Field Guiding in South Africa
IFGA & FGASA
How field guiding works in South Africa
CATHSSETA and training providers
In order to legally work as a field guide, you must be registered with CATHSSETA (the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority) and hold the appropriate national guide qualification – a CATHSSETA Nature Site Guide NQF2 or NQF4.
Within the guiding industry, training providers, like Bushwise, register their students with CATHSSETA and offer courses that prepare guides for both the theoretical and practical exams required to earn the CATHSSETA Nature Site Guide qualification.
Professional bodies: IFGA and FGASA
Alongside formal qualifications and the training providers who help guides earn them, are professional bodies such as IFGA and FGASA.
Professional bodies are voluntary and provide guides with a framework for membership, recognition, and engagement within the guiding community. Guides may choose to affiliate with a professional body to formally register as a member, access professional resources, showcase that they have reached a certain standard or designation, and connect with the broader industry.
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FGASA certification
FGASA operates as a voluntary professional body within the South African field guiding sector. As such, a membership with FGASA is entirely voluntary.
To work as a guide in South Africa, a person only needs to be registered with the relevant authorities and hold the required qualification. FGASA membership is not a requirement.
IFGA certification
The International Field Guides Association (IFGA) is another professional body for field guides. It provides a framework for professional membership, assessment, and development, helping guides demonstrate their skills and competence.
Guides may choose to affiliate with IFGA to formally register as a member, participate in assessments, and engage with the broader guiding community. IFGA assessments focus on skills that are internationally relevant and provide guides with a professional designation that showcases guest-facing expertise, soft skills, and professionalism in guiding.
Guides can be affiliated with, or be a member of, one or more associations. Every field guide has the right to work for or with any organisation they choose. This applies to all FGASA and IFGA members.
At Bushwise, we offer courses that enable students to become IFGA-certified field and trails guides.
If you’d like to learn more about IFGA and its standards, read about IFGA’s membership and assessments.