Transcript: Test 5.1. Listening     

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Hello. My name's Natalie and I'm going to tell you a few things about my job. I'm an Australian tour guide and I spend most of my time taking groups of Australian tourists around Europe; England and Italy mostly, but sometimes France and Germany too. It surprises people when I tell them how little experience I had when I first started in this job. Well, you know, obviously, languages are useful, but while knowing some history does help, it's not crucial. And that's because you're trained out on the road for seven weeks before you begin. Well, I'd done a two-week European trip as a tourist the year before starting, so that was a great help.Yes, there's a lot of competition for these jobs in Australia. I'd worked in a travel agency there, and also done a summer in the Maldives working for a holiday company, but I still had to go through quite a complicated recruitment procedure before getting this job. The application form alone was quite demanding, they asked all sorts of questions, and I wasn't at all sure that I'd put down the right things. Anyway, I did get through to the interview stage. You have a formal interview and then you have to stand up in front of a group of people and give a talk; they want to see how you're likely to perform in the actual situation, because it's no good being shy or too timid. Anyway, both these bits went well, because I'm quite confident really, on the whole. And the company's right to be choosy, because to be a good travel guide, you've got to have a genuine interest not only in the travel, but also in the people. The tours range from ten to forty-six days in length and you're with that coachload of fifty people all the time. You're never really off duty because you're responsible for making sure all the arrangements go smoothly; keeping everyone happy. And it's the love of travelling rather than the pay that attracts people to the job. While you're away, obviously all your expenses are paid and, in my company, you get a weekly payment of up to $150, depending on your experience. Some other companies have contracts which offer bonuses of $50 per trip, if the feedback forms the customers fill in are positive, but that's not always fair, because you do get difficult customers and you can't always please everybody. But there's a lot of job satisfaction if things go well and this more than makes up for the demanding schedule. Because the work is seasonal, you don't get much of a break between trips. And often the hardest thing is finishing a trip, saying goodbye to people you're just getting to know, and then having to turn round and welcome another group. Now, if you've anything you'd like to ask ...

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