TEACHING THE TEACHERS

Those can do, those can't teach, said Shaw famously, and someone added: those can't teach, teach others how to teach. I have never agreed with this, being the son of teachers, and obvioulsy having the pedagogic gene or impulse which led me to become a guide. I then wandered into tour directing and found myself hooked on the lifestyle and the income, without realising I would find myself twenty plus years later living out of a suitcase for the best part of half the year.
I have no regrets and have always tried to stay in touch with guiding through being a member of Tour Guides Ltd, the guide booking agency, which is almost my sole source of work in London. In my fifties it is now time to look for some new opportunities because I will soon be too old a fart to tour direct constantly. I used to often be the youngest person on the coach, now I am more likely to be the oldest.
Yet I get bored easily and need another activity. I will never be a best selling writer and even writing frelance journalism pieces has never got me anywhere, so guide training seems the obvious next step. I will need to invest the best part of a thousand pounds to qualify in this field through the next Institute of Tourist Guiding course coming up in March but I think it will be worthwhile if it does lead to an alternative (or probably suplementary career).
Who knows I may even get the job of running the London guide course - but that is a long way off yet...