Newman Tours is currently looking for talented native English speakers for twelve month Tour Industry Executive Roles. These positions will not only give the selected applicants the chance to lead exciting tours in and around Shanghai, Beijing,or Xi'an but will also give them the opportunity to try their hand at administration, accounting, human resources, marketing, public relations, and sales, as well as developing their Chinese language skills.

The standard working week of 40 hours will be Friday through to Tuesday or Wednesday through to Sunday. Working hours will vary from 09:00 to 18:00 and 13:00 to 22:00 (with an hour for lunch or dinner) depending on tour scheduling. Given the nature of the Tour Guide industry, applicants will be expected to demonstrate a reasonable degree of flexibility in the scheduling of their work. There may also be some paid overtime when busy.

BENEFITS

-A three month probationary wage of 4,400RMB per month, followed by 5,400RMB per month for the second three month period, 6,900RMB per month for the third three months of the working position, and 8,400RMB per month for the final three months of the position.

-Chinese visa(s) and reasonable associated costs to cover the full duration of your time working with Newman Tours.

-The option of doing Chinese classes with our Chinese language partner, Panda Chinese, at cost price (currently 50rmb for a 50 minute class).

-15% of any tour guide revenue (not including airplane fees, accommodation fees, and tax invoices) received from any new clients who acknowledge the employee as the person from whom they first heard about Newman Tours during a period of six months from the date of that guest’s first tour taking place.

-Tour Guides will also be permitted to keep any tips they are given specifically for themselves and divide tips that guests tell them should be shared with their fellow tour guides. During peak seasons, our guides have made in excess of 800RMB in one month from tips on top of their standard salary.

-If needed, we can provide accommodation for a period of up to seven days whilst the employee is looking for an apartment when they first arrive.

-In addition, we can provide assistance in finding and negotiating for suitable accommodation outside of work hours.

-Many of our tours feature meals, drinks and refreshments that enable our Tour Guides to experience some of the best restaurants and bars in town free of charge.

-Tour Industry Executives will also have a good chance of being offered a full time position and salary if they impress during their Tour Industry position.

-Work in a very well located office just five minutes from Jing’an Temple in downtown Shanghai or surrounded by communal Hutongs in the heart of ancient Beijing.

-Lead tours in Shanghai that take in stunning locations including the Peace Hotel, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, an Opium Storage Warehouse that once belonged to the most powerful gangster in town, Yu Yuan Gardens, a high-tech Kung Fu Museum, the Shanghai World Financial Centre...

-Take guests on excursions from Shanghai to Hangzhou, Suzhou and Zhujiajiao on China’s new bullet trains and show them around some of the most beautiful historical temples, canals, and gardens in China.

-Lead tours in Beijing that will make you an expert on the Forbidden City, Warlords, the Summer Palace, Hutongs, the Lama Temple...

-Take guests on excursions around Beijing to Xi’an, Tianjin, the Ming Dynasty Tombs, and sections of the Great Wall Of China chosen by first foreigner to walk it in its entirety.

-Lead corporate tours for CEOs, Partners, Directors and Senior Managers from some of the world’s leading companies. Recent clients include Google, BP, Rio Tinto, Apple, the CEO of Waste Management, Senior Partners for Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the Board Of Directors for Dash Brands, and the Ambassadors of Iraq and Costa Rica,.

-Meet interesting and influential guests from all over the world ranging from academics and business people to backpackers and doctors.

-Polish your public speaking skills by telling engaging stories to people of all ages.


REQUIREMENTS

-Must be a native English speaker.

- Must have a Bachelor’s Degree (no restrictions as to what subject the degree should be in).

- Applicants who graduated from their Bachelor’s Degree less than two years ago must be available to work the full duration of a twelve month working position.

- Must be flexible since although Tour Guides will have a standard working schedule, it will sometimes be necessary to adjust this in order to accommodate clients.

- Must be enthusiastic, friendly and outgoing with a reasonable knowledge of and interest in China’s history and culture.

- Must be willing to stand up and make presentations to strangers.

- Must be able to speak clearly and concisely and project your voice.

- Must have a good memory in order to remember the facts of your tours.

- Newman Tours also encourages its guides to interact and improvise with their audiences, so strong inter-personal skills, a good sense of humour and the ability to think on your feet are all extremely important.

- Performance and Tour Industry experience as well as Mandarin Chinese and other language skills will also be advantageous. Stronger spoken Mandarin will be needed for the Beijing position.

- Must have your own laptop computer that is reasonably fast, and be willing to use it for office work.

- Must have a smart phone that is capable of running Wechat, taking photos, and recording audio.

- Must have good organisational skills, phone manner, and Microsoft Office skills.

- Must be willing to work in either Shanghai or Beijing and to relocate from one to the other if required (If requested to relocate from one city to another, employees will be reimbursed for all reasonable costs incurred. Furthermore we guarantee that no employee will be asked to move offices more than once in the space of a single year).

- SEO, web design, and Adobe Illustrator skills would also be advantageous.

- Marketing experience would also be an advantage.


TRAINING

Upon joining Newman Tours, you will undergo paid hands-on Tour Guide Training that will enable you to lead the various tours in your city. In addition you will also be given paid hands-on training in the office that you are based in. This will include the following:

A) Dealing with tour inquiries.
B) Managing and scheduling tours.
C) Accurately recording, analysing, and controlling the company’s financial day to day operations.
D) Helping market Newman Tours both in China and overseas.


HOW TO APPLY

Please send the following materials to us under the subject heading “Tour Industry Fast Track Executive Programme”:

- An up to date English CV highlighting any relevant work experience and qualifications.

- Specify in your cover email whether you would prefer to work in Shanghai or Beijing, but also let us know if you would be willing to work in either.

- A 300 word article about how the influence of the Opium Wars can still be seen in China today.

-A professional electronic passport sized photo.

The application deadline for people wishing to start in March or April is 28th February.

The application deadline for people wishing to start in August or September is 31st July.