FAQ Overview
In order for you to make an informed decision we are providing the answers to those questions we receive most frequently.

Q: In addition to IATM, are there other organizations that are aware of your school?
A: Yes, the American Association of Tour Professionals (Chevy Chase, MD), the World Tourism Organization (Madrid, Spain), the National Tour Association (Lexington, KY), the University of Breda (Breda, The Netherlands), the Rocky Mountain Guide Association (Denver, CO), to name some of them.

Q: Can you provide me with the names of some of the companies that hire your grads?
A: To name just a few of them: Globus family of brands, Maupintour, Tauck World Discovery, Mayflower, Saga Holidays, Apple Vacations, Maritz Travel, MIR Corporation, Holland America West, Contiki Holidays, EF Explore America, Grand Circle Travel, Holiday Vacations, Premier Alaska, Vantage Travel, All First Class, The Arrangers, Apple Vacations, Uniworld, C&G Tours, Go West Tours, Royal Celebrity Tours, and many more.
Read about some of them on our Graduates Page!

Q: What is the difference between a Tour Manager and a Tour Guide? You offer both certifications independently of each other. Which one is best for me?
A: ----A Tour Manager is also called a Tour Director and in some parts of the world an Escort or Courier. Tour Operators hire Tour Managers (or Tour Directors) whose responsibilities are varied and comprehensive. Tour Managers travel with the group that has been organized by the Tour Operator. They stay at the same hotels, eat the same meals, go on the optional excursions, etc. They are responsible for the daily activities and to insure that what the passengers have paid for happens in a manner that is acceptable to the passengers and that the passengers have the "vacation of a lifetime." The International Tour Manager program covers both domestic and international tours. If you want to be a Tour Manager, whether working in the USA or other countries, that is the course to take. This is what 85% of our students take.

--A Tour Guide provides local expertise and does walking tours, step-on motorcoach narration in their city, meet and greets at an airport, work at seminars and conventions, etc. They are hired by Destination Management
Companies. Another way of looking at it is that Tour Guides are rarely away from home at night while Tour Managers travel with the groups and are away from home.

Q: It sounds like a great job. What are the responsibilities?
A: As a Tour Manager, you are essentially on-duty 24 hours a day. Your day begins with your personal preparation, then moves to supervising the handling of the baggage, counting passenger, narrating during the day, scheduling the motorcoach stops for breaks, lunch, picture stops, sight-seeing, etc. At the end of the day you handle the check-in at the hotel, do "lobby duty" and any associated paperwork for the day. You may also spend part of the evening re-confirming the events coming up in the next few days and/or spend part of the evening at a group dinner, theatre, optional excursion, etc.

Q: There is a lot more to the job than meets the eye. What does the Tour Operator expect from me?
A: Expectations are high. You will be expected to handle passenger movement from one place to another whether that is by motorcoach, ship, train, airplane, etc. It may mean crossing country borders. During the day you will be expected to do some narration on the culture, history, geography, demographics, food, language, etc. You will be required to transit smoothly from one hotel to another. Tour Operators may expect you to "sell" their optional excursions. They will look to you to be professional, courteous, and to get everything done in a timely and accurate manner and, of course, to submit all the required paperwork at the end of the tour.

Q: OK, I am convinced that I need some training to get the job done properly. What will I learn at your school?
A: In our certification program, the International Guide Academy/International Tour Manager Academy, educates and trains you on everything that can happen to you while on tour. We start with the basic terminology and cover all the paperwork. We teach you about hotel arrivals and departures, how to research and prepare your commentary, when to give the commentary, how to handle passport control, international and domestic airline travel including re-routes and forced overnights, interacting with suppliers of services along the way, selling and participation in optional excursions, lobby duty, leisure days, how to handle the money and the accounting of it, and expense sheets. Also we train on what to do in emergencies such as a passenger illness or death as well as what to do if a passenger is missing, tour debriefing, baggage handling and control, "tour welcome" presentation, cultural practices, city tours, motorcoach travel and teamwork with the motorcoach driver. We also spend time on group psychology and individual behavior of your passengers.

Q: What is your placement support?
A: We offer free lifetime placement assistance. At graduation we give you a list of over 100 Tour Operator who have indicated they want to receive our graduates resumes and cover letters. It is not just a list of companies but includes who to contact, their phone, fax, email, web site and in many cases a short description of what they are looking for. We direct our grads to over 500+ Tour Operators via a web site where they can research companies specific to their interests.

Our programs are meant to provide the students with a greater understanding of the responsibilities of a Tour Manager and Tour Guide. With class instruction, practical exercises and problem solving, motorcoach trips, etc. the students get a solid base of performance skills. Getting this education shows the Tour Operators that you are sincerely interested in a career as a Tour Manager and that you have invested your time and money in gaining those skills. This helps to enhance your candidacy for open positions.

Q: What about getting hired?
A: As part of the certification program we cover networking, resume preparation, cover letters, phone interviews, follow-up, etc. You get our help in review of your cover letters and resumes. When we become aware of changes, you are kept advised of these changes to the "hiring list" and we provide you with input when companies contact us looking for Tour Managers/Tour Directors from among our graduates. The most important ingredient in getting hired is you. An effort on your part in cover letters and resume preparation is needed. The hiring list we provide is a starting point. Our graduates are encouraged to contact Tour Operators that they identify and not just the ones we include.

An individual cover letter for each company is suggested and the class instruction does include the recommended approach including research on the company, personalizing your cover letter and resume, appropriate follow-up, interviews, etc.

Q: Does your company guarantee employment/placement?
A: No, we cannot guarantee placement and our enrollment form clearly states this. There are too many variables to guarantee placement. You are responsible to prepare your cover letters and resumes, research the companies, individualize your letters, follow-up, etc. We cannot know how you will interview but do provide a good basis for you to answer the questions in an interview. Each student brings with them various backgrounds such as education level, travel experiences, needs and wants, interests, availability during a given year, etc. All of these things are factors in your getting hired. Changing industry needs and passenger requirements can change throughout the years. So also does the economy and safety. With this in mind, those graduates who continue to expand their knowledge and skills in the field of Travel and Tourism enhance their employment opportunities. So does your availability to accept assignments, i.e., if you limit your availability to only one or two months
a year, then your desirability as a Tour Manager candidate for a company is not as strong as someone who is available year round. With so many variables and the different needs of specific Tour Operators, our graduates need to be reactive to the changing requirements. We can say that your certification as a Tour Manager or Tour Guide does carry weight with the Tour Operators.

Q: Why your school?
A: For starters, The International Guide Academy is the only school providing this training that is truly international, giving you a choice of training locations. The school currently has two training locations: Denver, Colorado, USA and Cuernavaca, Mexico. Both of these are sophisticated cities and your class activities are scheduled to allow you time to participate in the local culture and enjoy the complexity of the city you are in. IGA has been in business since 1973. We came to the USA in 1988 after having programs originally in Australia, then Hong Kong, and then London. IGA limits our classes to a manageable number, usually 20 or less. We hold our International Tour Manager Certification Program in a conference center. It sets a proper learning and study environment. Our Tour Guide Certification Program is held in Denver at the Colorado History Museum. Local hotels and motels offer discounted private rooms (one to a room). You do not have to share. Some are in the neighborhood of $50.00 per night for a private room with kitchenette and within a mile of the Conference Center.

Q: Who are your instructors? What are their qualifications?
A: With a staff of about 20 instructors we can put the best in front of you each and every time. In order to be an instructor at the school they must first have successfully taken the course and graduated. Then, they must have been employed in the industry as a Tour Manager for 5 or more years (our average instructor has more than 10 years). They must have had international experience and finally they must be working as a Tour Manager in the year they are teaching. This way they can instruct with the latest technologies, latest company experiences, and are up-to-date on passenger needs, etc.

Q: Can I get college credit for the program?
A: We are accredited and approved and regulated by the Division of Private Occupational Schools, Department of Higher Education. We are not the approving body on credits accepted by your higher level of education institution. It is your responsibility to contact your college/university and obtain the necessary paperwork. It is to be completed by your college/university and yourself and submitted to us. Then we will fill out our part and return it to your institution. After their review of course content, etc. they will make the determination if the program will apply as credits within their institution.

Q: How about scholarships and financial assistance?
A: We do not offer financial assistance. We do offer all National Tourism Foundation state winners of the NTF annual programs a reduced tuition.

Some of our students have had their tuition paid in full by their local state Work Force Program, by their company's tuition refund program, by companies' retirement assistance programs, Pathways, The Alliance for Employee Growth and Development, etc.

Others have contacted and applied for scholarship assistance through USA Funds, the National Tourism Foundation (Lexington, KY), The Foundation Center (Washington, DC), the Institute of International Education (New York City), ASTA Scholarship Foundation (American Society of Travel Agents, Washington, DC) and others.

Q: I have traveled a lot and put my own groups together. Why would a Tour Operator hire one of your graduates?
A: Tour Operators know the high standard of performance, level of learning, and strong ethics that each of our graduates must have. It shows the Tour Operator that the candidate for the position of Tour Manager/Tour Director has been willing to spend their time and money in order to become certified and graduate with a level of knowledge and performance that allows them to actively and professionally do the job.

Q: What does your program include in the way of learning and can I do it "long distance"?
A: We do not offer long distance training. It is impossible to learn all the hands-on training we provide from just a book or webpage. Our programs all include the student "public speaking", role playing, and two motorcoach training sessions are held in the International Tour Manager Program, in class "case problems" are worked on individually and in small groups.

In order to pass the program and be certified each student must demonstrate strong ethics, a commitment to the Travel and Tourism industry, complete a research assignment, prepare and narrate a portion of a route while on the motorcoach, successfully role play, successfully research and present a "client welcome" that is international in scope, pass a written examination, and show the qualities of a Tour Manager.

It is demanding and intensive, but for those that complete the certification program, the rewards are great.

Q: I am ready, how do I enroll?
A: If you have not already obtained one of our catalogs, you should do so either by ordering one from the catalog page on this web site, or by calling us. After you review the catalog and the web site, if you wish to register you may do so by mailing the registration form to us with the registration fee of $50.00 ($100.00 if taking our course in Cuernavaca, Mexico). This holds a seat for you. Tuition is then due 30 days before the class starts. You can also fax in your registration form and pay the $50.00 fee via VISA or MasterCard. We hope that you make an informed decision and of course that you choose our school.

Q: If I have more questions can I speak to someone in your office?
A: Of course. If we are in the office, we answer our own phone. The Director of Recruitment answers his phone at 303.780.0131 (U.S) or country code 44, 0141.416.2202 (UK/Europe).

Thank you.