Bell Curve

Bell Curve

1
5%

Guide to the Stars. Salary: $18,000 

You moved to L.A. to pursue acting but haven't been called back to a single audition, so becoming a tour guide seemed like a decent way to pay the bills. Now you take people around and show them where celebs live—it's the closest you've gotten to your dream in months.

2
25%

Guide on the Bayou. Salary: $22,000 

You've just given your first vampire-themed tour of the New Orleans French Quarter, and you're already unsure how many more you're willing to give. You expected a few oddballs in this job, but you didn't expect there to be quite this many...biters. On the way home you fill out an application to work as a barista.

3
50%

Decent Docent. Salary: $26,000 

You've just been hired by a tour agency specializing in St. Louis and Chicago. You're on tap to travel between the two cities, giving tours of Chicago's excellent Field Museum and the Saint Louis Art Museum. As a hiring bonus, your new company also paid for you to attend the ITMI. It isn't exactly raining money, but there's a nice sprinkle on top.

4
75%

Guidance on Demand. Salary: $32,000 

Your agency pays for you to give educational tours of Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and Boston. Your MA in early American history probably helped you get hired in the first place, but you've slowly built a reputation as one of their top guides and consistently garner excellent ratings from all of your tour groups.

5
95%

International Tour-Hopper. Salary: $38,000 

You've just given your fifth tour of Paris this year and are scheduled to take a group through the Vatican next week. While your paycheck doesn't touch that of the tourists who can afford to vacation in France and Italy, you're the only one being paid to be there. That's got to count for something, right?