Heart of England Blue Badge Course
This website is where you can find the 2026 prospectus and application form for the Heart of England Blue Badge Tourist Guide training course. Please see or FAQs or contact us with any queries.
Why become a Qualified Tourist Guide?
Few careers are more rewarding than guiding – a Blue Badge Tourist Guide has the opportunity to share their love of the Heart of England and all that the region has to offer with visitors from around the world.
No two days or tours are the same! A work day might involve guiding a student group in an art gallery, another might be taking a family on a city highlights tour and on another day, you could be interpreting the Heart of England countryside for a coach group of international visitors.
Guiding requires a good level of knowledge – you need to know your stuff, but you’ll give people memorable experiences whilst working in fantastic locations. You can help bring this diverse and fascinating region to life for visitors and help them to get the very best from their visit. You’ll also develop useful skills that can open up a range of further opportunities.
Blue Badge Tourist Guide Training in Heart of England
The next Heart of England training course offered by The British Guild of Tourist Guides is scheduled to start in May 2026, with Institute of Tourist Guiding examinations in April 2027.
View or download our Course Prospectus.
About the Course
Course overview
The Blue Badge is the highest standard of qualifications for Tourist Guiding in the UK. Our training course is highly focused on the practicalities of guiding and you’ll gain the skills to start or develop your guiding career.
Course format
- Mixture of lectures
- Practical training
- Self study
Course content
- Communication and presentation skills.
- An introduction to Britain’s cultural and historical background.
- Lectures on a broad range of subjects including art, architecture, the legal system, literature, transport & industry, history, geography.
- Training to assist with developing an in-depth knowledge of the Heart of England region.
- Comprehensive training on specific sites.
- Business skills and self-employment guidance.
Is it for You?
Trainee guides come from a wide cross-section of communities and have a mix of educational and practical backgrounds.
We’re not looking for history experts, but motivated and passionate individuals.
There are no strict academic requirements to join the course, but it’s the equivalent of a degree, so you need to be willing to work hard and fully commit to extending your knowledge and practical skills. It’s fair to say that most trainee guides find the course demanding, but incredibly rewarding.
It’s not essential, but is a real asset if you’re fluent in more than one language.
Apply via our online Application Form or Contact us with any queries.