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The differences between tour guides and escorts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a tour guide and an escort. Additionally, a tour guide has an average salary of $32,323, which is higher than the $29,252 average annual salary of an escort.
The top three skills for a tour guide include local history, customer service and safety practices. The most important skills for an escort are patients, emergency situations, and safety hazards.
| Tour Guide | Escort | |
| Yearly salary | $32,323 | $29,252 |
| Hourly rate | $15.54 | $14.06 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 1,043 | 15,511 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 34 | 34 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
As their title describes, tour guides offer guided tours to individuals or groups of visitors. Tour guides undertake research and plan tours, provide sightseeing advice, and organize excursions. They transport and accompany their guests to the tourist spots in specific destinations. They are expected to be experts on the historical background and culture of an area. A useful tour guide must be equipped with enough enthusiasm, punctuality, keen sense, strong communication skills, and a steel-trap memory.
Escort is a service provided to accompany an individual, group of people, or vehicle to provide guidance and protection or mark of honor. Military Escort services accompany deceased military personnel to show respect--a healthcare escort sometimes accompanies patients to their destination for ongoing care safely. A Security Escort, commonly called close escort duties, is performed by bodyguards to accompany individuals like VIPs, Celebrities, Sports stars, Heads of State whenever they make an appearance and travel around. A Security Escort usually has special training in evasive driving, close combat, firearms, and first aid.
Tour guides and escorts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tour Guide | Escort | |
| Average salary | $32,323 | $29,252 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $55,000 | Between $22,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Harley-Davidson | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Education | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a tour guide and an escort in terms of educational background:
| Tour Guide | Escort | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between tour guides' and escorts' demographics:
| Tour Guide | Escort | |
| Average age | 34 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2% | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 9.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 9.9% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |