Tour Guide Course Description
Course Description
Duration of the course is 24 months.
There are no classes in August.
The course is divided into 2 parts:
- Classroom instruction taken at the Lander campus- (Am V’Olamo 3 Givat Shaul Jerusalem-)
The lecture day will be once a week between: 17:00-21:30 p.m
- Full-day excursion – once a week from: 6:45 a.m – 20:00 p.m . meeting in Binyanei Haumah- Jerusalem.
80 days total, including four 2-3-day excursions.
Who is eligible for the course?
- A holder of an academic degree or a matriculation certificate. All foreign certificates must be re-certified by the Israeli Ministry of Education, Department of Foreign Degrees. Candidates aged 30 years and over may present a certificate for 12 years of studies or a full high-school education
- Candidates must have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.
- Candidates must meet the requirements of the Ministry of Tourism committee before starting the course.
- Candidates must have an Israeli citizenship, or a Regular or Temporary Resident’s visa
Graduates who successfully pass all the requirements of the course as well as the final examinations, both written and oral, of the Ministry of Tourism will be awarded a graduate certificate of Derech Eretz and a Ministry of Tourism Tour Guide license.
To become a licensed tour guide in Israel, you will be required to present the following documents:
- Certification of Israeli citizenship -Israeli Identification Number- (as described by The Citizens’ Registration Law of 1965).
- Certificate from the Israeli Police that you have “no criminal conviction for a dishonorable offense”- the school will submit the application to the police.
- A Certificate of Graduation from the Derech Eretz School.
- Certification that you have passed the authorization examination of the Ministry of Tourism
Tourism Course Outline
A. General Introductory Classes:
1. First aid course 44 hours
2. Bibliography 6 hours
Total: 50 hours
B. Professional skills:
2. Legal aspects of the profession 4 hours
3. Security and safety on trips 4 hours
4. Israel as a tourism center 4 hours
5. Tourism in Israel- principles and codes 4 hours
6. Methods of instruction 24 hours
6a. General methods of instruction 15 hours
6b. Methods of instruction in three monotheistic faiths:
Judaism 2 hours
Christianity 4 hours
Islam 1 hour
6c. Methods for those with special needs: 2 hours
Total: 52 hours
C. Geography:
1. Introduction to the Land of Israel-roads 6 hours
2. Introduction to the Land of Israel-borders 6 hours
3. Israel’s climate 6 hours
4. Israel’s geology and geomorphology 24 hours
5. Animal life in Israel 12 hours
6. Israel’s vegetation 12 hours
7. Basic topography 4 hours
Total: 70 hours
D. Archeology:
1. Prehistoric 8 hours
2. Biblical archeology 20 hours
3. Hellenist, Roman, and Byzantine archeology 20 hours
4. Archeology from the Middle Ages-
The ancient Islamic period and the Crusaders 12 hours
Total: 60 hours
E. History:
1. The First Temple period 20 hours
2. The Second Temple period 20 hours
3. The Roman period-Byzantine and the periods
of the Mishnah and the Talmud 20 hours
4. The ancient Islamic period 8 hours
5. The Crusader, Ayuban and Mameluke periods 20 hours
6. The Ottoman period 8 hours
7. Recent history – the Zionist enterprise,
the British mandate and the founding of the State 24 hours
8. The Holocaust 12 hours
Total: 132 hours
F. Religions:
1. Judaism 24 hours
2. Christianity 40 hours
3. Islam 20 hours
4. Minorities 12 hours
Total: 96 hours
G. Art and Architecture:
1. Christian art and architecture 6 hours
2. Muslim art and architecture 6 hours
3. Jewish art and architecture 6 hours
4. Architectural styles 4 hours
Total: 22 hours
H. The State of Israel:
1. Israel’s wars – Independence, SinaiSix-Day War, Yom Kippur,
First and Second Lebanon Wars,
Intermediate campaigns 16 hours
2. The Israeli-Arab conflict 8 hours
3. Israel’s system of government 6 hours
4. Israel’s economy 4 hours
5. Israel’s nature reserves and environment 12 hours
6. Water in Israel 4 hours
Total: 50 hours
I. Preparation for Excursions and Licensing Exams:
1. Preparation for excursions 12 hours
2. Preparation for exams –
Preparing programs for tours with different groups
of tourists, including building an itinerary,
scheduling, organization, aids for leading tours,
and other relevant topics.
Under the supervision of the course coordinator
(in addition to the 40 hours allotted to lectures
given by the coordinator). 20 hours
Total: 32 hours
Total number of hours on lecture program – 564 hours
