Ambitious Young Chinese Seek Tour Guiding Opportunities in a Volatile Job Market

A growing number of young people in China are now pursuing tour guide certifications, driven by the uncertain job market in white-collar fields and aspirations for a domestic tourism boost that promises stable income.

This year, around 320,000 individuals in China have signed up for the national tour guide certification exam, reflecting a 45% increase from 2023 and achieving record numbers in various provinces, according to China Tourism News, a government-affiliated industry publication. The report highlighted an uptick in candidates who are university graduates with foreign language degrees.

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Read: Lessons from 2024: A tale of two economies

As job security diminishes amid a faltering economy, becoming a tour guide has become an attractive alternative career option for many in China. Significant layoffs in the tech and finance sectors have intensified competition for white-collar roles, while millions of graduates compete for a shrinking pool of entry-level opportunities.

The struggle for stable employment has started to concern even those holding advanced degrees, with youth unemployment reaching around 17%, which has driven many to accept part-time jobs or take positions in blue-collar industries that were once considered beneath their educational qualifications.

“Historically, tour guiding was perceived as a temporary or seasonal occupation, but changes in the post-pandemic environment have altered this viewpoint,” remarked Subramania Bhatt, founder of China Trading Desk, a digital marketing and research company specializing in travel data analytics.

In the past year, China has witnessed a notable resurgence in domestic tourism, as many have opted for more budget-friendly local trips and sought experiences highlighted on social media. While per capita spending on tourism hasn’t skyrocketed, tour guiding has emerged as an instant, accessible way to earn income from visitors, especially in popular tourist spots, as it merely requires passing a certification exam.

International tourism is also making a gradual recovery. With visa waivers now available for 38 countries, inbound travel to China saw an increase of nearly 80% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the previous year, though it still lags behind pre-pandemic figures.

Leading foreign tour groups—particularly those serving English-speaking clients—often provide higher earnings than guiding domestic tourists, prompting more college students with foreign language majors to pursue tour guide certification.

According to Bhatt, guides can typically earn between 500 yuan ($68) and 600 yuan per day during peak seasons. English-speaking guides sometimes earn up to 1,000 yuan per day, with rates even higher for those fluent in languages like German or Italian. These earnings offer a lucrative alternative in China, where the average monthly salary for new hires is just over 10,000 yuan.

Read: China export growth jumps to 27-month high as tariff risks loom

Tour guiding is among the diverse skills that local college students are developing to bolster their resumes and widen their job prospects, with an increasing number of middle-aged Chinese also pursuing various certifications amid employment anxieties.

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High demand

Chris Men worked as a full-time tour guide for foreign tourists in Beijing for several years before switching to a kindergarten teaching role when tourism declined during the COVID pandemic. Now, with travel restrictions lifted, he is back to guiding during his days off, earning 3,000 to 4,000 yuan for a two-day English-language weekend tour—and making at least 30,000 yuan a month in summer, which is more than triple his teaching salary.

“I can find work assignments whenever I need,” he mentioned. “The demand for English-speaking tour guides is considerable, especially in cities like Beijing and Shanghai.”

Anyone with a high school diploma can take the exam, which includes a written test and an interview where candidates are usually asked to present a tourist attraction. Many guides are employed on a full-time basis by travel agencies, while others build their client rosters and work as freelancers.

However, tour guiding isn’t for everyone. It can be physically taxing, often requiring long hours of walking while managing groups of tourists. A strong knowledge of Chinese culture, alongside a vast network of contacts, is generally necessary to establish a client base, and the certification exam itself is quite challenging, with only 20% to 30% of candidates passing, as reported by local media.

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This reality hasn’t deterred Alice Ma, 34, who has been searching for a job for nearly a year after being laid off from her marketing role in the auto parts industry. Faced with a scarcity of full-time positions, the Shanghai resident is considering freelance work as a tour guide.

“I have this free time, so I decided to take the tour guide exam,” she remarked. “If I can’t find a suitable job, I may have to become a tour guide.”

© 2024 Bloomberg

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