Freelancers vs. Employees: Which is Best for Hiring Guides?

Your decision to hire freelance tour guides vs. in-house employees is an important decision for your guest experience and profitability. As a tour operator, you need to craft unforgettable moments for your guests while also wearing the hats of entrepreneur, manager, and often, parent and partner.
So knowing the pros and cons of working with freelancers vs. employees is critical, and in this week’s video you’ll discover how to measure everything from flexibility and cost-effectiveness to quality control and team culture. I'll also share some practical tips for navigating legal considerations and making the most of whichever route you choose.
Empower yourself to make the right choice in your new hires for your unique business and goals. Whether you're a solopreneur juggling a seasonal walking tour business with family life or a growth-minded operator ready to build a rock-star team, you'll come away with a clear action plan and the confidence to take your guest experience to the next level.
So grab a notebook, get ready to jot down some aha moments, and let's dive into the world of hiring tour guides. Trust me, your future self (and your guests) will thank you for investing the time to get this critical piece of the puzzle right.
For more free resources to help you grow your tour business, visit guestfocus.com....
#tourbusiness #touroperators
P.S. If you want help in growing your tour business, book a strategy call today at calendly.com/k...
_____________________
Since 2015, our programs have helped over 2,000 tour operators from 75+ countries. Our tour business coaches have over 100 years of combined industry experience and work through our proprietary Guest Focus Formula™ to sustainably grow client businesses. 🚀

[@guestfocus]

Download our free coaching card to help you have a frank and open conversation about performance and key deliverables in real time: guestfocus.com/coachingcard

[@davidgarcia6908]

Great video and very interesting insight, as always! Thanks Kelsey!

[@lonceysbusiness333]

Cheers much 😊
Also an employee is likely going to have more local knowledge ❤

[@SANDEMANsFreeTours]

Hi Kelsey,
I was 95% with you until you suggested blending both contractors and freelancers in the same operation. It’s great that you point out that you’re not a lawyer, but anyone watching this should 100% speak to a lawyer before taking the advice about having freelancers and employees perform the same roles in the same company. Whether you’re in the USA, the UK, or most of the EU, having freelancers do the same work as employees is a strong legal indication that the freelancer IS a employee, and the company should make the same considerations for this essentially “fake freelancers”.
I’m also not a lawyer, but I’ve spent more than €100k researching this exact point across 13 countries, and I can respectfully say that you’re very likely giving your viewers some dangerous advice to suggest people mix employee and freelance guides in the same company.
Happy to consult with anyone needing a bit of help here💪🏼🙏🚀
Best wishes,
Chris Sandeman

[@guestfocus]

Hey Chris, thanks for the comment and appreciate your input here! I just want to reinforce Chris's experience with this particular topic - and I would take his comments seriously! Chris, the context where I have seen this 'blended' approach is much more in the multi-day space - and candidly, even in the examples that I'm thinking off, the contractors and employees working for that tour operator were technically performing different roles. (ie tour leaders were employees - but additional support staff (camp cooks, support drivers) were contracted. While this point was made in the video - it's worth emphasizing that in no way can you 'treat, train, or evaluate' a tour guide contractor in the same way you would a tour guide employee on your blended team. I agree that legal consel is important to navigate this - but I still see many situations where this would be entirely legal and even appropriate. e.g. I run day tours in austin and have employed year-roundtour guides. 4x a year there are massive conferences in town where I don't have enough guides - so I contract additional guides individually for these one off events.