Tour Guiding Class of 2024-25
Roberto Belo-Rovella: “Caroline’s course provided an excellent setting for learning and practising a holistic approach to tour guiding. Hard work but extremely rewarding, supported by a great team of tutors and mentors in a very friendly and motivating environment. On top of that, impeccable planning and organisation with a clear schedule from start to finish. It has consolidated a strong backbone to my new career in tour guiding, for which I am very grateful.”
Jacki Casey: “After being a London history walk enthusiast for many years I finally took the plunge to take Caroline’s course. It was a totally brilliant decision. From day one it was a pleasure. So well organised, so engaging and so much fun. Of course it involved lots of hard work and stress but with that comes the huge amount of knowledge learnt. Caroline and the other tutors were very supportive and getting to know the other members of the cohort was great. We’re all still in contact. So if you’re thinking about doing this course, don’t waste time just sign up. You won’t regret it!”
Becky Chanter: “I decided to enrol on Caroline’s course as I have wanted to become a tour guide for some time. However, my work commitments were restricting and I was unable to commit to a full-time course. Upon discovery of Caroline’s course, I was impressed by the timetable as it allowed me to attend at the weekends – both classroom sessions and the walkshops. I was slightly worried about the content and studying required as it has been some time since I have been in an educational environment. However, Caroline and her team created a supportive, friendly and fun learning environment. I was given lots of support along the way, with easy-to-use reference guides and reading material, which helped me through my learning journey and prepared me for becoming a qualified tour guide. Due to Caroline’s course, I have become a more confident public speaker and have honed the skill of creating my own tours. I have learned how to research and interpret landmarks and places of historical interest, whilst conducting walks safely and concisely. Most importantly I have made friends for life. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone regardless of age or academic ability. I have no doubt that you will enjoy your journey as much as I did!”
Mike Daly: “As expected, there were exams to pass, but the course wasn’t just training us to pass an exam. We learned to think about guiding in different ways, and gained the skills and confidence to go out there and guide professionally. Although I already had a guiding qualification I found this course challenging, enlightening and thought-provoking. It was a chance to experiment with different techniques in a positive and supportive environment. It helped me join the dots and understand history better than I ever did before. Although the course is long finished, my classmates still keep in touch, share info, and we test our new tours on each other. It’s become a great support group. The course was friendly and supportive, yet challenged me to really stretch myself.”
Brad Duncan: “I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It gives you a great insight into the history of Westminster, which is central to the political and cultural heartbeat of contemporary Britain. It is a very well-structured course, and you build and grow your own guiding skills in a stepwise fashion over each successive week. Ultimately, you will develop the skills to be able to lead a group of ten to fifteen people around Westminster and confidently describe what you are showing them in a concise, insightful, and entertaining fashion. Caroline and her team will patiently teach you the skills, but they will challenge you with stretch targets, too. The great thing is that you are not alone, as you will have a great bunch of classmates doing the course with you, providing support and encouragement along the way. Upon preparing for the final exam, I found it a little stressful at times, but the feeling of achievement once I passed was incredible. Enjoy the course!”
Marc Gardiner: “I am not new either to teaching or to tour guiding, and I would rate Caroline as one of the finest tutors that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Her passion for the subject matter, her personable interaction and genuine affection for her students, and her calm and confident style all contributed to a truly professional experience.”
Pamela Gawn: “Caroline will take you from whatever walk of life you come from and polish you into a box-fresh tour guide, ready to hit the streets of Westminster and beyond! Her teaching method is remarkable: it is both rigorous and academic and delivered in an engaging and effective way. She has created a challenging course with a huge amount of independent research and collaborative teamwork; it’s astonishing how much new knowledge you learn and retain. But her focus is also on the skills required to be a great tour guide. Caroline’s USP is her ability to build confidence in each student and to foster team spirit. The 2024-25 cohort is a tight-knit group, still constantly in touch and very much a community of budding and working tour guides.”
Marilyn Greene: “Caroline has huge enthusiasm and passion for teaching and enabling all students to reach their full potential. I have been guiding for many years, but this course still taught me new techniques and coping strategies. Caroline finds ways for you to question what you are looking at. A statue you wouldn’t normally look twice at becomes fascinating when learning more about the personality, how they are depicted, the time, context and the sculptor who created it. Always there for her students, Caroline replies promptly to queries. A great course for beginners to guiding and as continuing professional development for more experienced guides.”
Anna Hadorn: “Guiding isn’t an innate gift; it’s a skill forged through experience …. this is what I learned on this course. I saw how many of us developed incredible skills starting the course as normal humans and ending it as professional guides. Actually, at the time the course started, I was already working as an amateur guide with Spanish, German and Russian speakers (I am a linguist and a foreigner myself). Still, I felt that some deep knowledge was missing, and imposter thoughts would creep into my mind, so I decided to find a suitable course. Why did I choose this one? The course covered exactly the area that I wanted to learn about, the schedule was convenient, and the fees were rather moderate. Now, looking back, I can say that the ratio of theory to practice was excellent, we had plenty of lectures, we walked the streets, and we had a good amount of assignments and exams, which kept us energised and filled our time with meaningful learning. What did I get? An extensive knowledge about London, a useful set of practical guiding skills (group coordination, timing, public speaking etc) and of course an absolute confidence in what I do. No more imposter syndrome. What else? A great moral satisfaction! Just imagine how pleasant it is to be surrounded by like-minded people, to share the same aspirations and ideas, and during the break to discuss not real-life political events but the talents of Turner and Pugin. I wish I could turn back time and do this course again!”
Jodie Hawthorne: “I would fully recommend London Heritage Training’s tour guiding course. Each week, I really looked forward to our classes with Dr Caroline Dunmore. Caroline is a very knowledgeable, engaging and supportive tutor. She filled our sessions with the necessary facts on people and places, practical research methods and tools, how to structure tours and handle groups. The class activities and on-street walkshops were extremely helpful; I quickly improved my tour guiding skills and built the confidence needed to become a great guide. Caroline and her team’s feedback always felt constructive and motivating; this created a really supportive team culture and lasting friendships among our group. Caroline taught me that guiding is about sparking curiosity and making heritage meaningful for all.”
Marie Helly: “Taking part in Caroline’s Tour Guiding course has been one of the most interesting and invigorating experiences I have had in recent years. The course was incredibly well structured and organised. The guest speakers were all inspirational. Caroline and her team of tutors and mentors from former years wove their magic, giving us the confidence and skills to create and deliver a full 12-stop tour. It is a lot of work, but the camaraderie of the group makes it fun. One of the best things about the course is the way Caroline makes sure we all bond and work together to become a group that will continue to support each other in our new careers. You aren’t just joining a course, you are joining a community. And I am excited to be embarking on my new career, confident that I have the skills to succeed.”
Tim Jacobs: “We were told to ‘trust the process’ so I did, and over the course of eight months found myself transformed from a shy, somewhat gauche public speaker with hand gestures worthy of a Dutch windmill to a poised speaker able to speak to and not talk at an audience. Be prepared for an intense experience: the research load is heavy but the non-didactic approach to delivery is enlivening, and the eight months flashed by. I confess I was sorry when it was over. Classroom discussions were lively and entertaining, but what made the course rewarding for me was collaborating with other students, bouncing ideas around and sharing different perspectives, which made for a veritable hothouse environment for learning, and my own knowledge grew exponentially faster because of it. So, for those who are considering signing up to London Heritage Training, I cannot recommend Caroline and her team of dedicated tutors and mentors highly enough.”
Katie Josephs: “Caroline was an incredible teacher who I learnt a great deal from. I was completely new to guiding when I started the course and I loved every moment of it. Caroline was extremely organised with her lessons and planning, and classes with her every Saturday were an absolute delight. The other students were all fantastic and there was a very supportive environment. We have all continued to keep in touch and meet up. The techniques and skills I acquired have enabled me to start a very enjoyable guiding career and I thank Caroline so much for her encouragement.”
Jan Marszewski: “The nine months of this course were some of the best times I’ve experienced in a very long time. I looked forward to my Saturdays, knowing I would enjoy the day! Although I’ve done a lot of guiding on a voluntary basis, the course challenged me to look at and revise my existing techniques and behaviours. Caroline is an inspiring tutor, full of energy and positivity, and extremely professional in her teaching. What I particularly liked was the student mix, ranging from almost complete beginners to existing professional guides. This meant we all learned from each other, creating an atmosphere where we all welcomed constructive feedback from one another, and saw a range of different approaches. The practice walks were ably led by a team of very supportive tutors and mentors, who both encouraged our development and provided excellent tips along the way. The course structure was a great mix of guiding techniques, academic learning and practical exercises. By the end of the course, I felt a lot more confident in my abilities, and I now feel ready to challenge myself in ongoing tour guiding activities.”
Trevor Mayhew: “The course is hard work and constantly challenging, but massively rewarding and fun. I have learnt so much about the history of Westminster and how it all links together. But what is unique about this course: I have also learnt the generic skills of how to be a Tour Guide. Skills about how to do research, how to design a walking tour, how to present when guiding, and how to maximise performance. These skills are transferable to a walking tour in any location, as demonstrated by my first post-qualification walking tour, which will be around Chelsea, where I work, and where my dad and his side of the family were born and raised. Doing the course also gives you the chance to create friendships and support groups with great people who will be on the course with you. I would highly recommend a course led by Caroline. Putting my wife and children to one side, this is the best thing I have done in decades.”
Martin O’Donnell: “I have volunteered delivering Open House tours for many years and thought it would really be useful to do this course. I was blown away by the experience and the beautiful camaraderie of my fellow students. We were encouraged to work together and the format encourages this. The course is worth it for the creative experience alone, but it is also a solid foundation for delivering professional tours, shaped by your own interests. I believe I am the first member of Westminster Council staff to be enrolled on the course and have recommended it to my colleagues. Even though I am not looking for a career in tour guiding at the moment, I learnt so much about the neighbourhoods within which I work, and this has added to my impact. The course gave me the skills to curate the Soho Open House Neighbourhood Festival and I am now helping to shape the borough’s arts and culture strategy. Caroline and her team are a truly fantastic bunch of people, and the learning process was tremendous fun and immensely enjoyable. Caroline’s new course has left the artificial boundaries of Westminster to include the cultural and historical delights of neighbouring boroughs, making it even more useful for any London tour guide.”
Ann Patten: “I did Caroline’s course a year ago. I can honestly say that everyone on last year’s course would like to – no, would love to – be doing it again. That first morning there was such excitement in the classroom and it continued for the whole year and beyond, because Caroline is the most gifted teacher. She has carefully curated her course, from her studies, instinct, trial and error. The course is beautifully crafted so that every step of the way you have acquired the skills you need for the next step. And pretty soon you are doing things you’ve never done before and with ease. Caroline creates a really fun environment. She is rigorous, strict and fun. If you like to research and write and share stories of people and places, this is the course for you. But also, we acquired practical guiding skills that were constantly reiterated so that, on my first professional job with 20 guests, I knew exactly what to do. I loved this course and all our assignments were exciting and challenging. To spend almost a year with like-minded people who love stories was such a treat. I would do any course that Caroline teaches in a heartbeat.”
Pepe Pryke: Having become a tour guide almost by accident I had spent several years doing what I’d seen others do or simply following instructions / scripts from companies that have little charm to them and are often full of incorrect information. The past eight months have seen a transformation in my guiding and a newly found love for what I do. The course brings together incredible people, all so supportive, from the amazing course director Caroline to the vastly experienced tutors and guest speakers and enthusiastic mentors. The course unfolds over the eight months and develops a process that gets you to think, look, discuss, evaluate, interrogate and develop skills in a safe place with huge support. The work is intense and challenging but so rewarding. Caroline has developed a process that is clear, organised and supportive from start to finish, and which allows all students in the cohort to develop their own skills and interests. It was really inspirational to see others’ work; no two projects were the same. I cannot recommend this course highly enough!”
Patrick Rackow: “Caroline’s course is comprehensive, relevant and great fun and has instilled in me the confidence to start out on my guiding career. Whether you are interested in leading general tours or finding a specialist niche you will find the tools and develop the skills that you need. Highly recommended.”
Philip Sinclair: “Quite simply the best, most enjoyable and rewarding training experience in years and a great platform from which to take my first tentative steps into the guiding world. Caroline’s breadth of knowledge and real-world experiences along with those of her excellent support tutors and course mentors provided a thorough base for our learning and development. The course structure, with a mix of assessed written assignments and practical street and gallery-based exercises, brought the best out of a varied cohort in terms of their prior experiences and skill sets. I saw individuals with limited exposure to performance environments blossom during the year and develop the confidence to deliver engaging tours and commentary using their own unique style. Above all, a collaborative and supportive approach to skills development and learning was encouraged, which continues amongst the class following our graduation.”
Voytek Stanley: “Caroline’s guiding course has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I learned so much! Caroline is an incredible teacher and the skills and knowledge I have come away with are beyond value.”
Nicholas Strachan: “For those considering signing up to Caroline’s programme I cannot more strongly recommend that you do so without hesitation. I have just finished her 2024-25 course and enjoyed it enormously and I know that every one of my classmates felt the same. Her commitment to her students’ development as guides is sincere and thorough. Her knowledge of the art of guiding as well as of history and art is inspiring and she conveys it with passion. The programme that she has refined over many years is devised in a very sympathetic and incremental fashion. You don’t realise until you are immersed in the programme that what she is doing is building your structured knowledge of the history of Britain through practical exercises. Further lessons then build on how to convey that knowledge as a confident street-based guide. It was very cleverly put together. My Saturdays seem empty since I have completed the course. A wonderful year and worth every penny.”
Murad Vassib: “A five-star recommendation for anyone aspiring to become a first-class tour guide! Completing this course has been one of the most rewarding experiences. Over eight months, this brilliantly structured and organised programme became the highlight of my week. The blend of weekly lectures, challenging assignments, and comprehensive exams was expertly paced, even for someone like me juggling a full-time 9-5 job. The content itself is incredibly thorough and, at times, demanding, requiring real dedication and some late nights. However, the effort is more than worth it, especially as I was part of a great cohort of like-minded students, all eager to learn from one another. What truly sets this course apart is the phenomenal tutor, Caroline. She is an absolute powerhouse in her field, and her passion is infectious. Her lectures were not just informative but fun, engaging, and highly interactive, making my Saturdays something to look forward to. Caroline’s approach included inviting subject-matter experts and supportive alumni to present lots of fascinating content as well as offer invaluable support with coursework and exam preparation. If you are serious about becoming a tour guide and learning why the Cocktail Method is so important, I cannot recommend Caroline and the London Heritage Training course highly enough.”
Elliot Yang Xu: “An exceptional course! Caroline was superb at the helm of this holistic programme, which was challenging, engaging, fascinating and fun! The classes covered a wide range of topics, some of which I had not even thought about regarding tour guiding. The walkshops were effective in transforming me into a confident and effective guide, and the assignments varied in the skillsets they helped to develop in me. I have learnt so much from the entire experience: it was hard work but thoroughly enjoyable, and I highly recommend it!”
Tour Guiding Class of 2023-24
Mark Bevan: “Having secured a place on the 2023-24 Westminster Tour Guiding course I was not sure what lay ahead. One thing I had not expected was that the course would be so well run. Everything is thought through and delivered carefully – from the extensive lecture content, to the class timings, to the logistics around walkshops (training walks), to the assessments and projects and the feedback. Consistent and substantial effort is required by the students but you are supported all the way. Testimony to this is that every session was attended by almost every student – week in, week out. Caroline and her team of tutors are all experts in their field. I was struck by their generosity of spirit in sharing their knowledge and skills both during lectures, on walkshops, and also by e-mail to which Caroline is extremely responsive. They were all very encouraging and supportive. I appreciated the ‘human and reflective approach’ demonstrated during the course, whether that be in reference to the actual course content (the history of Westminster), the tutors’ approach to us the students, or our potential approach to our future clients (the guide as ‘conduit’ between the cultural heritage of Westminster and the audience). If you are lucky enough to have the tutors from the 2023-24 course, you are in for a privileged experience!”
Richard Bloom: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course is designed and delivered in a way that will make you street-ready to deliver guided tours with confidence and skill. The design of the syllabus plus the experience and professionalism of the tutors, together with the learning aids provided, will not mould you but will encourage you to bring out the individuality that guiding requires. A must-have course for anyone thinking about building a career or hobby in guiding.”
Jon Card: “I joined the course with an aspiration to be a guide but not knowing quite how this could happen. Having completed the course I now feel inspired, skilled and confident to deliver. It’s been a challenging but joyous journey. I have learnt so much in such a short space of time. The course is superbly structured and led excellently by Caroline, supported wonderfully by her expert team of professional guides. The learning experience has been constructive and supportive. I am simply so glad to have participated in this and to have met so many wonderful people into the bargain!”
Rita Castelan: “Intensive and intense! Years ago, friends told me the Westminster Tour Guiding course was wonderful. Just last year, I was able to fit it into my work-study life. No regrets! The course is very well structured and organised. Caroline is one of the best lecturers I’ve had. The way the course is designed is perfect; she really knows what she is doing. The learning process truly works. “Trust the process!” Caroline and her team are outstanding and very supportive. There are no words to thank them. There is no competition; the group works together to achieve a goal that will take everyone to the next level. This makes the group more confident, strong, friendly and very helpful and supportive, even during individual activities. I had guided in Westminster so many times before but now the knowledge I have acquired is enormous. The techniques I learned and the different ways to work as a guide will definitely make a huge difference. 10-star course, highly recommended!
Alex Derham: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course was my first experience of a formal tour-guiding qualification, and it was a wonderful experience. Caroline is a true educator and approached the course with just the right attitude. The course was carefully designed to challenge participants without over-stretching or demoralising them. Over the course of a well-thought-out syllabus the classes taught us the core skills needed to be a tour guide. The practical elements of the course then allowed us to build our confidence and develop those core skills. Caroline did a great job of teaching and encouraging all students.”
Luisa Dillner: “This is the best course I have ever done. By far. I loved all of it. You’ll rarely see such a collection of glowing testimonials as you will on this site, about this course. I went into it knowing very little about London and nothing about guiding. I came out, having worked hard because it’s a joy to learn on this course, a confident qualified guide with a love of London and a huge love of guiding. Caroline and her team are so experienced they have a clear and effective process on this course that just works. Classroom sessions are high-quality and interesting, the sessions on the streets are fun and are also great at training you how to deliver engaging content – to tell stories. Watching how everyone improved over the course was wonderful. Caroline is fantastically well organised, which is really helpful – you know what you will be doing weeks in advance so you can plan ahead. What was unique about this course was the lack of competitiveness, the support that Caroline and her team gave us and the support that we gave each other. My classmates were fantastic. This is adult learning as it should be.”
Sandra Fayle: “This is certainly one of the best courses I have ever attended. Caroline covers all the bases in terms of content, organisation, support, course materials, intellectual rigour and sheer professionalism. The course will stretch anyone who attends it – as it should – but there is support and thoughtful and constructive feedback for the whole journey. It is also great fun. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Westminster and in learning the skills of how to be a good guide from seasoned and successful professionals.”
Paula Foster-Pickin: “I am already a qualified guide, having done other London-based guiding courses before. I had heard many good things about this course, but it wasn’t until I actually did it that I was absolutely amazed. This is by far the best course I have ever done. Westminster is a great area, vast and extremely interesting to start with. But the icing on the cake is Caroline, the course director, and her team of tutors. They are all an amazing team: kind, considerate, approachable, and always there when you need them; nothing is ever too much trouble despite them all having busy lives themselves, which is very very important when you are trying to learn something. They help build your confidence in such a way that it brings out the absolute best in you. And of course they are all brilliantly entertaining guides themselves. I would recommend this course to anyone.”
Robert Fox: “I can thoroughly recommend London Heritage Training’s Westminster Tour Guiding course. From the application process to the final exam the course is professional, expertly administered and taught with elan and good humour. I would also heartily recommend any applicants purchase the two course handbooks available in advance as they provide a great introduction to the course and to the City of Westminster itself. Treat yourself and get on this course!”
James Garden: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course was a great experience for many reasons. The quality of the teaching was very high, both from Caroline herself and also from the other tutors and mentors that she had selected. The content had a great balance between the history of Westminster combined with providing us with the skills required to become a good guide. The assessments were well thought out and we were provided with excellent support in terms of preparing for them, which set us up for success. All in all, I would strongly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in learning more about the City of Westminster and/or wants to become a Local London Guide.”
Vida Gedgaudaite: “Caroline, thank you for everything you put together. My main goal when I started the course was to wake up my slumbering brain. Little did I know how much my life would change by the end of it. I started the course with zero knowledge. Today I feel like I know more than most British. I started the course stuck in my way to stay home. Today I feel the drive to move and explore. I started the course unsure of the direction I wanted to take in life. Today I still don’t know, but I can see so many options that I am ready to explore. And it is all you and the course you created. Thank you, and trust the process!”
Alex Gordon: “Thank you, Caroline, for all your support, understanding, humour and peerless organisation throughout the course! I’m so glad I did it and will take what I’ve learned with me for the rest of my guiding career!”
Anat Grimberg: “Caroline, as our Westminster Tour Guiding course draws to a close, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your exceptional leadership. Your mastery of Westminster’s streets, coupled with your quintessentially British wit and wisdom, has made our journey unforgettable. Your advice to “trust the process” guided us through challenges with patience and resolve. Your unwavering belief in us has been our anchor. Thank you for being more than a guide; you’ve been a mentor and a true inspiration. With heartfelt appreciation.”
Shane Healy: “Sitting here now is quite emotional thinking of the whole experience. To start with the course was highly recommended by guides and cabbies and I was excited to be accepted on it. Guiding is about the ‘ooh’, ‘wow’ and ‘really’ factor and each lesson never failed to deliver these. I cannot remember being with a group of people that are so willing to share whatever they have found and absolutely care about each other. This is not just the students but also the ex-students / mentors and the tutors. We all had our limits, boundaries and hidden fears but Caroline smashed them with a smile. I think some don’t have any limits now – hooray! Even after the course has finished many are still turning up giving support and the WhatsApp is pinging constantly sharing information. A great strategy for learning and bringing people together (some I hope will be part of my life in the future) and developing some fantastic guides. I feel very privileged to be part of and continue to be part of the process. We were told to ‘trust the process’ and ourselves and it was true. Thank you, Caroline!”
Wes Hewett: “I enrolled on the Westminster Tour Guiding course as someone who already works as a guide and I can truly say that, whatever point you are at on your journey, this course will equip you with a skillset that will inspire and motivate you to be the best guide you can possibly be. The course has stretched me way beyond my comfort zone. The structure of the course – with each assignment, walkshop and lecture – is expertly crafted in a way that develops your confidence as you apply the new skills you acquire. Caroline, the course tutors and the peer mentors are on hand every step of the way with an approachable and well-organised attitude and a highly professional desire for every student to excel. Caroline, as the course lead, has put together a fantastic course and does an incredibly good job of cultivating a culture within the cohort that is genuinely friendly and encouraging. Learning in such an environment with a wonderful group of fellow students has been a pleasure and a joy and is highly recommended by me. En Avant!”
Yayoi Hirose: “I am proud to say that this course was truly the best I have ever done in my life. As I was brought up overseas, I started with zero knowledge of British history; and English is not my first language, either. The goal looked to me like climbing to the top of Mount Fuji. But Caroline was always available throughout the course with an immediate response and compassionate support for individual learning backgrounds. All these great qualities she has as an educator convinced me that we were in good hands at all times. During the course, I was too busy to think about the learning process but now that I have finished: WOW, look where I have reached unknowingly! I now know much of British history without realising when I learned it. So I am deeply impressed by Caroline’s method, which enabled us to enjoy learning in a non-competitive environment where all students helped each other and thrived together. I am writing this from my 25-year teaching experience at formal education, so you can trust me.”
Sarunas (Sal) Kizys: “This is a fantastic course! It has given me confidence in public speaking and opened new pathways in my career. The course gave me fundamental skills and knowledge about how to became a professional tour guide. Caroline, she is a Master, she is one of the rare figures who knows how to develop skills and make you strong like a bridge!”
Jonty Levin: “I enormously enjoyed the Westminster Tour Guiding course led by Caroline, supported by previous participants acting as tutors and mentors. The course was wonderfully structured with a focus on Westminster as one would expect but attention was also given to the craft of guiding, such as storytelling, and techniques to feel confident when speaking before one’s audience. This course also engendered an esprit de corps amongst the class with much information-sharing, voluntary practice sessions together and supportive messaging and gestures within the class ahead of key milestones. We started as wary strangers to each other and ended as a supportive group of colleagues and friends. It was a great experience and is highly recommended!”
Melina Maritato: “I had always wanted to guide in London but I didn’t know from where to start. A very close friend was on this course last year and she hugely recommended it, so I decided to give it a go. And I’m so happy I did! Everything is so well-organised and designed in the best way possible for the cohort to learn, practise and reflect. There isn’t a competitive atmosphere – on the contrary, it’s all about learning from each other and sharing experiences with incredible people: students, tutors and course director. I didn’t want May to come because I didn’t want the course to end! Without any doubts, one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
Juergen Muench: “This is an amazing course and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested in training as a Westminster Guide. Caroline is an impressive teacher and trainer: knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very encouraging. She creates an environment that is very conducive to learning. She is supported by an excellent team of very experienced colleagues. This was the most well-structured course I have ever attended and it provided an excellent mix of learning opportunities, both in the classroom and out on the streets of Westminster. It was a challenging and thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. There was both individual learning and learning in the large group, as well as in smaller groups. We were a very mixed group of students, with very different backgrounds, and this made for a rich learning experience. I have come away from the course with an even greater interest in the history of Westminster and have learned things I would never have imagined! The practical skills I developed are worth their weight in gold.”
Rashmi Panchal: “Inspired by qualifying as a Clerkenwell & Islington Guide, I applied for a place on the Westminster course, keen to learn about Westminster’s social, political and royal history and its world-famous architecture. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure! Caroline and her team were absolutely brilliant: systematic, supportive and inspiring throughout. They are the ACE of their game! This course has no parallel; its content is compact and powerful. And the contribution of the course is really far-reaching, as it grows new ambassadors for Westminster, who share their knowledge with locals and visitors, keeping London’s heritage alive. Apply to join the course TODAY and if you are lucky enough to be accepted you will breathe the love of London in every step you take forever more.”
Olga Petrouchenko: “An amazing course, highly recommended! The only disappointment is that the year passed too quickly. Almost a year ago I attended a walk organised by Caroline’s trainees. The walk was packed with information and the delivery was impeccable, but what surprised me most was how happy and not stressed all the trainees looked and how positive they sounded talking about the course. It influenced my decision to apply. I was already guiding in London, but I felt that I needed to learn some tricks of the trade necessary for providing a five-star experience for my clients. During the course we trained with fantastic tutors and learned how to structure the itinerary and make it informative and fun, and we felt supported before, during and after the exams. And I met so many interesting people during this year, with whom I hope to stay friends for a long time.”
Elizabeth Poland-Smith: “I’m still not quite sure what made the Westminster Tour Guiding course such a resounding success. Was it Caroline’s astounding knowledge, or the clear and concise materials? Was it the incredible tutors and mentors, or the individuals who were selected to join the course? Or was it the process itself? Probably a combination of all the above. Whatever it was, the course has changed my neural pathways forever! And it recharged my love for everything that makes Westminster the epicentre of the world. So perhaps it is the investment of Caroline’s heart and soul in the course that gives the experience its direction and energy and that makes you feel completely submerged in the culture of our glorious city.”
Richard Pollicott: Just like the historic Westminster events, individuals and groups you learn about, this course is a game-changer! It is tremendous to be a part of it. When you see the curriculum at first, you know it’s going to be interesting, stimulating and a bit of a challenge. Pertinent advice and helpful timely tips along the way from the course director Caroline and her tutors, plus your own hard graft, should get the job done. The course is expertly structured and engaging. You are cleverly taught how to develop narratives and tell stories and, as the course and you progress, you find your wings. I will miss it but I have the massive bonus of 30 new friends made. This includes the ace group of tutors, all at the top of their game, who give quality professional advice in the classroom and out on the street and in the run-up to exams and keep it fun wherever possible. To any future students: you have to put in the hours and work hard. But good luck, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Caroline Dunmore: lifelong learning as promised!
Isabella Read: “I’m so pleased to have done the Westminster Tour Guiding course. Right from the beginning it was in-depth and challenging but well worth the effort. The tutors and even the examiners are all so supportive and give helpful feedback, which leaves you feeling encouraged all the way. The teaching is excellent and Caroline is superb in her organisation of the whole course. The sessions on the street are run by experienced guides, who know how to bring the best out of you. I used to live in Westminster but had no idea of the wealth of history that exists here. If you do this course you’ll never see London the same again! Having stepped out of my comfort zone to attempt it, I now have a new-found confidence in tackling any form of guiding, whether in galleries or on the street. I couldn’t recommend this course more highly!”
Jenoe Russell: “I am so glad I decided to do the Westminster Tour Guiding course! People who had done the course before had talked to me about how wonderful it was and they were so pleased that in the end I decided to join. I’ve been guiding for six years but I needed to learn from the professionals. The course has been so useful: teaching me techniques, methods and tips about so many aspects of guiding indoors and outdoors. The two books written by Caroline have everything you need to start. Even though I’ve spoken English for 20 years I just didn’t have the confidence to guide in English. The course gave me that extra push I needed and even before completing the course I was already giving paid tours in English. Caroline and her whole team are just great. They all prepare you to succeed. I would highly recommend anyone, whether with experience or not, to take this course.”
Tour Guiding Class of 2022-23
David Beaumont: “Enjoyed it from the first session to the last. Really relaxed style and freedom to do your own research and present materials gleaned from that; not prescriptive at all. Time spent in the classroom was always interesting and well-structured. Time spent on the streets was great experience and built up confidence. It was great watching my fellow students grow in stature and skill as Caroline and her team of helpers advised and guided us. So chuffed to have the badge now. We all deserved it as there is some hard grafting to do, too – but always under the guise of fun.”
Paul Blom: “Unlike anything I’ve ever done before – intense and challenging! I can honestly say it’s been an incredible journey for me and one which I would not have missed for the world. Course organisation and content are absolutely the best. Extremely well thought out and structured so at each step there is that development which gives you the confidence for the next assignment. Caroline and her fantastic team are hugely supportive and I really valued the non-competitive nature of the course that Caroline brings to it. If you want to do just one London guiding course then I cannot recommend the Westminster Tour Guiding course highly enough.”
Caryl Boundy: “This course has been a wonderful experience. I have done two other similar courses in London in the past and this is by far the best of the three. It was inclusive, imaginative, extremely professionally run and, above all, fun! Do this course if you are aiming to be a professional guide, or if you simply want to learn about Westminster in an engaging and friendly atmosphere. You will love it.”
Maddy Coelho: “Being a student on the Westminster Tour Guiding course has been one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences I have ever had. I loved doing the walkshops, when we had to research, write and deliver a short talk on a particular subject, at the same time as discovering hidden areas of a city which I thought I knew well. Caroline and her team were inspiring teachers, but I also learned so much from my fellow students and had a lot of fun with them along the way.”
Eileen Coles: “Thank you so much, Caroline, for your amazing course. Your enthusiasm and humour have been so motivational. Nothing happens by accident: you have picked the perfect tutor team, so supportive. Your course is very well designed and your communication skills are excellent. You made everyone feel welcome and valued. The two handbooks you have written, “The Tour Guide’s Way” and “Westminster Miscellany”, are very useful and a brilliant resource. I really enjoyed the course!”
Sandra Crowley: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course: I didn’t want it to end as it was one of the best learning experiences of my life! Loved every second from the first class in September to May’s final assignment. Caroline has created a guiding course that’s inspiring, educational and fun – a mix of classroom and online learning, plus assignments and walkshops to build confidence presenting to an audience on the street. I found Caroline and her team of tutors caring, supportive and friendly and this greatly enhanced my learning experience. Some course assignments meant you worked in allocated groups, which led to incredible bonding between classmates as we all encouraged and supported each other to succeed. Many friendships made as a result. The course requires commitment and study outside of class hours but you’ll have fun along the way and learn so much. Highly recommend the Westminster course and so happy to have gained my badge!”
Ollie Ford: “I did the 2022-23 course and I loved every minute of it. We covered all aspects of Westminster and all aspects of guiding. The course tutors were all great and the guest speakers fascinating. My abilities and confidence grew every week. Caroline is such a good teacher. The course is incredibly well structured and at the end we all felt we had the tools to embark on a guiding career. It’s all thanks to Caroline. I couldn’t recommend it more.”
David Lloyd: “As an experienced guide of 10 years even before I enrolled on the Westminster Tour Guiding course, I was delighted to find that there was an emphasis on skills and different styles of guiding. The organisation and teaching were very well structured and imaginative. Caroline has brought together an excellent group of tutors and lecturers, who were encouraging and provided great constructive criticism. A great course for both the experienced guide and the newcomer!”
Kathleen Lucey: “Anyone thinking of doing a guiding course could not choose a better one – efficient structure, process orientation, supportive environment to find one’s “voice” … and friends made for life.”
Maggie Opalinska: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course is one of the best things that has happened in my life. I received so much knowledge, technique and, most importantly, a lot of confidence in guiding. And all of that was possible thanks to Dr Caroline Dunmore, who is an absolutely incredible teacher. Her methods are amazing and the whole process of learning is not only very interesting but also very enjoyable.”
Hazel Phillips: “A friend who had studied the Westminster course a few years ago recommended it to me suggesting that I would enjoy it – and I certainly did. I also learnt a great deal about Westminster as well as developed my guiding skills further. The course was well organised and thought through. I appreciated the encouragement that Caroline and her tutors provided.”
Stephen Willis: “It is impossible to imagine how the course could be better planned and organised! Fascinating, challenging, rewarding, enormous fun, and very much based around the student experience – I loved every minute of it! The emphasis is on allowing students to develop both knowledge and guiding skills to a very high level, whatever their previous experience. Being given the confidence to try out new techniques in such a positive environment has been invaluable – and it is wonderful to know that support will continue to be there in the future, whenever it might be needed.”
Tour Guiding Class of 2021-22
Susan Austin: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Excellent organisation, content and people – both tutors and students. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Richard Hogg: “I can thoroughly recommend the Westminster Tour Guiding course to anyone with an interest in guiding, Westminster or London in general. Whether you already have a career behind you or are looking for a career change or are simply starting out on your journey, you will find Caroline and her team of tutors inspiring and fun. The mix of learning activities is excellent and it matters not whether you have an academic background or simply the enthusiasm to share the delights of what our wonderful city has to offer, you will gain immensely from the course. The diversity of people you meet will be an unexpected bonus that will help you no matter which direction you take.”
Helene Martin: “Amazing course, from start to finish: I learned so much about the stories of the City of Westminster. The tutor team is fantastic, very knowledgeable but always very approachable and helpful – and entertaining too, which turned things that could be a bit daunting or challenging into actually fun stuff! I made great friends along the way and I am very grateful to the non-competitive and supportive ethos of the course for that. Attending the course has been the highlight of my week for the past few months!”
Peter Mujtaba: “I would recommend the Westminster Tour Guiding course to everyone! Without a doubt it has reignited my love of guiding, made me a more confident public speaker and reminded me that it’s just as much about having fun and making tours enjoyable as knowing the facts. Whether you are an experienced guide or just considering a new adventure, I am certain that you will get a lot out of this course and have a lot of fun in the process! Caroline and the team are great and I wish I could do it all again.”
Steve Parkinson: “A great course and a great year. So many interesting skills and so much useful knowledge to pick up and so many fantastic people to study with!”
Anthony Podowski: “If you want to be the best tour guide you can be, the Westminster Tour Guiding course is the course for you! The training you will receive is the best. Meeting Caroline and her expert tutor team is one of the greatest experiences I have had as a student and the friendships that I have made with my fellow students are wonderful. The course gave me the confidence to become a more effective public speaker and, as a London cab driver for over 22 years, the course revitalised my love for London.”
Alice Sutton: “Doing the Westminster Tour Guiding course was the best decision I ever made. You learn from the top tutors in the guiding business. They help you find your inner guide. Go and apply!!!”
Charis WIlliams: “I thoroughly enjoyed the Westminster Tour Guiding course. The classes were very informative, the teaching was brilliant and the tutors were so supportive.”
Tour Guiding Class of 2019-20
Carey Green: “I found the teaching on the Westminster Tour Guiding course exemplary – a combination of higher education expertise and tour guiding experience, tutors at the top of their professions. Meticulous organisation and planning, absorbing and engaging classes and fascinating and fun walks make for a life-changing experience. I learned so much about one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and really enhanced my guiding skills. And made friends for life!”
Thais Lima: “The Westminster Tour Guiding course was life-changing. Apart from teaching me history, heritage and guiding skills, this course improved my self-esteem, gave me confidence and gave me a sense of belonging as an immigrant living in the UK. Can’t recommend it enough.”
Eamonn Mullally: “No other course teaches the tour guiding process as comprehensively or effectively as the Westminster Tour Guiding course. The experience and expertise of the teaching team are of the highest standard. They are not only expert teachers; each one is a working guide, a reflective practitioner, able to draw on decades of real-life experience as they successfully coach each student.”
Martin Murtagh: “Having attended many courses throughout my career, I can honestly say this is the best course that I have undertaken. Professional and well structured, the framework of the course, the support and guidance from Caroline and the tutors, and the collaborative approach, facilitated the whole process to become an official guide to the City of Westminster in a very enjoyable way. Highly recommended!”
Helen Naylor: “This brilliantly designed course is intense and challenging, but the more effort I put in, the more I reaped the rewards. A collaborative practical approach with constructive feedback and first-class teaching has given me the skills to start a whole new career.”
Barbara Wright: “I have taken several adult education courses and I can honestly say that Caroline’s Westminster Tour Guiding course was the best run I have experienced. Apart from the in-depth and fascinating content, the course was extremely well-organised and rigorous, which is essential for part-time learning, and the whole atmosphere was very friendly. The Westminster Tour Guiding course especially teaches really good practical guiding skills together with the art of keeping people engaged throughout the tour.”