Greece’s Ministry of Tourism is introducing a fast-track professional training program for aspiring licensed tour guides in collaboration with Ionian University. The two-month program offers a condensed pathway into the profession.
The course framework is based on a joint decision by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism, which sets the curriculum standards for short-format guide certification tracks. The program is aimed at university graduates who already possess relevant academic degrees and strong foreign language skills.
Ionian University to train Greece’s tour guides
Ionian University will deliver the program through its Center for Training and Lifelong Learning, with students attending courses in person at university facilities. The training runs from March 30 to May 29.
Enrollment is limited to fifty participants, ensuring a small cohort that allows for closer supervision and more thorough skills assessment. This approach prioritizes quality training over high-volume intake.
Application window and eligibility rules
Applications will be accepted from February 10 through February 17. Only Greek citizens and citizens of European Union member states are eligible to apply.
Candidates must hold degrees in heritage- and culture-related disciplines. Eligible fields include Archaeology; History; History and Archaeology; History, Archaeology, and Social Anthropology; History, Archaeology, and Cultural Goods Management; History and Ethnology; and Mediterranean Studies with a specialization in Archaeology. Degrees may be from Greek universities or from officially recognized foreign institutions.
Language criteria for Greece’s tour guides program
Language proficiency is a key factor in candidate evaluation. Applicants must demonstrate certified knowledge of at least two foreign languages according to the CEFR scale, with one language at C2 level and the other at a minimum of C1 level.
Extra points are awarded when both languages meet C2 standards. Additional languages are considered only if certified at C2 level. All certificates must be included on the official list of accepted language qualifications used by the Greek public sector authority ASEP at the time of the ministerial decision.
Greek language requirement for non-Greek EU applicants
Non-Greek EU citizens must provide a Greek language certificate at C2 level from the Centre for the Greek Language.
This requirement ensures that future guides can conduct tours and convey cultural information fluently in Greek. As a result, authorities consider Greek proficiency operationally essential rather than optional.
Documentation must be valid by the deadline
All qualifications, certificates, and eligibility documents must be valid and in place by the application deadline, with each clearly indicating its date of validity.
If a document does not demonstrate that the credential was current at the cutoff date, the application will be rejected. Candidates are therefore responsible for verifying all records before submission so that their applications may be considered.