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This section is about all the practicalities. How to tell us you're available, how to say yes (or no) to a tour, who to contact for what and when.
- Use the guide portal to let us know when you're available
Updating your availability is super simple. When you log into the Guide Portal the first tab you see is 'availability'. Simply mark on this calender all the time you are unavailable to work. The team will then know to not schedule you at that time.
2. Use Google calendar to accept tours you are offered
2. Use Google calendar to accept tours you are offered
An invitation to conduct a tour will be sent to you as a calendar invite. To accept the tour, simply click "YES". Once you do this, the team will assume you are ready and willing to give that tour. If anything changes, it is important that you follow the process for a shift swap (see below) ASAP.
If for some reason you are unable to accept the tour that is offered, select "NO" instead in the calendar invite AND contact the operations team immediately.
You can follow these instructions to set up a Google account in minutes.
3. Use the Guide Portal and contact operations if you need to swap a shift
3. Use the Guide Portal and contact operations if you need to swap a shift
We get it, sometimes unexpected or unavoidable things come up. Finally landed that audition? Family needs you? If on the rare occasion you need to swap a shift, your first port of call is the Community chanel in the Guide Portal. Post on the wall what shift you need to swap and include your contact details.
You must also contact operations ASAP to let them know that you are unable to do the shift. At the same time, please update your RSVP in the Google Calendar (i.e. switch your response to "no").
If another guide contacts you to take the vacant shift, please confirm this with operations as soon as possible.
Once you have found a replacement
Once you have found a replacement
The guide who is initiating the tour swap or tour giveaway is the one who should send the email to the scheduling team (USAscheduling@exp1.com = USA / scheduling@exp1.com = EUROPE). Also, you must CC the guide you are swapping with to ensure a quick resolution.
Due to the volume of communication with guides, when submitting a tour swap or tour giveaway, we ask that you use a specific template to ensure it is seen by the right person and dealt with as a matter of priority.
When sending the email to scheduling (USAscheduling@exp1.com = USA / scheduling@exp1.com = EUROPE), please use the format below:
Subject Line: (Tour Name/Date) Swap/Cover
Body of Email:
Date and time of the tour
Name of the tour
Name of the guide who will be OFF
Name of the guide who will be ON
For example:
Saturday May 11: 2:30 PM Eiffel Climb
Kumar1 OFF
Aziz1 ON
If swapping, include both tours affected in email.
It is important that you use the guide handle (which is usually the guide's last name with the number 1 at the end). If you don't know the guide's handle, ask them, or have a look at the calendar.
Subject: Shift Swap - Tour Code - Date - time - original guide handle - new guide handle
5. Complete your timesheet or send us an invoice
5. Complete your timesheet or send us an invoice
North America - Employees (click the arrow to expand)
North America - Employees (click the arrow to expand)
On the second tab of the Guide Portal, you will find a timesheet. Please include the hours worked, by number not by tour (e.g. 5 hours), for each day from the previous Sunday to Saturday. Include any training hours also as a number (e.g. 1 hour).
You should submit your timesheet every Sunday for the previous week.
You will be paid every second Friday.
North America - Independent contractors (click the arrow to expand)
North America - Independent contractors (click the arrow to expand)
Our pay week runs from Sunday to Saturday, therefore we ask that you submit an invoice will all tours undertaken every Sunday. You should submit your invoice to invoices@exp1.com.
Your invoice should inlude the following information.
Europe - Independent Contractors (click the arrow to expand)
Europe - Independent Contractors (click the arrow to expand)
The pay cycle in Europe is fortnightly and is calculated from 1st -15th and 16th to end of the month. At the end of the payment period you should receive an email from Invoices (invoices@exp1.com) which includes an autogenerated invoice with your tours as per the calendar information on our systems.
The invoice you are sent is for records within ExperienceFirst and to facilitate a smooth payment process. When submitting invoices to your relevant fiscal residence please consult your accountant as to the format required. In many cases you may use the invoice we send as a template for the invoice you submit to your relevant financial authority as long as you include your own fiscal details as well as ours. We advise you consult a financial professional in your relevant region to be sure you are declaring your income correctly.
Please note that our legal trading name for the purpose of the invoice is City Tour 1 International LLC. The is the legal name by which we do business in Europe. In all other ways we are ExperienceFirst. This is the brand we are proud of!
Contacting operations
Contacting operations
You can contact a member of the operations team by emailing:
NYC, Boston, Chicago, Texas - text OPS
California - contact Nick Patterson
Europe - email/text Foundry / Laura in London
To find out more about each operations member and contact them individually, you can always access the organisation chart live on Bob. You can look up individual profiles, or see who belongs in which team. Top Tip is to use the 'filter' option in the top right corner to deselect 'Guide Network'. This will then show only your support team.
Getting started with us: Shadow tours and tryout tours
Getting started with us: Shadow tours and tryout tours
We are committed to ensuring the best quality guides in our network, as well as setting you up for success. As part of our training process, all new guides will participate in:
A shadow tour: you will follow an experienced guide and observe their delivery of the tour you will be leading.
A tryout tour: one of our trainers will observe you delivering your first tour and provide feedback.
FAQs
FAQs
Do I still get paid if Operations cancels or removes me from a tour?
Do I still get paid if Operations cancels or removes me from a tour?
If Operations informs you that your tour has been cancelled more than 24 hours before the tour start time, you will not be paid for the tour. However, if Operations informs you of the cancellation within the 24 hour window of the tour, you will be paid the full tour rate, as if you gave the tour, even though the tour will not be running with any guests.
What if I am sick?
What if I am sick?
I would like to be scheduled for more hours, how do I communicate that?
I would like to be scheduled for more hours, how do I communicate that?
I can't access the Guide Portal, who should I speak to?
I can't access the Guide Portal, who should I speak to?
What is the ExperienceFirst Covid policy?
What is the ExperienceFirst Covid policy?
If you test positive for Covid you must remain home from work for 5 days after you receive your positive Covid test. The Operations team will find you coverage for those 5 days. You may return to work after that as long as you are feeling well enough to work and don't need more time to recover. Should you need more than 5 days away from tours please let the Operations team know with ample time so that we can help with finding coverage and take any additional action needed.
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