Working with The Agency

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This chapter explains how collaboration with The Zurich Insider works in everyday practice: how assignments flow, how we communicate, and how we handle invoices, cancellations, and bonuses. For legal details, always refer to the Freelance Guide Agreement and Annex A.​

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B.1 Our freelance partnership in practice

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• You work with The Zurich Insider as an independent freelance guide, not as an employee.​

• You are free to accept or decline each assignment; no minimum number of tours is guaranteed.

• You are free to work with other agencies, OTAs, and private clients, as long as you respect confidentiality and non‑solicitation rules in the Agreement.​

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The Agency focuses on curating the right guests and context; you bring your expertise, personality, and methods.

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B.2 Assignment workflow​

Most assignments follow a similar flow, from first inquiry to payment.

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Inquiry (Soft Hold)

• You receive a proposed tour request (date, time, city, type, duration, guest profile) via WhatsApp or email.

• You may decline the inquiry/Soft Hold if it doesn’t fit your schedule or feels like a poor fit.

• If you accept the Soft Hold, you may tentatively block the requested time in your calendar for at least 5 business days, or until The Agency confirms or cancels the request. At this stage, it is still only a guest inquiry.

• If another booking request comes in for the same slot, please inform The Agency as soon as reasonably possible so we can decide together how to proceed.

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Assignment Confirmation

• Once the service is confirmed, you receive a written Assignment Confirmation with key details and any special instructions, plus a Google Calendar invitation.

• When you accept the invitation, the tour is automatically added to your calendar, including all essential tour details and links to supporting documents (if applicable).

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Last-minute updates

• The Agency may send additional information after the Assignment Confirmation (e.g., guest notes, timing adjustments, or route changes).

• Material changes to the scope of the tour will first be checked with you; if you are not available for the revised plan, The Agency will look for alternatives.

• Updates will also appear in the Google Calendar entry wherever possible.

• Cancellations see point B4 below. 

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Preparation & guest communication

• You review the Assignment Confirmation, prepare your route and content, and contact the guests in your own style.

• Should your guests use Imperial Units of measurement (inches, feet, miles, pounds, and Fahrenheit), please learn the conversion for your tour. E.g., the diameter of St. Peter's clock is 8.64 m, which equals ca. 28,4 ft. 

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Tour delivery

• You run the tour in your own professional style, within the agreed time, scope, and safety framework.

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As a general guiding principle, priorities are typically: Safety → Legal/ethical compliance → Guest dignity → Guest satisfaction → Everything else. The Guide applies this at their own professional discretion.

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Post-tour follow-up

• You may send a thank‑you message and, where appropriate, invite a review (following the instructions in the Assignment Confirmation).

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Update to The Zurich Insider

• You share any notable guest feedback, incidents, service recovery actions, or repeat‑visit potential with The Agency.

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Invoicing & payment

• You submit your invoice for the tour (including any pre‑approved expenses) in line with the invoicing guidelines in Section B.3 below.

• The Agency pays your invoice in accordance with the timelines and methods set out in the Agreement.

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B.3 Invoicing & payment (practical view)​

The Agreement and Annex A contain the exact requirements and deadlines. In practice, to keep things smooth:​

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• Send your invoice within the timeframe agreed (currently 10 days after the tour, unless otherwise stated).​

• Include all essential details:

  • Your name (and business name if any) and address.

  • Tour date, city, tour type, duration.

  • Agreed guide fee for that assignment.

  • Any pre‑approved expenses with receipts.

  • Your bank or TWINT details.​

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A clear invoice helps The Zurich Insider process payment quickly. For the payment timelines for binding payments, please refer to the Agreement (Fees, Expenses and Payment Terms) and Annex A.​

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B.4 Cancellations & Force Majeure (summary)

Sometimes plans change. Cancellations may come from the guest, a partner, The Zurich Insider, or from you.

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In general:

• If the guest or Agency cancels, your compensation depends on how many days before the tour this happens and on the specific product/policy. Details and reimbursements for cancellations, see Agreement point 6. 

• If you must cancel, you should inform The Zurich Insider as soon as possible; generally, you are not paid for tours you cancel yourself, except in genuine Force Majeure cases.​

• Force Majeure events (like natural disasters, severe disruptions, and certain public‑health measures) are treated differently from normal cancellations.​

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The exact percentage rules, deadlines, and Force Majeure definition are set out in the Freelance Guide Agreement and The Zurich Insider cancellation policy on the website. When in doubt, check those documents or ask the Agency.

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B.4.1 Late / No-Show Guests

The Guide shall make reasonable efforts to contact the guest, including by phone, message, and, where applicable, via hotel reception or other provided contacts. The Guide shall verify that they are at the correct meeting point and leave a clear message indicating their location and expected waiting time.

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The Guide shall remain reachable during the waiting period (typically up to 30 minutes, or longer at the Guide’s discretion) and inform the Agency if the guest appears to be late or unreachable.

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The Guide should keep a brief record of contact attempts and timing. After the waiting period, the Guide may leave the meeting point and consider the Assignment a no-show.

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☞ For further guidance, see Deep Dive: Late Guests & No-Shows 

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B.5 Bonuses, commissions & growth

Beyond base fees, there are a few ways you may earn extra income or recognition; the precise conditions and amounts are detailed in Annex A.​

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Named‑guide commission

• If a guest books a tour through The Zurich Insider (or a partner) and specifically requests you by name, you may receive a small commission (a percentage of the fee the Agency pays you for that tour), as described in Annex A.​

• This typically applies to the first tour booked after the named request.

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Google review bonus

• When a guest leaves a 5‑star Google review for The Zurich Insider and clearly mentions you by name, you receive a fixed bonus per review, as described in Annex A.

• If multiple guides are named, each named guide receives the bonus (as per Annex A).

• This is an internal thank‑you and should not be presented to guests as a reward or incentive.

• This bonus does not form part of the Guide’s remuneration and is entirely discretionary.

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Learning & feedback

• The Zurich Insider may sometimes offer training sessions, shared walks, or informal knowledge exchanges.

• You may also receive feedback from guests or the Agency; the intention is to support your growth, not to micro‑manage your style.​

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If you ever feel unclear about fees, bonuses, or what applies to a specific assignment, it’s always okay to ask.

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 ⬅︎ Annex A 

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☞  Handbook​​​

⬅︎  Back to the Hub

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