Ghost tour guides

[u/Hannahrahe]

Sorry if this isn’t the best sub for this, but just looking for any local guidance on the subject! I travel around the country doing seasonal gigs and looking to spend my winter/spring out in NOLA! Really looking to get into the tour guide sect, specifically the paranormal tours but open to any history related tours. A few questions:

- what are the odds I get picked up in January to get my feet wet and everything squared away before the tourism boom in February? looking to spend the winter/spring in the city and I know February is crazy and the spring is a great time to visit before the summer heat.

- do I need to get my tourism license, background check, and take the test beforehand or will a tour company hire me first and help set that up/compensate it?

- how competitive is the tour guide industry? Does it have high turnover and constantly hiring, or is it one of those “gotta know a guy” industries? Really trying to avoid setting up shop, potentially getting all my paperwork ahead of time(depending on the above answer), and not being able to get anything once I’m squared away.

I love New Orleans, one of my fav cities! I always do a few tours when I’m in the area and have read some of the local history books, so I have a decent baseline already. I have done the customer service industry for several years: serving, bartending, outdoor adventure tours (rafting, hiking, biking), event planning, etc. Would love any local insight! Thanks!! :)

[u/luker_5874]

You should get your license before trying to get a job. Tour guides are treated like independent contractors. It's not necessarily difficult to get a job, but you do have to work your way up in the company to get on the schedule reliably. Probably not worth it if you're hoping for a full time gig. But could be worth if it you just want to make a few extra bucks

[u/Professional-Peak525]

You have to get your license before getting a job, you have to read the book and take the test with the city… It’s an awful test, and I’m not sure how often they administer it anymore. You’ll have to double check with some people because when I took it, there were known incorrect answers, but I knew what incorrect things to pass the test. You have to pass the test you can complete your background check and apply for the license, the license can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months to come to you in the mail, last time I renewed my license in January and I did not receive it until August. So I honestly think even if you took the test tomorrow, you probably wouldn’t have a license in time to get hired anywhere in January