Tour Guide

Heritage Park Historical Village; Calgary; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a vibrant team at Canada's largest living history museum, where you can immerse visitors in the rich history of Western Canada. As a Tour Guide, you'll lead engaging walking tours, dressed in period-appropriate clothing, and share fascinating stories that bring the past to life. This seasonal role offers flexible hours in a beautiful park setting, allowing you to connect with diverse groups while enhancing their understanding of the region's heritage. Enjoy perks like free park entrance and employee discounts while contributing to an inspiring visitor experience. If you have a passion for history and storytelling, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Free entrance to the Park

Employee discounts on food and retail

Free parking

Qualifications

• Enrollment in secondary school or completion; post-secondary education in related areas is a plus.
• Previous experience in customer service or tourism preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead organized walking tours and educate visitors about Western Canadian history.
• Ensure guest safety and provide exceptional visitor experiences.

Skills

Customer Service

Public Speaking

Storytelling

Interpersonal Skills

Flexibility

Adaptability

Education

Secondary School Education

Post-secondary Education in History or Communications

Job description

Department: Programming & Experience - Interpretation

Position Type: Seasonal

Hourly Rate: $16.50

Contract Start Date: April 19, 2025

Contract End Date: October 30, 2025

Hours: Varies and includes weekdays, weekends, and statutory holidays

What we offer:

• Flexible work arrangements where no one day is similar
• Working in a beautiful park setting
• Free entrance to the Park, including to our many public special events
• Employee discounts on food and retail items and free parking

Who We Are:

Heritage Park is Canada's largest living history museum and offers visitors a chance to experience life in Western Canada from the 1860s to the early 1950s. The Park features historical buildings, costumed interpreters, working antiques, and various exhibits that provide insight into the region's past.

Job Overview:

Under the direction of the Exhibit Lead Hands and Public Programming Specialists, the Tour Guide engages visitors on guided historical tours throughout Heritage Park.

Responsibilities:

Tours and Visitor Engagement

• Leads organized groups on walking tours (either Public or Travel Trade tours) throughout the park in period appropriate clothing to educate and engage visitors in the history of western Canada
• Greets groups at designated locations in a punctual manner and responsibly informs them of any relevant meeting/pick up points and time limits on their visit
• Proactively ensures the safety of guests during tours and, if necessary, keeps the group together
• Adheres to content guidelines and scripts from Heritage Park, along with any required timelines
• Shares audience feedback with Lead Hands & Public Programming Specialists, contributing to continuous improvement and refinement of educational programs and experiences
• Communicates day-to-day tour-related logistics with other departments as directed, ensuring awareness and smooth coordination
• Delivers other specialty tours or hands-on activities as directed, enriching the visitor experience
• Supports the interpretation team by providing cover-off on interpretive sites as needed
• Provides an exceptional visitor experience through friendly and courteous interactions with guests, staff, and volunteers
• Creates a welcoming atmosphere for visitors with a customer-focused approach, providing courteous and friendly answers to inquiries and valuable information to enhance the overall visitor experience
• Performs other duties as required

Organizational Excellence and Wellbeing

• Contributes to inspiring and immersive experiences at the Park through your roles and responsibilities by engaging in Heritage Park initiatives that align with the overall mission and vision of the Park
• Demonstrates commitment to workplace health and safety by complying with Heritage Park's Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSEMS)
• Actively supports a positive work environment by creating an atmosphere of inclusion, engagement and fulfillment in line with Heritage Park values
• Demonstrates responsible stewardship of our people, collections and financial assets

Required Qualifications:

• Enrollment in or completion of secondary school education; post-secondary education in related areas (Western Canadian History, historical interpretation, communications) would be an asset
• Previous experience in customer service, communications, or tourism is preferred
• Fluency in additional languages is considered an asset
• Interpretive skills with an emphasis on storytelling and guided tours
• Experience working with diverse groups of people
• Confident in engaging with large groups of people and has strong public speaking skills
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing situations
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills in a client-faced setting
• All successful candidates (over the age of 18) will be required to go through a Police Information Check as a condition of employment

Special Clothing and Equipment:

• Appropriate costuming and safety equipment will be provided by Heritage Park
• Footwear, as designated by the Heritage Park Costume Department, will be provided by the employee

Special Working Conditions:

• The position will be exposed to weather extremes as it works in unheated buildings and outdoors for extended periods of time
• This position is physically demanding, and the incumbent must have the ability to stand for long periods of time and walk throughout the Park for extended periods

Hours of Work:

• Full-time hours are available from mid-May to Labour Day, with weekend work during September and October (until Thanksgiving); part-time hours are also available throughout the season
• The schedule varies and may include weekdays, weekends, and statutory holidays