Details
Want to test the waters in the career of Field guiding? Trying to get a foot in the door or just looking for an awesome African experience… then this is perfect for you. Live and train in one of South Africa’s best known wildlife areas while on the Introductory Field Guiding course. Get a taste for what it would be like to be a field guide and get exposed to local wildlife while learning all about Southern African fauna and flora, sleeping out under the stars, trying your hand at driving 4 x 4 vehicles, learning to interpret tracks and signs of animals and having wildlife viewing beyond your expectations! All this and at the same time increasing your chances for employment within the wildlife conservation industry by adding relevant qualification, skills and experiences to your CV. This life-changing experience will be an awesome adventure and the stepping stone you need to increase your knowledge, broaden your horizons and assist you in choosing the career of your dreams!
Outline
The 60 day course covers the following topics in line with the FGASA level 1 curriculum. Additional topics are also added to broaden your knowledge and skills in line with guiding and other wildlife careers. These are the topics, qualifications and skills we offer on this course:
- Introduction to guiding in the natural environment
- Ecology
- Birds
- Geology
- Astronomy
- Weather & climate
- Botany – Trees & Grasses
- Mammals
- Animal behaviour
- Survival & Navigation
- Bush first aid skills
- Introduction to Tracks and signs
- Level 1 First Aid certification
- Basic mechanics/trouble shooting
All necessary facilities will be supplied for quality training and for a great experience. Accommodation will be rustic, basic and shared dome tents, in a pristine wildlife area.
In short the student is given the opportunity to achieve the following seven certificates:
- Nature Guide Training Field Guide level I certificate
- FGASA Level I certificate
- NQF Level 2
- Emergency Solutions First Aid level I certificate
- Track and Sign CyberTracker certificate
- Trailing level 1 CyberTracker certificate
- FGASA Tracker certificate (Students request this themselves)
Bushwise runs FGASA’s (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) accredited professional field guide courses, during these courses, we do not loose focus on our goal of producing guides of excellence by diversifying into other areas…we do what we do best and to uphold our excellent reputation… long courses that produce high quality and well sought after guides.
We focus on training students to the highest standard possible in both theoretical knowledge and practical experience to enable them to get the best jobs in the future. We include additional qualifications in the course, which are carefully chosen to ensure there is no compromise on core foundation subjects needed as a guide, to promote our students in the industry and the field they are striving to start a career in.
It is important to note that Bushwise is not ‘just a Level 1 course’, students are taught up to a Level 2 standard to ensure they are highly knowledgeable and immediately prepared from the moment they start their guiding career.
If you are looking to work within big 5 reserves then you need to sign up with Bushwise , as our course provides a focus on working around dangerous game and all practical training is carried out in a 26,000hectare wilderness reserve with dangerous animals including elephant, lion, hippo, buffalo, leopard and rhino. ...
