With a childhood steeped in Singapore history, it was probably no surprise that Mr Ng found his calling in tour guiding and telling stories about his first home.
Now a freelance tourist guide, he recalls a recent incident about Pulau Brani, which houses mainly a container terminal today: “After touring Sentosa one day, my tour group and I were on the causeway across to VivoCity, when I drew their attention to the nearby Pulau Brani and told them that the island was my birthplace.
“Suddenly one of the tourists blurted out, ‘So which container was your home?’”
On-the-job lessons
Looking back, Mr Ng quips: “Besides the comedy, I learnt to never assume that tourists are too tired to hear what you are saying!”
His tourists are typically leisure travellers, incentive group participants or student groups, and they can comprise from one to 45 persons.
Despite being the guide, the appeal of some of these tours is not lost on him.
He says: “I like the National Museum, which highlights the past, present and future of Singapore.
“Also, after leading guided tours to the Semakau Landfill — where about 2,000 tonnes of incinerated waste are transported to every day from mainland Singapore — I now have a habit of collecting my junk mail for recycling.”
Seasonal trends
Having been in his job for about three years, Mr Ng is clear about the highs and lows.
Mr Ng, who is licensed by the Singapore Tourism Board to guide in English, explains: “My work allows me to be at Sentosa, the zoo or the bird park during office hours. Plus, I am not surrounded by the four walls of an office.
“However, the drawback is that since I work on a freelance basis, my income is derived from the number of assignments that I do. If there is no assignment, there is no income.
“With the current economy downturn and the H1N1 pandemic, fewer tourists are coming to Singapore. Ultimately, tourism is seasonal with high and low periods.”
He says that during the high seasons, there are guides who work non-stop.
“But now, I do welcome a break from a break!” says Mr Ng, whose income has dropped by about one-third since the economy took a beating.
Finding his own stories
When he is not leading a tour, Mr Ng refreshes his knowledge of places of interest. He trawls the Internet for information, visits libraries and revisits the tourist attractions.
For example, two months ago, he and a group of fellow guide friends went on a field trip to Pulau Ubin to familiarise themselves with the rustic surroundings.
He has become so used to the irregular working hours that he does not see himself going back to a 9-to-5 routine.
Previously in the IT-related field, Mr Ng quit the video-editing system industry after 10 years and became a tourist guide at the suggestion of a dear friend.
Till today, he is grateful to his friend for the encouragement.
To those who want to become tourist guides, Mr Ng says: “You must be friendly, customer-oriented, jovial, love meeting people and, most of all, practise punctuality. As in whichever trade you are in, you must have the passion for it.
“Getting your tourist guide licence does not guarantee you any assignments. You will need to knock on doors and form your network.
“You must also try to spice up the facts and figures from formal sources by weaving in personal stories from friends, strangers or your own experience.”
|
