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CU Boulder Student Jobs: Become a Tour Guide on the Hill
Published September 29, 2026
Looking for a flexible job at CU Boulder? Lead private walking tours of campus and the Hill, keep 100% of your tips, and meet professionals who can help your career. Tour The Hill Boulder is hiring guides now.
If you're a CU Boulder student looking for a flexible job that actually helps your career, becoming a guide with Tour The Hill Boulder is worth a look. You lead private walking tours of campus and the Hill for families deciding whether CU is the right fit. Along the way, you meet successful parents who want to help you, and families who tip well when they have a great experience. We're hiring guides now.
What a Tour The Hill Boulder guide does
Tour The Hill Boulder, part of Tour College Towns, runs private, student-led walking tours for prospective students, admitted students, and their families. Every tour covers campus and University Hill, so families see where Buffs live, eat, and spend their time. It's the other 75% of life at CU.
A lot of our guests are out-of-state families seeing Boulder for the first time. Your job is to show them around like a family friend or older sibling would. You share your own experiences, answer honest questions about classes, housing, Greek life, and the Hill, and help parents feel good about where their kid might end up. You're giving the parents a tour too, so connecting with both matters.
Tours aren't scripted. Every family cares about something different, so you shape the tour around what they want to see.
The networking is the biggest perk
Many of the families who book private tours are successful professionals, and they're impressed to meet a CU student doing this. It's common for parents to hand over their contact info at the end of a tour and offer help with internships, job searches, or career advice. One parent recently told our guides to reach out any time they or their friends needed a connection, and mentioned roles at Amazon and Dell.
Most students spend years trying to get in front of people like this. As a guide, you spend an hour with them and they walk away wanting to help you.
Tips make a real difference
You keep 100% of your tips, and they add up. Families who book a private tour are invested in the visit, and when you give them an honest, personal look at CU and Boulder, they want to show their appreciation. Great guides regularly earn meaningful tips on top of their pay.
Why it's one of the best jobs at CU Boulder
It's flexible
There's no set weekly schedule. Tours can be booked as little as 24 hours ahead, and you take the ones that work for you. It fits around classes, chapter events, and everything else going on in Boulder.
You build real people skills
You'll meet families from all over the country and from all kinds of backgrounds. You learn to read the room, think on your feet, and make people comfortable. Employers look for those skills in almost every role.
It strengthens your resume
Guiding shows leadership, responsibility, and the confidence to represent a brand, CU, and the city of Boulder. It gives you real stories for interviews, and our team is happy to serve as a reference when you apply to jobs.
You join a team with a track record
Tour The Hill Boulder has 30+ reviews, every one of them five stars. Families already trust the experience, so you walk into every tour with a brand behind you.
The pay is solid
Guides earn up to $30 per tour before tips, for about an hour of your time.
Now hiring at CU Boulder. If you know campus and the Hill well and want a flexible job with great tips and real career connections, apply here and select CU Boulder on the application.
Room to grow beyond tours
We're a lean startup, and strong guides can get involved in more than tours. That includes marketing, social media, content creation, operations, and partnerships with CU groups and local businesses on the Hill. If there's a skill you want to build, there's a real chance to build it here. That kind of hands-on experience is hard to find in a typical student job.
We're especially looking for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who want to grow into bigger roles with the team.
Who we're looking for
We don't hire based on resumes or past experience. We look for Buffs who are:
Flexible and able to adapt when a tour comes up
Clear, timely communicators, since you'll text families to confirm meeting details
Personable, so guests leave feeling they got to know someone who loves CU
Knowledgeable about campus and the Hill, and friendly about sharing it
Most of all, we want people with passion for CU and Boulder, good values, and the grit to show up and do it well.
Frequently asked questions
Do Tour The Hill Boulder guides keep their tips?
Yes. Guides keep 100% of their tips, and families who have a great experience often tip well.
How does being a tour guide help my career?
You meet successful parents and professionals on nearly every tour, and many offer their contact info and help with internships or career advice. You also build communication skills and get a reference from our team.
How much do tour guides get paid?
Up to $30 per tour, plus tips.
Do I need experience to apply?
No. We care more about your passion for CU, your values, and your work ethic than your resume.
How many hours per week will I work?
It varies. There's no guaranteed weekly schedule, and tours can be booked with as little as 24 hours of notice.
What do the tours cover?
Both the CU Boulder campus and University Hill, including where students live, eat, and spend their free time.
Can underclassmen apply?
Yes. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are encouraged to apply, since there's more time to grow into marketing, operations, and leadership roles.
Apply today
If you're outgoing, reliable, and proud to be a Buff, this could be one of the best jobs you have at CU. Apply here, select CU Boulder, and start meeting people who can open doors for you.