Call for TSA Volunteers: Tour Guides

Looking to share your love for Toronto and want to help further the public’s appreciation for and understanding of our city’s built environment? Come join us as a TSA Walking Tour Guide!

Now entering its 14th season, our TSA Walking Tours program is among the Society’s largest public outreach programs. We offer a variety of high-quality, educational, and entertaining tours exploring Toronto’s modern and contemporary architecture and landscapes, while touching on issues of design and city building.

Our TSA Tour Guides are skilled ambassadors, presenters, and educators, serving as interpreters of Toronto’s built environment. Our Tour Guides come from all walks of life, but they share a few common traits—they’re curious, reliable, and self-motivated, not to mention great public speakers. They are also flexible, open to feedback, and enjoy interacting with people from all over the world. Most importantly, they are passionate about architecture and Toronto and want to share this passion with others.

What to expect?

New TSA Tour Guides commit to giving a minimum of 2 public tours per month (approximately 8-10 tours total) during their first year as a Tour Guide, after which an average of 6-8 tours per year should be expected. New Tour Guides will begin by learning one tour, but are encouraged to learn others in future seasons. 

All Tour Guides will participate in the training sessions in April and May of each year, which includes both in-class and outdoor components. The training of new Tour Guides is supported by returning Tour Guides, who are paired together for further practice.

The TSA Walking Tour season runs from the first weekend after Doors Open (June 1, 2024) through to October. Tours happen on Saturdays, Sundays and some Holiday Mondays. Private tours are sometimes also provided during regular business hours on weekdays, based on Tour Guide availability. 

Important Dates

• Application Deadline | March 24, 2024
• Interviews | Week of April 2-4, 2024
• Training & Orientation | April 13, 20, 27 (Saturdays)
• Training: Practice Tours | May 2024
• Public Tour Season | June – October 2024

Ready to Volunteer? 

Please send us an email at tsa@torontosocietyofarchitects.ca with your resume and a short paragraph of why you want to volunteer as a TSA Tour Guide. Please note that only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Application deadline of March 24 has now passed.

Still have questions?

Check out the recording of Spring Volunteer Info Session where we reviewed the open positions together and answered some common questions. You can also get in touch with the TSA Team at tsa@torontosocietyofarchitects.ca.