Gallus Pedals is looking for warm, reliable and personality-filled freelance tour guides to lead story-rich walking, bike, food and whisky tours across Glasgow.
We run story-led tours across Glasgow by foot, bike, e-bike, food and whisky. Our aim is simple: to give guests the best tours they have ever experienced — the kind of tour they remember long after they leave Scotland. Our tours are designed to be fun, personal, authentic and full of local character, and we look for guides who can bring Glasgow to life with warmth, humour and intelligence.
This is not a “read from a script and point at buildings” kind of role. We’re looking for people who enjoy meeting others, telling stories, asking good questions, adapting to different groups and making guests feel genuinely looked after.
Our current tours include:
- Glasgow walking tours
- Glasgow bike tours
- Glasgow e-bike tours
- Evening walk and whisky experiences
- Glasgow food tours
- Private and bespoke group experiences
Typical tour durations are around 2 hours for walking and whisky tours, around 3 hours for bike tours, and around 3–4 hours for food tours.
What you’ll be doing
You may be involved in:
- Welcoming guests and creating a relaxed, friendly first impression
- Leading walking, bike, e-bike, food or whisky tours across Glasgow
- Sharing stories about Glasgow’s history, culture, people, humour, food, drink and hidden gems
- Keeping guests safe, comfortable and engaged throughout the experience
- Adapting the tour to suit the group’s interests, pace and energy
- Helping with simple tour set-up and close-down where needed
- For bike tours: helping guests feel comfortable with the bikes before setting off
- Representing Gallus Pedals in a professional, warm and reliable way
We provide guidance materials, route notes and familiarisation support, but the best guides bring their own personality to the experience. Our walking tour material, for example, mixes history, humour, social context, local stories and strong hooks — from Nelson Mandela Place to the Duke of Wellington cone, Glasgow’s murals, the Cathedral and the Necropolis.
Who we’re looking for
You might be a great fit if you are:
- Reliable and well organised
- Confident speaking to groups
- Warm, friendly and naturally good with people
- Curious about Glasgow, Scotland, history, culture, food, whisky or storytelling
- Able to think on your feet and adapt to different guests
- Comfortable being outdoors in typical Glasgow weather
- Calm, sensible and safety-conscious
- Fun, personable and professional
- Available for regular freelance tour work, especially during the main visitor season
You do not need to be a historian. You do need to be interested, prepared and able to make people feel welcome.
We’re especially keen to hear from people who can speak Spanish, French or German, although most of our tours are currently delivered in English.
Helpful experience
Experience in any of the following would be useful, but is not essential:
- Tour guiding
- Teaching, acting, presenting, comedy, performance or public speaking
- Hospitality, events, customer service or visitor attractions
- Cycling, bike tours or outdoor activities
- Food, drink, whisky or local culture
- Working with international visitors
For bike tour guides, you should be a confident urban cyclist. For food and whisky tours, an interest in Glasgow’s food and drink scene is important.
Working pattern
This is freelance/ad hoc work. Tours are offered depending on bookings, availability and suitability for each tour type. You are not required to accept every tour offered, but we are particularly interested in people with good availability during the visitor season, including weekends, daytime slots and some evenings.
Why work with Gallus Pedals?
Gallus Pedals is a small, growing Glasgow tour company with a clear purpose: to create brilliant, memorable, story-rich experiences that connect people to the city. Our values are connection, individuality, fun and friendliness, positive impact, and being “Gallus” — bold, warm, cheeky and willing to do things a bit differently.
You’ll be joining a business that cares about guests, guides, Glasgow and doing things properly.
How to apply
Please apply with your CV and a cover letter telling us:
- Why you’d like to guide for Gallus Pedals
- Which tour types interest you most: walking, bike/e-bike, food, whisky, or a mix
- Your general availability
- Any languages you speak
- One Glasgow story, place, person, food spot or cultural detail you’d love to share with visitors
Job Types: Freelance, Zero hours contract
Pay: Up to £20.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Employee discount
- Sabbatical
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Glasgow G3 8AZ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Tell us your experience of life in Glasgow... and why do you want this role?
- Describe your experience of cycling around Glasgow
- Have you submitted a Cover Letter explaining how you meet the essential job skills?
- Describe your public speaking or presentation experience
Education:
- A-Level or equivalent (preferred)
Language:
- English (required)
- Spanish (preferred)
- French (preferred)
- German (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
