Being a driver guide in Alaska is among the most rewarding and humbling career opportunities travel-lovers can have. Every day, you get to explore jaw-dropping beauty, see breathtaking wildlife and watch joy light up in other people’s eyes.
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In many ways, if you have the people skills, knowledge and fortitude, being a driver guide is one of the best ways to experience Alaska.
Here is how you can find the perfect driver guide opportunity for yourself, what skills you should have and how to prepare for an interview.
Skills Driver Guides Need
Some important skills a driver guide needs are people skills, staying calm under pressure and being able to adapt to rapidly changing environments. The best driver guides have a knack for performance and storytelling. Plus, good guides are quick thinkers and can react to constant change on the fly. Is this starting to sound like you?
If so, here are four other traits we find valuable in our driver guides:
Organized – Tours involve a lot of moving parts and people. Although a tour director typically creates the itinerary, it’s your job to get guests from point A to point B while keeping them entertained and educated. Doing so well requires good time and people management skills.
Quick Learner – Tourists ask questions about nearly everything you can think of during a tour, especially a multi-day motorcoach tour. You’ll get used to answering where the bathroom is, or what that bird is called. But for questions that you don’t know, you’ll want to figure out how to learn the correct answer fast. If you’re curious and love to learn, a motorcoach tour guide might be the perfect position for you!
Great Public Speaker – Being a tour guide is a bit like being an actor. You need to be comfortable in front of groups and enjoy speaking with strangers. Part of that entails speaking clearly and coherently. Knowing more than one language is always a bonus, too!
Energetic – If you want to be a motorcoach guide you need to have lots of energy, especially for overnight trips. You’re almost always working, whether you’re talking to a guest, arranging restaurant reservations or directing the driver. You’ll want plenty of stamina and energy to excel at this job, but it’s worth it to see how special you make people’s vacations. Knowing you played an important role in somebody else’s adventure is deeply satisfying.
Driver Guide Interview Preparation
After you’ve applied for the job and earned an interview, there are a few tips to consider for interview prep. Naturally, you’ll want to research the company you’re interviewing with, Alaska in general and specific information about the locations your motorcoach may visit. Knowing the answers to these common interview questions may also help:
- How do you get and keep people’s attention?
- What do you think will be the hardest part of being a tour guide?
- Why is background knowledge important as a tour guide?
- Why did you want to interview with us?
- Describe your ideal tour.
- What other customer-facing positions have you had?
- Had experience being responsible for the safety of others?
- How do you adapt to sudden changes in your schedule?
Where to Find Driver Guide Jobs
One of the best ways to find a driver guide job in Alaska is to use our transportation job search tool. You can narrow your choices and search by location, type of job and seasonality. Our jobs provide adventure, meaningful connections and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Remember, being a tour guide is about more than pointing out landmarks and memorizing historical facts. It’s about empowering people to enjoy their Alaska vacation. As a guide, you get to play a special role in that journey. And good guides can transform regular vacations into unforgettable adventures.
Think you’re ready to apply for a tour guide job? Then explore our current job openings and seize the opportunity of a lifetime!