A couple of months ago there was an ad for a travel agency looking for tour guides for Spanish tourists in Yunnan. I quit that job a few months back, and after recent events, I would like to give some advice about certain things.
Let me tell you about my time working as a tour guide: I worked for that agency for 5 years, from March 2011 until November 2016. I accompanied groups of 2-25 people, some of them were high luxury (the private ones, with fancy SUV and driver, super expensive hotels), some were more mass-tourism style (big bus, meals included, cheaper hotels). I started doing that work because I was studying Chinese and wanted to do something that allowed me to keep going to class. Most of the groups came during the summer, so that was perfect. I had a student visa, legally I was in a cozy grey zone because most of the work happened when I was on holidays, and the schools didn't really care when I missed a week of school every now and then. The salary I had when I started was 700 yuan a day, plus 150 to pay my own hotel and meals, which were not included and I had to arrange by myself. At the time, that was pretty good: English classes were paid on average 100-150 yuan per hour, so with an average of 8 to 10 hours per day as a guide that made the pay about 65 yuan per hour, which was lower but you got plenty of hours with a group and you got to be outside in beautiful places. And sure, sometimes the work was very hard, but I thought it was worth it. And so i kept doing it.
So here is the advice:
First of all, my salary never changed, and 700 yuan per day last year was not that good. If you get offered more, good for you. If not, ask for more. The prices of hotels, drivers, restaurants, rent, school fees, etc., have gone up 25% since 2011, so the salary should have been up too by that much. As for the per diem, same thing, 150 yuan per day and it never changed. In spite of the fact that, again, all hotel and restaurant prices went up. So ask for more. Or buy earplugs and stay in a dormitory at a hostel.
Second, do not get upset when you get 200 yuan as a tip for 14 days of work. You see, just as the guide salaries are kept down in order to keep the trip's overall price as low as possible, the policy about tip is to let the guides get screwed. When drivers get a lousy tip, they can throw a tantrum and have the agency pay them more. When a guide gets a lousy tip... well, that's what you signed for.
Third, beware of groups that include all meals, because that will take your working hours up to 12-14 hours per day. For the same salary, of course. You still have to find the time to get a hotel of your own, or spend your salary in the hotel where your guests are staying. And don't you even think about complaining, or you will be coldly reminded that they are making you a favor by employing you.
Fourth, careful with the visa. One of the main reasons why I left was because working with a student visa has become harder and harder over the years. After I passed the HSK 5 in 2013 I wanted to stop studying, but this agency couldn't give me a working visa, so I had to keep working with a student visa. That first semester they paid for my tuition because they didn't want me to leave, but after that they just never offered again, so like an idiot, I paid for it myself. And as controls became tighter, I started having more and more trouble justifying my absences, especially because I started working more and more during school months. So if you want it as a summer job, it should be fine. But during school time, remember to consider the risk.
Fifth, never become friends with the Spanish woman organizing the groups. I did, and it got me in all kinds of trouble, going from she asking me to go pick up tourists at the airport, accompany them to their hotel and explain to them their itinerary without receiving any pay, because it was a favor between friends, and she was mad if I refused to do it; to her being mad about me searching for another job because she felt like I was being unfaithful and so she would endlessly spit on me all kinds of recriminations. So really, don't.
Sixty, beware of drivers. if you are a guy, it shouldn't be too bad, but if you are a girl, you are going to have to pat their ego constantly, and hope and pray that they won't go psycho on you when you tell them to make a turn on a shortcut you know. You are a foreigner, it's bad enough that you are going around showing China to other foreigners; but if on top of that you are a girl... again, pray that you don't get an asshole. Cause the agency won't change it. You have to deal with it.
Seventh, pray that you never get sick when you have to work. I had had laduzi and stuff like that a couple of times, but I just rode through it and didn't give it a second thought. Until the next to last group I worked with, when I got really sick: I had a fever, and a terrible headache, and I was weak and light headed. And after finishing that group, sick as I was, I had a group starting the day after. With 25 people, all meals included. I had to pick them up at 7am at the airport. And with a driver that got upset because I complained he drove the bus, with me and the 25 tourists on it, to make a personal errand, and after that just pretended he didn't understand what I said when I told him to do something. By the second evening, I felt like I wanted to scream, and when I called the Spanish woman, almost in tears, to tell her that I couldn't take it any more and she had to do something about it, she started screaming at me, because that was how the work was, and if I didn't like it I could quit. I decided to finish the group because I didn't want to quit (for me, because I don't quit and leave things half-ass done), and so I kept at it, after a couple of days I was feeling better physically, and in the end the tourists were satisfied and even gave me a good tip. And then I quit.
Eight, last on this list and maybe not very important for most of you who just want to work for a summer, but very important for me after five years and now that I am starting to look for another job: do not count on getting a recommendation letter. You see, a week ago or so I asked for one from the Chinese partner who was always decent and rational. I figured he would agree to give me a good recommendation because the last time I saw him, two months ago during a short trip to Kunming, he asked me again to go back to work with the agency, and that I didn't have to be in contact with the Spanish woman, I could just be in contact with him. So you know, I figured he wouldn't mind. But turns out the Spanish woman didn't want to give me a recommendation letter. I insisted, and finally got a letter that says that I was "professional and responsible til there was a work incident and then our work relationship ended".
So yeah, I am a disgruntled employee... And this rant will probably get me nothing, but the way I was treated was not correct, and I want people to know about it. Especially people who might work for them also. Because maybe if they know, then they won't be treated the same way.