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Tour guide

Helps people understand a place through verified stories, observation and questions, while organising the group’s movement.

What a day looks like

Imagine a guide leading a walk through a historic city centre. This is an example, not a promise of constant travel. Work starts before meeting visitors: the guide checks the route, opening hours, weather and access. They then review their material, separating verified facts from local legends. If sources disagree, explaining the uncertainty or leaving out a story is better than confidently presenting it as true.

At the meeting point, the guide welcomes visitors, explains the walk and agrees on safe movement. One group asks many questions about architecture; another includes children who need shorter stories and observation activities. The prepared script therefore changes: speak more briefly, allow time to examine a detail and choose a spot where everyone can see and hear. A good tour is not an uninterrupted monologue. The guide notices tiredness, answers questions and maintains interest without pressuring visitors.

After the walk, the guide gathers feedback and clarifies material that was confusing. They prepare for the next group, reply to the organiser and update their notes. Outdoor routes bring rain, noise and delays, while museums have their own restrictions. Patience, voice and attention to people matter alongside memory. For a school-level trial, prepare a story about your school grounds or a familiar monument for your family. Independently escorting strangers or leading demanding hikes is outside this activity.

Try it yourself this week

  • 20 minutes

    Record a 3-minute voice explanation of a hard topic

    1. Choose a school topic that you understand but many people don't.
    2. Jot down three main ideas and one real-life example on a sheet of paper.
    3. Record a 3-minute voice message as if you're explaining it to a younger kid. You don't need to send it to anyone.
    4. Listen back and write down: where it was clear, and where you got confused yourself.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy making something complicated clear for another person — even when no listener is there.

  • 40 minutes

    Write a short news piece about something happening near you

    1. Choose a real event: a school concert, a new playground in your neighbourhood, a competition.
    2. Gather the facts: what, where, when, who took part. If you like, ask one participant a question — and leave their name out of the text if they don't want it in.
    3. Write a 150–200 word piece with a headline that makes people want to open it.
    4. Cut the text by a fifth and check that every fact is true. Write down what was harder: writing or cutting.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you're drawn to finding a story and telling it accurately — and whether you can handle edits to your own text.

What you can do next

  1. Next 3 months

    • Record a short story

      Complete t19 by explaining a familiar place’s history in three minutes. Ask a listener for one memorable idea and one unclear point.

    • Verify three facts about a place

      Choose a monument or museum object. Find three facts in official museum or archive sources and save the links; label legends separately.

  2. In six months

    • Draw a practice route

      Plan three stops near home or school. With an adult, check crossings, timing and places suitable for listening; do not escort unfamiliar groups.

    • Try a family tour

      With adults’ agreement, lead a short walk on the checked route. Prepare a rainy-day alternative and ask for feedback.

  3. In a year

    • Compare study programmes

      Explore Tourism Guide Service at IUTH and tourism at Yessenov University. Ask about languages, placements and route planning; check the current intake.

    • Build a guide’s project folder

      Combine your route, script, links and visitor feedback. Make a second version for younger listeners and compare what changed.

What it pays

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Where to study

Universities

You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.

How to get into college

College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.

  • Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
    Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
    Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
    Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university

The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.

  • The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
    Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)

Courses and opportunities

No verified information is available in this section yet.

History of the career

The occupation is connected to the growth of organised travel and museum education. Thomas Cook’s company history describes the train trip Thomas Cook organised in 1841: arranging journeys gradually became a distinct service.

Another important strand concerns how visitors understand heritage. In 1957, Freeman Tilden published Interpreting Our Heritage, setting out principles that influenced US national park interpreters. The emphasis moved beyond listing dates towards the meaning of a place and its connection to visitors’ experience. These examples do not establish one birth date for guiding, but illustrate its two responsibilities: accompanying people and helping them understand what they see.

Source: home.nps.gov (opens in a new tab)

Well-known people in this field

Article sources

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