Tipping College Tour Guides?

[Anonymous]

Crazy. Would you tip a car salesman?

[Anonymous]

I've never tipped, never been asked to tip, and never seen anyone else tip. Veteran of 25+ college tours.
Many schools do send a survey afterward, and I've had tour guides strongly hint that they'd like a positive rating so I'm assuming they get some sort of reward from the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

It’s competitive everywhere to become a tour guide.

NO, it’s not. It’s work-study at my Slac

That doesn’t mean anything. At my SLAC it was competitive to become one, and kids who qualified for work study got paid through that fund.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

This is NOT a troll. The woman who gave us the tour had an impressive/compelling story to tell when she talked about why she chose UVA so I understand why she was chosen as a guide. She was very good. I have been on multiple college tours, including UVA before - we were with our youngest and I have two other children in college. My DH and I were very uncomfortable when she asked for a monetary tip, not once, but twice because it's never happened before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

Free labor?

[Anonymous]

Tipping does happen. It just depends on the school. I have no problem tipping b/c students are paid nothing at all or near minimum wage (if not less than). Universities should be ashamed of themselves for not evening paying students well, when students are the face of the campus.

I don't understand America's obsession with free labor.

[Anonymous]

We were asked for tips at the Harvard student tour
Which is not admitted student tour thought

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a new one on me- friend just casually mentioned that they “always” tip the student guides who give college tours. Im on my third kid going through the admissions process and we’ve never done or even heard of this. Friend said they buy a stack of gift cards for this purpose. Really??

Is the friend from New York? New Yorkers in my experience are more likely to feel they need to tip as many people as possible.

OP here. No she's not. She's from the south!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good god, no.

+1000

Is your friend from another country? New Money? Tacky in general?

This is beyond inappropriate. Has he been to college himself? Really random.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I would have reported this. She has really poor judgement and this makes the school look bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

Two posters report this experience. It is well within the realm of possibility. Take off your rose-colored glasses!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

Two posters report this experience. It is well within the realm of possibility. Take off your rose-colored glasses!

But..But.. Its' UVA..but..Jefferson..but.. ethics..but..but..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I would have reported this. She has really poor judgement and this makes the school look bad. [/quote]


Yes, please report it. Here's the number. PHONE: [phone].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

Two posters report this experience. It is well within the realm of possibility. Take off your rose-colored glasses!

And they should report it. That's not what ANY of the tour guides should be doing. Here's the number. PHONE: [phone]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the conclusion of our tour of UVA this Spring, our guide shamelessly told us that she was not paid by the University, and that she accepted cash tips and Venmo. It was very awkward. I have been on many college tours and never before tipped or even thought of tipping. .

I was going to post this exact same thing. We just did a tour of UVA two weeks ago and our female guide asked for tips, not once but twice. I was SHOCKED! I did see one family hand her a $20 bill at the end of the tour.

Wow! I would call the school and say something. If they allow this, they need to post on the tour booking page that guides are unpaid and that a gratuity would be appreciated. There should be full disclosure.

Troll. I’m at UVA. It’s a position of honor. It’s very competitive to become one.

Still don’t understand why you’d do it unpaid.

Has to be a troll. I was a tour guide at a different VA state school and that never would have been allowed.

People do it because they love their school and it’s fun. And yes, it’s a competitive process to land a spot.