Memories
Memories
Apply to become an Expat Explore Tour Leader
If you're a passionate traveller, a quick thinker, and enjoy meeting diverse people from all over the world, a career as a tour leader could be your perfect fit!
We are looking for both experienced Tour Leaders and travel industry professionals wanting to pursue a more flexible career on the road.
Applications for 2025 have closed. Recruitment for 2026 will resume in August. To apply, click the button below.
Will it be a worthwhile career?
Being a Tour Leader is not only worthwhile but rewarding! Take a look at just some of the benefits:
- Competitive commission structure & daily rate
- Living expenses are covered during a tour (accommodation, breakfast and most dinners)
- Get paid to explore exciting destinations and learn all about Europe
- Meet new people from around the world
- Be part of the best road crew in Europe (uniform supplied)
- Enjoy all breakfasts and some dinners/lunches with the travellers on tour
- Accommodation in single rooms on tour and the night before a tour begins
- Supplied smartphone with a daily allowance of calls, texts and data
- One complimentary excursion/entrance per tour
- Access to computers and tour library between tours
- Discounts on personal travel
Hear it from our Tour Leaders & Brand Ambassadors!
“I’m very performative, passionate about travel and a big history buff so tour leading allows me to combine all of these qualities into one all-encompassing package of awesomeness. Not only do I get to combine three of my passions into one, but I also get paid for it!”.
Luke Watson, Tour Leader & Brand Ambassador
“As a Tour Leader, I get to see different things each day, sit at the front of the coach and look at the scenery, meet people from all over the world, and get to know amazing cities like Paris, Florence and Barcelona like they are my own hometowns”.
Victoria Messer, Tour Leader & Crew Manager
“I like being on the move; this way I can skip the daily routine and make my life more exciting and adventurous! I am always around people from all over the world, and I can learn so much from them. This job gave me freedom which I never had before. I can work when I want and then still have time off when I can just enjoy life my way.”
Michalina Grzonkowska, Tour Leader
Who should become a tour leader?
Tour leader applications are open to anyone with:
- Excellent customer service skills
- Good organisational skills
- Previous tour leader experience (beneficial, not required)
- Good leadership skills
- Good accounting foundations
- The ability to research each destination in depth
- High English proficiency (other languages will be greatly advantageous)
- The ability to work well in a team and on your own
If you have a passion for working with people,
See tour leading as a rewarding career,
Have a diplomatic mindset,
And are proven to deal with groups confidently,
YOU should become a tour leader!
Bid the 9-to-5 adieu and make the world your office!
Which tour details does a tour leader oversee?
- Ensure the tour is well organised and runs according to the itinerary
- Book or confirm all meals and accommodation required by the company
- Providing passengers with a detailed programme for the day every morning and/or evening
- Proactive planning for days ahead and upcoming tours
- Responsible for your own mobile phone budget and keeping spend within this budget
- Reconfirming hotels and suppliers before arrival
How are tour leaders responsible for entertainment?
- Provide expert, informative commentaries on countries, cities and sights visited
- Stimulate the social aspect of the tour by organising activities and competitions
- Encourage groups to mingle wherever possible
How does a tour leader encourage diplomacy?
- Deal with a wide variety of people and situations diplomatically and professionally as the tour leader and a representative of Expat Explore
- Facilitate a harmonious relationship between passengers, staff and service providers
- Always be polite and friendly towards passengers
How does a tour leader share their expertise?
- Sharing your knowledge in a professional and informative manner
- Develop your knowledge of cities, sights and countries
- Keeping your knowledge up to date and recent
- As the tour leader, it's your responsibility to know the answer to every possible question
Learning basic language skills of the countries you are visiting
What accounting responsibilities does a tour leader have?
- Complete a neat, balanced, receipted set of accounts at the end of each tour
- Pay all tour bills, accommodation, parking, city/road taxes, etc.
- Plan expenditure in advance so that you always have money available for expenses
- Collect money for optional excursions and make a payment for the services
What are a tour leader's caretaking responsibilities?
- To be aware of passenger safety at all times
- To educate passengers to ensure their personal and property safety
- To deal with emergency situations that arise such as ill health, accidents and loss of property
- Liaise with the London office
- To facilitate quick and efficient professional help such as doctors, lawyers and ambulances when needed
How does a tour leader manage expectations?
- Exceeding customer expectations on a daily basis
- Make it easy for passengers to talk to you
- Understand what passengers want
- Maintain a one-on-one relationship with passengers
- Make the tour a true representation of the tours offered online
- Be upfront, direct and honest
- Clearly communicate what you can and cannot do as well as what the company does and does not offer
- Explain how you go about your work and what can be expected of you
Will you receive any training?
Trainees will attend our Training Programmes for up to 4 weeks. The exact programme and training manual will be provided to successful applicants before the training commences.
Only the most skilled trainees will make it through the Training Programme and become established Expat Explore Tour Leaders. If you are lucky enough to get invited to our Training Programme, you will need to start practising and researching immediately.
Before the training begins, trainees must prepare themselves extensively – practising country and city spiels and walking tours. Depending on knowledge and previous experience, this phase might take up to 4-5 months.
The Expat Explore Training Programme consists of:
1. Online assignments prior to the start of training.
2. Classroom training for 3 days, mainly in our London office, where your progress will be monitored. No accommodation, meals or compensation will be provided at this stage.
3. Training tour, which will last up to 4 weeks.
4. Shadow tour of up to 2 weeks.
5. Final preparation in the office before you start your tour.
What does the application entail?
If your profile matches our requirements, we will invite you to the first interview – either via Skype, in our London office or we will ask you to complete a short video interview. During this interview, we evaluate your experience, personality and knowledge of our tours.
The second interview will be a performance interview where we will ask you to present different spiels. We’ll assess your reaction to different scenarios and your commitment to the role. We expect you to know everything about the company by now.
If your interviews are successful, we will invite you to attend our Training Programme. Please note that we might ask you to attend a third interview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Expat Explore provide training?
Yes we do! Scroll back up to see what's included in our training programme.
Will my expenses be covered during training
Expat Explore will cover expenses during the training tour such as accommodation, breakfasts and some dinners (as per tour itinerary). Expenses during the classroom training will not be covered.
How long is the season? Can I work year-round?
Expat Explore have tours throughout the year with our busiest periods being April to September and during the festive period.
How does the scheduling of tours work, and how much work can I expect?
Most Tour Leaders will know their exact schedule up to a week before the following month. During the busy season, Tour Leaders are on the road for around 25 days of each month.
Where is my base between tours?
This is completely up to you. One of the great things about being a tour leader is that the time between tours is completely yours.
If I have many years' experience in tour leading, will I still need training?
All our Tour Leaders will need training on how to lead tours for Expat Explore, but the training for experienced tour leaders will be tailor-made and might not follow our Training Programme strictly.
How big are the tour groups?
Expat Explore groups can be up to 52 passengers plus the tour leader and the driver.
Will Tour Leaders go on different types of tours, or will they only be trained on one itinerary?
Most tour leaders will be training on the Europe Escape tour, as this is our most popular itinerary (in Europe). Within a few months, Tour Leaders are trained to lead different itineraries, and there are plenty of possibilities to develop further when leading tours for several seasons.
Can I request time off during the high season?
Yes! We are very flexible with time off, and we do our utmost to make sure the tour leaders get gaps to re-energise.
What's it like on our tours?
As an Expat Explore Tour Leader, you'll conduct coach tours that include transport on comfortable coaches or minibuses, depending on which tour you're going on.
On our European tours, passengers travel in our full-size coaches. In North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia, passengers will travel either on a full-size coach or a slightly smaller vehicle.
Coach selection depends on how big the group is, and which roads we'll take on tour. Whichever option, we ensure comfort and convenience.
Comments From our Co-Founders
Dear Explorer,
Thank you for your interest in Expat Explore, and welcome to our recruitment page.
As the founders of Expat Explore, we are confident that you will find working as a tour leader and becoming a part of the Expat Explore family to be a rewarding experience. As a tour leader, you will be the face of the company, giving our passengers the time of their lives.
What you will experience when tour leading for Expat Explore is a direct result of the work that ourselves and our hardworking team have put into designing and operating every tour. Every day, we aim to improve the tours and surprise the clients with the standard of service that they receive on tour.
We hope to see you on board with us very soon!
Carl Cronje & Jakes Maritz
