About us
Bushwise Field Guides is based in the heart of South Africa’s bushveld, with campuses in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.
We are a CATHSSETA-accredited and IFGA-endorsed delivery partner, known for producing some of the most in-demand graduates in the industry.
All Bushwise courses are developed by expert trainers and field practitioners with extensive experience in guiding, conservation, and eco-tourism. We combine high-level theoretical knowledge with hands-on, practical experience to ensure our students are fully prepared to launch successful careers.
Bushwise offers CATHSSETA-accredited field guide training, wildlife conservation programs, online courses, and immersive advanced safaris for those looking to experience the bush like never before.
Passion is at the heart of everything we do. Learn more about how Bushwise began from our co-founder, below.
About
us
Careers after Bushwise
Our focus is on training students to become highly skilled field guides who are in demand across the safari industry. We're confident in our training that South African students who successfully complete the 12 month IFGA Professional Safari Guide course, including their placement, are guaranteed a job offer within six months. You can learn more about our guarantees here.
We extend the same guarantee to eligible graduates on all of our 12-month courses, with a twelve-month window to secure a role in the wildlife sector following successful completion of your training and work placement.
Please note: this guarantee excludes the Covid-19 lockdown period when many companies implemented hiring freezes.
Hear from our students and staff
Our story
Bushwise founder Sophie Niemann is originally from the UK, but found her calling in the African bush. Now based in Hoedspruit, South Africa, Sophie shares her story from arriving in Africa to establishing the world-class field guide training company that is Bushwise Field Guides.
My story might sound familiar to many other international arrivals who long to work in the wildlife and conservation industry. When I first came to Africa, many moons ago, I struggled to get a foot in the door to live my dream of working with large African mammals. After a long, slow road, I decided to train on my own to become a field guide and gain the experience and skills that would get me where I wanted to be.
Back in the early 1990s, there were no field guide training providers and it was all just self-study and self-motivated learning. Slowly but surely I gained my qualifications, experience and skills, which springboarded me into guiding and wildlife research positions across the continent, and into the journey of a lifetime.
In 2001, I joined GVI in its infancy, where I set up and ran the GVI Karongwe wildlife expedition. Back then, GVI consisted of only myself in the field and the founder of GVI, Richard Walton, who ran the office in the UK.
As GVI grew, I went on to set up and run wildlife and community conservation programs across Africa. These included predator projects in Venetia Nature Reserve in South Africa, community and marine conservation programs in Kenya, and SANParks internship programs, to name a few.
SOPHIE NIEMANN | CO-FOUNDER
Our standards
Our courses are designed to give you a strong foundation for a career as a field guide, conservationist or researcher. They’re led by trainers with extensive, real-world experience and a deep understanding of the bush. We place a strong emphasis on quality, from the structure of our curriculum to the additional qualifications included. These extras are there to support your development and open up more opportunities within the industry. Bushwise graduates are known for being well-prepared and capable, and many go on to work with top lodges and conservation and wildlife organisations in South Africa. *Since 2012, every eligible South African graduate of our 12-month IFGA Professional Safari Guide course has secured employment, excluding the COVID-19 period when hiring freezes affected the industry.* This reflects the eligible graduates who chose to remain in the safari industry, were over the age of 21 at graduation, and successfully passed all Bushwise modules. This success stems from our graduates being exceptionally well-prepared and equipped with practical skills and experience that go beyond theory and exceed industry expectations.
Bushwise is the exclusive Southern African training provider for the International Field Guide Association (IFGA) certification and standards.
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