Becoming a guide
We are always on the lookout for new volunteer guides. Becoming a guide can be a fairly demanding process, but the role is enjoyable and very satisfying. If you think it is right for you, we would love to hear from you.
What being a guide involves
As a guide, you will be leading our highly-praised walking tours in and around the Royal Mile. Your aim will be to give visitors a flavour of our city's rich and colourful history. You will show them the important historic sites, and also the 'hidden corners': the closes, pends and wynds that they would be unlikely to find on their own.
Most of our tours take place in August, during the Festival Fringe. These tours are completely free, and the guides, who are all volunteers, receive no payment.
What we look for
As a prospective guide, we expect you to have:
- A deep interest in - and an enthusiasm for - Edinburgh, its history and its culture. You might not be an expert at the outset, but you must be willing to learn and to develop your knowledge to the full.
- A good speaking voice, with the ability to engage and entertain an audience - not to mention making yourself heard over the hubbub of the Edinburgh Fringe.
- A reasonable level of physical fitness. Our tours are in no way physically demanding, but you will be on your feet for up to two and half hours at a time, walking for at least a mile on narrow crowded pavements.
- Foreign language skills are an advantage but by no means essential.
What you get in return
- The chance to develop your knowledge of local history and to share your knowledge with others.
- The opportunity to meet many interesting people from around the world.
- The satisfaction of being a member of a long-standing organisation with an enviable reputation. Association members are sometimes able to visit interesting places in the Old Town that are not normally open the public, as well as attending social events.
Your commitment
As a guide, we ask you to commit to leading six to eight tours over the 25 days of the Fringe season, on dates convenient to yourself. As far as possible, we won't expect you to lead two tours on the same day or on consecutive days (unless you prefer to do so).
We also occasionally ask for guides to lead out-of-season tours. These take place at a date and time convenient to both guide and visitors.
The training process
All our guides go through a fairly demanding training process followed by a practical test. The training is self-paced. You can decide for yourself how much time you want to put into it and how fast you want to proceed. Some of our trainees spread the process over several months while others complete it more quickly. It will be entirely up to you to decide when you feel ready to take the test.
The next steps
If you haven't already done so, spend a few minutes browsing our website. This will give you an idea of what our tours involve and what you will be expected to do. Then contact our Training Coordinator who will be happy to answer your questions. This will be an informal chat and won't commit you to anything.
For contact details, see our Contacts Page.