With the increase in tourism in Southern Africa and in particular South Africa there is a very large demand for professionally trained Field Guides. However competition can be very competitive and as such practical experience and contacts can play a vital role in finding a fulfilling and rewarding career in the field. Bushwise's one year course offers an essential solution to this problem by giving each student six months work experience at a lodge in South Africa after successful completion of the first six months training course.

Those who successfully complete Bushwises One Year Field Guide course and are looking for a career in Field Guiding will be assisted by Bushwise staff and their extensive contacts throughout Africa . However it must be noted that employment is not guaranteed.

Field Guiding the Industry

The Field Guiding industry in Southern Africa, alongside tourism, is growing at a rapid rate and as such the demand for high quality, qualified and well-informed guides is high. However, the national requirements for guiding qualifications are becoming more stringent in order to standardize and increase the quality of guides and ensuring safety of their guests. Increasingly trainee guides are finding it more difficult to get work or internship placements without the minimum required qualifications or lack of contacts in the industry. Bushwise was set up to assist guides to get ‘a foot in the door' in guiding and research and also for lodges as we increase the number of professional and competent guides available in the industry. A course such as this enables students to have a 6 month placement to gain experience in the field, to develop contacts in the industry and to leave after a year with all the necessary qualifications and experience to continue a career as a Field Guide. It is notoriously difficult to enter into the guiding industry in Africa without the relevant skills and experience. Inevitably a ‘Catch 22' is reached, as you cannot get the job without the experience but you cannot gain the experience without the job, so where do you go from here?. Bushwise aims to eliminate these problems by developing a course that trains students to reach the required qualifications to guide while also enabling students to gain practical experience. During the initial 6-month course students will be exposed to a number of reserves and gain practical experience in all areas of guiding. More importantly Bushwise recognises the need for field guides to gain practical experience around dangerous game such as Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard and Hippopotamus, and is one of only a few training providers that offer regular training in dangerous game areas. This experience is necessary in order to get placements and future employment in ‘Big Five' reserves. This initial training period should then give a student an excellent grounding so they then are able to be placed in a lodge or guiding research programme, affiliated with Bushwise. If you pass the relevant exams at the end of your first 6 months you will then be placed for a 6 month ‘working' placement where you will carry out duties as a Field Guide, taking guests on game drives and gaining invaluable experience in the field as well as day to day running of a lodge. Guide positions on predator research programmes are available as a placement too. At the end of the year, you should have enough experience and the relevant qualifications to enable you to find permanent positions in the guiding industry and guided research. It should be noted that Bushwise in no way guarantees student's employment after the one year course, it only provides the training and placement opportunities, but we will assist you where possible.