Change Artist: Herder Capital

"I COULD DO THAT." Haven't you thought that when seeing a guide walk tourists past a memorial or museum? You live here: How hard could it be?

Plenty hard. You have to keep tabs on maybe dozens of schoolchildren or seniors, enlighten them with facts and stories, entertain them when they — or you — are tired or hungry or bored, and know how to deal with any traffic jam or emergency. Then there are long hours on your feet, the rain, the heat and the oh-so-nutritious meals (food court, anyone?).

Brian Grossbard loves it. He handles tours full time for Guide Service of Washington, the area's oldest and largest tour-guide company. "I get the opportunity every day to see Washington through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time," he says. "I'm a news and political and history junkie, so the Mall still moves me every time."

Grossbard has worked for the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (in activities), Hillel Foundation (running a college center) and the Jewish Community Relations Council in Cincinnati (public and community relations). While living in Israel, he trained as a tour guide, "which basically means learning the whole country."

After moving to Washington with his wife and caring for their daughter, now a toddler, "I decided to do something I was passionate about," so he contacted the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, D.C., for options (WashingtonDCTourGuides.com).

To lead tours in the District, only a license and two-year residency are required — though talent, wit, knowledge and business skills help. Community colleges and other organizations offer formal training, but Neil Amrine, president of the 44-year-old Guide Service of Washington (202-628-2842; DCTourGuides.com), says his is the only local one that guarantees work for those who make it through.

Grossbard, 37, trained last winter — eight hours a day, twice a week for eight weeks. Most training is on foot and a bus. "We teach the routes, where to park, what to say and not say, the best order to go in, how long to spend, where to stand for good photos," says Amrine.
"We do practice sessions with the mic: ‘Tell us how to get to Georgetown.' The driver might play dumb and get lost. That could really mess up traffic — another reason we train people in January and February." The course and a two-year license cost about $600; enrollment averages 25 to 30.

Amrine's company has 100 guides on contract, most of them older or retired. They are paid by the tour, without benefits but with gratuities.
On average, freelance tour guides earn $35 to $40 an hour with a four-hour minimum, says a well-connected, 22-year Washington guide who has worked with dozens of clients and destination management companies. Those who also help private clients with suggestions or group appointments at museums can earn $50 an hour.

"I have friends in offices who make money hand over fist and are miserable," Grossbard says. "My pay's not in the same ballpark, but it doesn't have to be, because I have so much job satisfaction."

Though clients include conventioneers, foreigners and marching bands, Grossbard works mainly with middle-schoolers. At the Vietnam and World War II memorials, "kids are so moved by something that happened years before they were born. I want them to see the mementos left there, the notes and buttons and teddy bears. Eighth-graders clap, cheer, and thank these veterans for their service. They can learn and get the context and pass that understanding along."

Adults "want more depth and detail. I can connect the wars for them," he says. "The first thing I tell them is please don't take offense if I sound over-knowledgable about things I didn't live through but they did."

And since Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor of New York in March, "they all want to drive past the Mayflower [Hotel]," the location of his infamous call-girl tryst. "That's become a hot spot."

Hours are flexible. Grossbard makes himself available six or seven days a week, but most guides work daily in spring and sporadically the rest of the year. Days include downtime — between gigs or waiting for groups as they tour, say, a Smithsonian museum, all of which have their own docents — during which guides can read a book or grab a snack.

There are grins, too. Many people think Washington and Jefferson are buried at their iconic memorials. Kids often want to know why Mount Rushmore isn't nearby; Grossbard tells them "we don't have big enough mountains."

And there are potentially life-changing moments. In May, a two-bus group arrived at the Supreme Court with students and parents — one of whom had clerked for Clarence Thomas years before. The taciturn justice closed the courtroom, talked for 30 minutes and took questions for 45 more.

Grossbard and a fellow guide watched in awe. "That sort of thing makes my job worthwhile," he says.

Grossbard remembers being a student on the same sort of tours the kids take today. "I love living in a place that people love coming to," he says. "If you like the outdoors and have an interest in teaching our history, I really encourage you to do this."

Written by Ellen Ryan for Express
Photo by Lawrence Luk for Express