable Income | Part-Time Work for Students | Other Resources

Special thanks to Shulie Mishkin, professional tour guide, for her assistance in preparing this article.

The age-old adage says to choose a career that you love and make your current hobby into your vocation. For many Olim, this advice clearly refers to the field of tour guiding. Few professions express a love of Israel as much as guiding. Providing an opportunity for enthusiasts to study every inch of the land and delve into Israel's rich history and archeology, the tour guiding field is a natural magnet for people who are seeking employment that expresses their passions and interests.

Training Courses

A variety of training courses are available throughout Israel. The options include:

• Bet Sefer L'Tayarut (Israel School of Tourism) provides a general grounding in the field and offers a wide vision and perspective. Courses are provided both in English (in Jerusalem only) and Hebrew (in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa). The course requires two days of classroom study per week (or alternatively, three evenings) plus one full day of touring weekly, for a total of 68 full day tours throughout the 18 month program. The cost of the Hebrew-language course is 16,400 NIS and the cost of the English-language course is 19,000 NIS, plus a 350 NIS fee for registration. For details, see www.tayarut-school.co.il or phone 1-800-322-888.
• Derekh Eretz, designed for the Orthodox public and run through Touro College. The course requires about 5 classroom hours per week and offers 35 full day tours a year. The course is 24 months long. The full cost of the course is 21,000 NIS, fully inclusive. For details, phone 02 659 9380 or 052 534 6508. Located at 8 Am V'Olamo St., Malam Building, Givat Shaul. 
• Archeological Seminars, provides courses in English. The course involves about 20 classroom hours per week including a weekly full day tour, connected to the current course of study. In addition, time is required for background study and writing reports. The course is 18 months long. For details, see www.archesem.com/guides.htm, email office@archesem.com or call 02 586-2011. The full cost of the course is about 20,000 NIS, fully inclusive.

For additional information about tour guide programs, see
www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism/Ministry+of+Tourism/Services/tourism+schools.htm

Subsidies for New Olim

New Olim are entitled to a subsidy through Misrad Haklita. For recognized tour guiding courses, Misrad Haklita pays 80% of the cost of tuition for the first year (and not for the second year). For more information about the subsidy, see Vocational Courses and Retraining Programs.

The tuition usually covers the cost of hikes, buses, entrance fees and the various overnight tours (some of two and three night duration). Books are an additional cost.

Course Curriculum

You are likely to gain more from these courses if you have a background in Tanakh, Hebrew and Jewish history.  While the required material will all be reviewed during the course itself, a background in these subjects makes it easier to absorb the quantity of texts and variety of subjects that are covered.

The courses usually cover geography, geology, geomorphology, from pre-history through the various bronze ages, iron age, early Israel period through to destruction of 1st Temple (with visits to sites), Judaism, Hellenistic and Roman period, destruction of 2nd Temple, Christianity, Byzantine and Persian period, Islam, Umayyad, Ayubid, Fatimid, Crusader, Mamluke, Ottoman periods, rise of Zionism, British mandate, State of Israel and its wars and current affairs.

Licensing Exam

All Israeli tour guides are required to pass a licensing exam written and approved by Misrad HaTayarut (the Ministry of Tourism). The exam is offered at set times throughout the year and can be taken either in English or in Hebrew.

The Archeological Seminars course requires you to take internal exams after each segment of the course. Final exams, including an oral exam, mirror the Misrad HaTayarut text and must be passed before you are permitted to take the Misrad HaTayarut exam.

Knowledge of Hebrew

Speaking Hebrew is critical to the tour guiding business. As a new guide, you will want to broaden your potential client base as much as possible, and excluding Hebrew speakers from the pool of relevant tourists makes it harder to gain the necessary work experience and build up a solid reputation.

Even if you decide to limit yourself to English language tours, you will need to speak Hebrew to the Israelis that you interact with in the course of most tours, including bus drivers, waiters at restaurants, museum staff and rangers at national parks.

Finding Your First Job

When you first start working as a tour guide, it may be worthwhile looking for a job in one of the big tour companies, or joining an educational tour group (like Ramah). These places provide some on the job training, providing you with an itinerary and giving you an idea of what material to teach.

It is worthwhile advertising your services in your former community or synagogue in North America or the UK, where your name is known and you can attract business from former neighbors who are visiting Israel.

Working as a Freelancer

Most experienced tour guides work independently, since the rate of pay is higher. However, when you first start to work independently you will need to drum up your own business. There is a network of tour guides who refer work to each other, which helps newcomers find jobs. In addition, you can market yourself by advertising on local email lists, writing columns in local newspapers and magazines, and by organizing tour groups through your community's social centers. Keep in mind, however, that it usually takes several years to build up your reputation to a point where people have already heard about you, and contact you directly.

Working Hours

Tour guides have a tremendous amount of flexibility and can work part time or full time, depending on their personal financial needs. However, the job does require a total commitment: While you are leading a tour group, you may be sleeping away from home and "on call" for the entire time. This can be very intense, but an advantage of the system is that after a long period of guiding, you have the option of giving yourself some well-deserved time off.

When planning your guiding schedule, keep in mind that the "down time" between guiding jobs is not really free time. In the days or weeks before you meet a group, you will need to prepare the logistics of the tour, make phone calls, make reservations, do "reconnaissance" prior to the actual trip and review the relevant background material.

Developing a Stable Income

The demand for tour guides in Israel varies tremendously, following the dramatic ups and downs of Israel's political situation. In turbulent times, foreign tourists usually cancel their vacations to Israel, and Israeli tourists tend to stay at home. If it is important for you to have a stable income, it is recommended that you combine part time tour guiding with a second, more reliable profession such as tutoring, teaching or working in the business sector.

Part-Time Work for Students
Students who are looking for part-time income and who are not interested in doing the full tour guiding course can become trained at particular museums or sites, such as the Migdal David Museum or Ir David (in Jerusalem).

Other Resources

• Hebrew language listing of Israeli tour guides: http://www.weekend.co.il (enter "Morei Derekh" in Hebrew in the Search box).
• Gateway to Israel, a portal of Israeli tour guides, www.israel-guides.net.
• Keshet, a small educational tour guiding company, www.keshetisrael.co.il. 
• Oranim Educational Initiatives, http://www.jewishadventures.com/private_tours.asp.
• Daat Travel Services, http://www.daattravel.co.il/.