[Spike]

(07-20-2012 01:51 PM)Hawk Wrote:  

(07-20-2012 06:22 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

Can you tell me a bit more about your free time or lack of free time? Also important, were you a tourguide as in taking people from city to city or a host in a steady place?

I'm sure which one i want to do. I tend to aim for a tourguiding position since that's a bit more adventurous.

Right now I work 6 days on and 2 days off. If my boss call me to work on a free day, I can't say no or they won't renew my 3 month contract (thank you, Milton Friedman). I work in 3 shifts, changing every week: morning (from 9 to 14, 15 or 18), evening (from 13 or 14 to 22) and split (from 9 to 22, with 4 free hours in the middle). I've worked in a tourist office and in the panoramic city buses, always sleeping at home.

My sister and other people I know have been tourguides and they hate it, you work a lot and are available even at sleeping for your customers (if they have a nail broken or similar); however, if you're a courier (a Western tourguide living in a foreign country) you can make good money; Spanish guides only get those positions through connections, don't know about Holland.

Have you thought about becoming an English teacher? You can live anywhere in the world with more free time and, when you get tired of 3rd world, you can easily relocate. A friend of mine recently got a title (a 120 hour course in Teflexpress), even if she's Spanish.

Thanks for the info.

Yep, i want to be a courier, the western tourguide living in a foreign country. I've looked up a lot of info in Holland and will start making phonecalls on Monday. I need to know the requirements since i have no education in tourism. I can't see how a fresh rookie with a college degree in tourism is better than a 35 year old guy who has been in over 50 countries and has many years of working experience in other fields.

I'll see what they have to say on Monday.

Everyone i meet says that i need to get work as an English teacher but i don't fancy that kind of work so much. I'm not a native speaker and would have to study hard to get a degree and a job. It would cost a couple of thousand dollars also.
Besides that i don't like working with spoiled kids.