City of London Guides

Course start/end dates: TBC

Day/Time of Course:

• Wednesday 6.30 - 8.30pm (30 sessions)
• Weekend am/pm (15 sessions) and one full day

Please note: normal academic holiday dates may not apply and one of the practical assessments may be on a Sunday.

Fee: £1,742.00 plus exam costs (TBC).

Course venue: Guildhall, London EC2V 7HH and various other locations.

• 30 lectures/tutorials on Wednesday evenings
• Two-hour walks/tutorials on alternate Saturday mornings/afternoons (with some exceptions – dates will be given at the start of the course)
• One Saturday (full day/six hours) at the beginning of the 2nd term
• 180 self-study hours​

Successful candidates will be awarded:

• City of London Guide Badge and Certificate
• Institute of Tourist Guiding Green Badge and Certificate

The course is taught through a mixture of lectures, practical walks, presentations and workshops. As the course progresses students will be expected to give presentations on particular themes.

You may wish to:

• buy a map of the City (from £5)
• attend additional optional walks and visits of relevant interest, available at low cost.

Candidates will get regular feedback from tutors on the development of their knowledge and skills.

During the first term you will be asked to submit a project outlining a walk you have planned yourself. Towards the end of the course there will be two practical examinations and one written examination. Candidates who fail will be offered one opportunity to re-sit.

There is a termly course evaluation for all students to complete, and students are invited to join the City of London's Student Focus Group.​

Enrolment to the City of London Gu​ides course is by application form and successful interview.
To request an application form please email the Adult Education Team

Successful applicants will be asked to give a five-minute presentation to a small group of other candidates on a City of London topic. You will be notified of your topic in the invitation to interview.

Please note: Presentations must be oral – no notes are allowed, and no visual aids or PowerPoint will be needed or provided. Interviews for a place on the course will be via Zoom.

We regret that due to the very high number of applications to the course we are unable to give feedback to unsuccessful candidates at either the application or the interview stage.

The qualification is open to all, and no formal qualifications are needed to be a successful guide. Furthermore, no prior knowledge of the City of London or of guiding skills is required. Selection is by successful application and interview.

The selection process is designed to assess your suitability for the course and for guiding, and a successful candidate demonstrates that they:

• Communicate clearly
• Follows instructions
• Are able to engage, interest and make information accessible to a wide variety of people (including people with no knowledge of the history of the Square Mile)
• Have enthusiasm and commitment to guiding in the City of London
• Are able to assimilate knowledge, e.g. is accurate in the content of the presentation
• Have some knowledge of the City of London, e.g has focussed the presentation on the Square Mile
• Are able to conduct some independent research, e.g. has researched the presentation topic
• Can manage their time well, e.g. can keep to the five-minute deadline.