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Hello! I am Jess and I was accepted onto the trainee Blue Badge Tour Guiding course starting September 2024 in London. I thought it would be fun to share my journey to completing the course with you on this blog, in the hope that it becomes a diary of my journey to becoming a qualified Blue Badge Guide!
My future job is going to be taking visitors around London landmarks and hidden local haunts, so as a thank you for reading i’ll keep you posted on the best ones along the way. 🙂
Course Overview
(as detailed in the prospectus)
“The London Blue Badge Tourist Guide course spans several terms and involves a combination of lectures, practical training sessions and private study.
Lectures: Held twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, focusing on history, geography, architecture and culture relevant to London and Britain.
Practical Training: Takes place every Saturday (full day) and includes on-site training at key London locations (e.g., Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, National Gallery).
Communication Seminar: A two-day seminar to develop communication and presentation skills, which are critical for tourist guiding.
Tour Planning Project: A key part of the course, where students plan a full day tour of London.
Exams and Assessments: The course involves a series of written and practical exams, covering 12 key elements (e.g., British Museum, National Gallery, St. Paul’s Cathedral).
The course provides in-depth training in both theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential for guiding tours in London, with the goal of earning the prestigious Blue Badge qualification.”
There are over 100 applicants each year for the Blue Badge course, therefore I thought it would make sense to tell you what the application process was for getting on it for the first post!
The Application Process
Application Form Submission & Pre-Entry Test
Before being able to book the pre-entry test, on Eventbrite an application form needed to be completed, detailing your educational background, work experience and a 250-word personal statement on why you wish to join the course. There was a £70 application fee required upon submission. You were also required to choose a date to sit the test. The test was held at the British Guild of Tourist Guides HQ near London Bridge.
The test was 75 minutes and had 150 questions. They required short answers covering the following topics:
- HISTORY
- GEOGRAPHY
- THE ARTS
- ARCHITECTURE & GARDENS
- CURRENT AFFAIRS
- FOOD, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
- ENVIRONMENT & LANDSCAPE
- PEOPLE & DIVERSITY
- HOW LONDONERS LIVE
Upon applying for the course, you will receive detailed advice on how to prepare for the test with recommended reading list which included:
- Blue Guide to London
- A Traveller’s History of London by Richard Tames (a Blue Badge Guide and historian).
- The Story of England” by Christopher Hibbert or
- DK’s History of Britain.
- A History of Britain by Simon Schama
- Chris Roger’s “How to Read London: A crash course in London Architecture”
I have no idea what mark I scored in the test and the institute make it clear there is “There is no formal pass mark to be invited to the subsequent stage of the application process(i.e. the interviews). Once all Tests are marked and all the information from the applications is analysed, we will select some applicants to the interview stage.”
If you are a bit of a history nerd anyway then it makes sense to focus on areas you are less confident in. For me this was architecture, gardens, politics and geography.
The test was held in a bright and airy room and we were given 75 minutes. The test was straightforward and it took me around 70 minutes to answer all the questions and have a go at the ones I wasn’t so sure about.
Some people completed the test freakish quickly, I wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or not and it will be interesting to see if they are on the course on Saturday.
After the test, applications are reviewed and successful candidates are invited for an interview. I completed the test on Saturday the 20th of April and by the Sunday 21st of April I had an invite to the interview.
Interview Stage
Being invited to the interview was really exciting! We were sent an email with all the details and told we would need to prepare a 4 minute presentation on a London site in English and they would let us know the site.
I prepared the talk on my site which was Granary Square, King’s Cross. It’s not an area of London I have paid much attention to, but after getting stuck in with the research I found the whole process really enjoyable. Having to do the presentation is a great way to see if I actually enjoy the course.
Completing the pre-entry test and researching the site confirmed to me that I would really enjoy the course.
Nervously Awaiting the Outcome
I had my interview on the 20th of April.
On the 12 of May I received an email with the subject line: London Blue Badge Training Course Offer – woo hoo 🎉
Next was a small bit of admin to pay for the course, complete some short forms and send a headshot for the ID badge.
What’s next?
The first day of our induction weekend is tomorrow! I’m looking forward to it and to meeting the rest of my cohort.
I have read in the prospectus that “This weekend in Central London introduces you to the course and gives an overview of what is expected in terms of preparation, walks, site visits, and private study.”
I will report back soon – wish me luck!