Getting a Cuban friend licensed as a "Gestor de Viajes" in Cuba

Do they have at the very least excellent English? (And preferably passable in another language or two?)

Cheers,
Terry

Legally hang around,that means she'll be working for the government and if it's a highly prized tourism job hanging around with tourists beyond work hours could be detrimental to her career especially if she hangs around with tourists in the same town she works in and in small places like Santa Clara.

Thanks, all. I just want to be the best friend I can possibly be. The warnings that some of you make in other posts could very well be correct, and I keep those things in mind. One thing that a good friend does is to have the other person's interests in mind. That includes putting on my thinking cap and doing everything I can to keep her out of trouble. She's just a joy to be around. If perchance she is doing that as a "job", then she is world-class at what she does.

Licensed by whom ?

Is "hanging around the Che Guevara memorial" one of the official categories of cuentapropista ?

Or as YB suggests, would she have to be employed by a state company ?

#2... There are Cubans that are licensed by the government to act as independent travel agents. They can book cars, hotels, tours, licensed guides but they don't work for any one agency, such as Cubanacan. Any service run by the government. Sort of like a travel agent here.

I rent my cars through one. Here's found me cars when no one else could. They can even process the payment. Sounds shady but he'll send me a link that works for 24 hrs. The payment is made via that link. I think it goes through a Spanish bank. Don't recall. He then emails me a voucher.

Legally hang around,that means she'll be working for the government

There is a way to be a cuentapropista doing exactly what you suggest; there's a category called "Gestor de casas de alojamiento y alquiler de turistas", the process is actually pretty straightforward, she needs to go to her local ONAT, pay a fee and prove that she/he is affiliated to some casas (if I am not mistaken that means he/she simply needs some letters by them assuring they authorize her to promote/handle their services). The cuentapropista will be given a credential and he/she will have to pay a monthly fee to the ONAT and he/she is even entitled to a Cuban pension.

Expect to be interviewed pretty often by the police, he/she'd better not have any legal trouble in the past and a university degree goes a long way.

Considering she is terrified of the cops... Doesn't look like a viable option.

SDET: the Cuban government has this unbelievable ability to bypass all legalities and make judgemental actions. This can occasionally be an advantage but also can work against you. Also realize the Police and security people know everything about everyone. Their abilities and knowledge far exceed the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA. Remember their models come from the KGB and have no civil liberties constraints.

I believe there is a high probability, based on everything you have said here, that the Cuban government will refuse to grant your chica any sort of license dealing with tourists believing she is a jinetera seeking some way to legitimize her interaction with tourists.

In other countries they are called touts. In Cuba they are called jinateros. The feminine use of the word is jinatera(jockey) which means prostitute/hooker. Semantics.