Call to book01904 734 939
Tour Search
#Favourites

Tour Managers

The Tour Manager Management Team (TMMT) deals with all aspects of tour management from recruiting the army of self-employed Tour Managers who accompany every tour, to allocating their tours, monitoring the quality, to supporting them with any incidents which may occur on tour and providing Tour Managers with the correct information and tickets for each tour.

The team deal with payments, event planning such as workshops and conferences, hotel booking to general administrative task. They also providing a comprehensive guide for each of our tours which assists the Tour Manger whilst on tour.

One section of the team confirm all ground arrangements with suppliers across the world, hotels, guides, coach companies etc. for each tour.

Team members need to be able to multi task with projects and tasks worked simultaneously, good communications and organisations skills are necessary as is attention to detail.

THE ROLE OF THE SELF-EMPLOYED TOUR MANAGER:

You could be a suitable candidate for the Self-Employed UK Resident Tour Manager role if you have excellent leadership and organisational abilities, can quickly and efficiently solve diverse problems, are diplomatic and friendly, can demonstrate a good understanding of European and Worldwide rail travel, and are well-travelled.

All of our Tour Managers must be a UK resident.

It is preferable to be proficient in a European language in addition to English.

A VIEW FROM ONE OF OUR SELF-EMPLOYED TOUR MANAGERS:

"For those who are outgoing and well-organised, have genuine leadership skills, are tactful and discreet, like and are interested in people, appreciate beautiful scenery and wonderful city sights and can impart enthusiasm to others, are unflappable, and enjoy travelling by train, there are few jobs more enjoyable and fulfilling than to be a Tour Manager for Great Rail Journeys.

"But it's hard work too. It's crucial that you prepare carefully for each trip. As soon as you receive your allocation of tours, it's sensible to start reading up on where you are going and what you are likely to see. You don't need to be a walking Beidecker on each city you visit, but it's as well to learn in advance a bit of the country's history, its system of government, familiarise yourself with local customs and laws. In most places GRJ offers a superb local guide who knows more about the attractions of their city than you will ever learn from a guidebook - rely on them to provide the local colour and knowledge.

"You should aim to be that sort of dinner guest who can chat intelligently to strangers about interesting things without boring them rigid with too much detail and trivia. Be willing to listen as well. You'll find some really interesting people take part in GRJ holidays - doctors, lawyers, police officers, civil servants, teachers, priests, captains of industry. Sometimes they want to remain incognito - even if they tell you their secrets, they may not want others to know, so be sure you respect confidences. You will enjoy their company: do your best to get to know every one of them individually during the course of the holiday.

"It's vital that you plan each day with great care. Make sure you know where you are supposed to be meeting your passengers and when. Check out in advance which platform your train is leaving from, and where in the train your reserved seats are. Be willing to be firm (but courteous) if others are sitting in your allocated seats. Watch out for pickpockets everywhere, especially on busy stations where you have only a short time to connect trains. Think through where and when your passengers will be able to get some refreshments, and don't forget to plan loo stops!!

"The service you get from the RD office in York is superb. Not only are they very, very nice people, they're efficient as well, and there to help you. Don't bother them with trivia, but don't be afraid to ask if there's something about your holiday you don't understand. Above all, read the tour manager's notes sent to you by the York office several times, and follow the instructions to the letter."

CURRENT SELF-EMPLOYED UK RESIDENT TOUR MANAGEMENT RECRUITMENT

If you are interested in supplying your services as a self-employed Tour Manager, escorting tours for Great Rail Journeys / Rail Discoveries please email tm@greatrail.com for an application form.

Each year we have two or three intakes of self-employed Tour Managers, with interviews taking place in November, April and July. Applications will be held until the next round of interviews.