Driver-Guide for San Francisco Private Luxury Tours
Get paid to drive a fabulous car, tell stories, take pictures and meet amazing people from around the world!
Have a fun, rewarding job and GROW WITH US!
Why Apply:
- Drive small private groups in our beautiful Tesla Model X or S- no giant motorcoaches, scruffy vans or microphones required!
- Spend the day with interesting, intelligent people, sharing stories, fun-facts and conversation.
- Enjoy visiting and learning about some of the most beautiful places in California.
- Dynamic and autonomous work environment.
- Competitive pay. Cash gratuities are often generous for top performers.
- Flexible lifestyle and life-long learning!
Who Are We:
Spark Experiences is a boutique luxury tour operator providing high-touch private driving tours to intellectually curious adults, families and corporate groups. Our tours are smart, environmentally responsible and fun. We welcome our guests like family and share the very best of the Bay Area with them every day.
Who we are Looking for:
Seeking a fun, personable and polished local DRIVER GUIDE to execute private luxury San Francisco area tours.
Part-time, based on seasonal demand. Immediate need for the current travel season, with potential to continue year-round.
In addition to being a proven safe and careful driver, the candidate must exhibit polished and professional interpersonal acumen, maturity and good judgement.
Ideal candidates will exude warmth, friendliness and approachability!
Our Tesla tour vehicles are garaged in West Oakland, near the Bay Bridge and walking distance from 12th Street BART. You MUST be able to pick-up and return vehicles in Oakland before and after every tour assignment.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Safely drive our luxury vehicle in/around San Francisco.
- Lead private tour groups of 2-5 passengers.
- Provide expert commentary, story-telling and local insights.
- Maintain vehicle cleanliness, including light touch-up cleaning before and after (as needed).
- Provide on-tour client service, as well as pre and post tour follow up emails, texts and billing updates.
- Respond quickly to tour assignment/availability inquiries.
Key Requirements:
- MUST have a clean driving record!
- Comfort driving safely in the city, while also carrying on conversation is essential!
- Ability to deliver interesting and engaging commentary and story-telling about San Francisco and surrounding region.
- Deep knowledge of San Francisco (or motivation to quickly learn!).
- Experience serving a discerning luxury audience.
- Confidence relating with highly educated professionals.
- Customer service acumen: You must know when its appropriate to be accommodating and when it may be necessary to gently say “I’m sorry I’m not able to do that, but what I CAN do for you is xyz…”
- Intuition to read guest needs from non-verbal cues. ie- Do they look like they’re having fun, or do they look sleepy after lunch and need a coffee break? Carbs happen!
- Must enjoy working with families with children 5 and up.
- Current smartphone and data plan with capability to send/receive text messages, calls, emails, search the internet, display photos, and use Dropbox.
- Keen eye to take on-tour photos of guests on your mobile phone.
- Ability to think on your feet and solve problems.
- Flexible schedule- ability to work weekdays, weekends and holiday periods.
- Excellent command of English.
- Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) strongly encouraged.
Extra Points For:
- Prior tour guiding experience HIGHLY desirable.
- Prior professional driving (volunteer or paid) is a HUGE plus!
- Other destination expertise, including Muir Woods, Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, and Silicon Valley HIGHLY desirable.
- Graduate degree, continuing education or compelling life/travel experience.
- Foreign language fluency.
- Bonus if you can do light photo editing. We provide training in how to take travel photos and help pose guests for more flattering pictures. Fantastic photos = higher tips!
- Interest in paid special projects including admin, creative writing and content creation, especially in the off-season.
How To Apply:
Review the job description and APPLY ONLINE (orange button below).
- If you have a commentary video sample, please include that link!
- We encourage you to share non-guiding experience, education or expertise that demonstrates how you’re a great fit for this role.
- We’ll be contacting successful applicants via email. As we’re often on tour with clients during the day, we’re sorry but we can’t respond to phone calls.
- Initial interview(s) will be via Zoom.
- Candidates under serious consideration will be invited to go on a short audition (driving your own vehicle with us as your guest), as well as a Tesla orientation/test-drive.
PLEASE NOTE: Driver-guide employment is strictly contingent on a clean background check, drug test and DMV record.
FAQs:
When are you hiring?
ASAP! We need driver guides who can hit the ground running, especially for May and September, and then on an ongoing basis as there’s need.
How much work should I expect?
We run tours and need talented guides year-round! During school holiday periods (March-April, June-August, and late December) we book tours almost every day. May and September are especially important to make sure when have coverage for our existing team. As we continue to grow, we need to keep up with demand!
How does scheduling work?
When we receive a tour request, we immediately check our team calendar and then text best fit guides who show availability. Let us know if you can accept the booking ASAP (within the hour please!) so we can book the client reservation and confirm your assignment. Once you accept a tour assignment, you are committing to work that date.
How is compensation?
Our compensation is competitive, especially compared to many other local operators and DMCs. Our tours are also often a lot more fun! Cash gratuities are frequently generous for fantastic guides who offer great guest service! We also offer bonuses for performance and performing series of tours.
How do I apply?
Review the job descriptions and APPLY ONLINE (orange button below).
We’ll be contacting successful applicants via email. As we’re often on tour with clients during the day, we’re sorry but we cannot respond to phone calls.
