Training to Become a Westminster Guide
Fulfil your ambition to qualify as a walking tour guide in the heart of London!
Training to be a specialist, local guide in Westminster
Our course will enable you to develop the skills required to plan, prepare and deliver walking tours in the City of Westminster. It provides tuition on guiding skills as well as in-depth learning about the history, architecture, attractions and characters of Westminster in a fun and stimulating way. The borough has a long and rich history, and is home to many world-class attractions as well as being the seat of politics, royalty, culture and entertainment in our great capital.
You will learn how to undertake your own research and how to design a guided walk. You will be instructed in the necessary skills to distil your knowledge in an informative and entertaining manner to a variety of audiences.
The course serves both as the ideal starting point for students intending to become professional tour guides and as an inspiring experience for students progressing their personal development
Course Details
The Course runs from September to early June each year. The all-inclusive cost for 2026-2027 will be in line with the previous year of £1200 but may be adjusted for inflation. There will be classes every Thursday evening during term time at a central Westminster location. There will also be approximately 15 Saturday half day sessions, scheduled on alternate weeks, when the focus will be on practical guiding skills and the delivery of walking tours.
To qualify you will be required to submit a written project of a walk you have designed, pass a written exam and pass two practical guiding exams. One practical exam takes place at an internal site and one on the streets of Westminster. The two guiding examinations will take place in February and May.
The Course is demanding but rewarding, and its reputation, and that of the CWGLA and each of its individual members is protected by the application of rigorous and independent testing based on industry standards. Something to be proud of!
Note: all students are expected to have access to a smart phone, to a laptop and the internet during the course.
Our course team
The course is provided by the CWGLA’s accredited Course Provider, currently Jill Dalton, (pictured here on an Association Walk with the Lord Mayor of Westminster in October 2025). Jill is a Westminster Guide who became our Course Director last year after a successful 4 year stint at Camden Guides.
All of our course instructors are qualified, working guides with experience of both guiding and teaching guiding skills. In addition, external examiners will independently assess the practical guiding examinations, and a moderator will review the marking of the written examination and the project.
This is what some of our current students have to say about the Course:
“The Tutors are all knowledgeable and made me feel welcome from the start. They have created a really supportive learning environment and atmosphere. Their enthusiasm and experience have brought the course content to life. The sessions are very interesting and enjoyable…..” Jason.
“Completely new to guiding – the course has provided a fantastic opportunity to build my knowledge…grow in confidence during great fun training walks and learn from both new and experienced tour guides…would highly recommend” Helen
“As an experienced guide, I wanted to do the Westminster Course as a refresher for areas I know and to find out more about areas I don’t know as well. I have not been disappointed. …The camaraderie is amazing and I love the structured way the course is taught….I highly recommend the Westminster Course”. Alison
“I was excited to start the course, thrilled when I saw the course handbook with the eclectic range of talks each week, many of them given by specialists and I feel totally immersed in all things Westminster…..The fortnightly training walks are an essential element of the experience, and the individual written feedback is constructive and aimed at helping you to be the best you can be. The reading list is wide ranging and I was pleased to have an introduction to the Archives. Like Mary Poppins, surely a character who has links to Westminster, this course is practically perfect!” Michelle
“The Westminster City guiding course is enriching and engaging, with strong and encouraging teaching and a fantastic programme of speakers and visits”. Janet
Why CWGLA?
The Westminster tour guiding course is the pathway to membership of the CWGLA – the City of Westminster Guide Lecturers Association. We are the official Westminster Guides proudly displaying the City of Westminster coat of arms in our own logo, with the permission of City of Westminster Council.
Only those students who have successfully completed our Course will be invited to join us. This will entitle you, (on payment to CWGLA of your annual subscription – currently £25 – and initial upfront costs), to wear the prestigious CWGLA badge. Graduates of our Course are normally presented with their badges by the Lord Mayor of Westminster in a ceremony in his Parlour at City Hall.
The benefits of joining CWGLA are manyfold. We are a long-established association with a strong brand and an excellent reputation. Our membership includes:-
- continuing professional development opportunities: a regular programme of courses, workshops, speakers, newsletters and visits;
- further support, particularly for our newest joiners, such as our Association walks for Open House and Local London Guiding Day (Pictured here in October 2025);
- occasional paid guiding opportunities;
- the social aspects of our parties, visits and monthly meetings and the opportunities this gives to share ideas and experiences with fellow members;
- free entry to any one or more of our fabulous concessions – Westminster Abbey, London Transport Museum, Cabinet War Rooms, National Gallery exhibitions and more;
- a proud connection with City of Westminster Council and the Lord Mayor of Westminster – who presents our new joiners with their CWGLA Badge in his Parlour at the top of City Hall in July of each year; and
- tremendous value: all of this plus public liability insurance cover for £25 p.a.
How and when to apply
If you are interested in being notified when applications for next year’s course open, please subscribe to our mailing list and we will email you when applications open.
If you have any questions in the meantime, or would like to register your interest now for next year’s course starting September 2026, please email course@westminsterguides.org.uk