Tour Guide (Fall 2025)

THIS JOB POSTING IS NOW CLOSED

The Great Lakes Museum’s mission is to inspire an enduring connection to the maritime heritage of Kingston and the Great Lakes. We do this through interactive galleries, educational programs, guided tours, and special events. We are seeking Tour Guides with excellent customer service skills to deliver engaging and informative tours of the 1907-built S.S. Keewatin and the Great Lakes Museum (Dry Dock and Pumphouse National Historic Site) throughout the busy summer season. Delivering guided tours aboard the Island Belle cruise ship as part of our Shipwrecks Tour (no diving experience required!) may also be included in tour guide duties. This position offers a great opportunity to work in a friendly, creative, and collaborative work environment while developing visitor experience, communication, and leadership skills. Both full-time and part-time positions are available at $18.50/hour for up to 12 weeks starting Monday, August 18th – November 3, 2025. The opportunity to pick up extra hours for event support and evening events is also available.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Enhance visitor experience by delivering engaging tours of the S.S. Keewatin, a 1907 passenger steamship
• Enhance visitor understanding of the site’s historical importance by delivering tours of the museum
• Provide front-line guest services including: greeting visitors, providing wayfinding, checking-in guests, tracking visitor feedback and attendance, processing ticket sales and gift shop purchases
• Be an ambassador for the Museum by promoting its mission, projects and experiences to encourage repeat visits and experience bookings
• Ensuring proper maintenance of the museum’s galleries, including, but not limited to, sweeping/vacuuming high traffic areas, dusting, replenishing printed materials
• Ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of the ship, including, but not limited to, cleaning artifacts, sweeping/vacuuming high-traffic areas, and resetting staged areas of the ship
• Assist with museum experiences, programs and special events as needed
• Assist respective Managers with administrative tasks and projects as required, including monitoring and responding to phone and email queries

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Must have excellent customer service and oral communication skills
• Interest in public education, maritime history, engineering, tourism, Canadian heritage, and marine transportation
• Experience in delivering guided tours, educational programs or engaging with the public in person
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to shift to changing circumstances
• Ability to lead groups and deliver engaging content to groups large and small
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work independently or with a small team in a public environment
• Must be willing to work weekends, and the occasional evening throughout the summer, including holiday weekends

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand for long periods of time
• Ability to navigate narrow hallways and steep stairs
• Ability to work in changing environmental conditions: cold, heat, humidity
• Tolerance for motion and ability to maintain balance while standing (Though the ship is anchored in the dry dock, it is on the water and movement can be felt when inside, particularly on windy days)

Location of employment: 55 Ontario Street, Kingston, ON