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Careers in wildlife industries

Wildlife jobs in Southern Africa,  including positions working with animals and as game rangers, field guides, trails guides, ecologists, nature conservationists, are in high demand. If you want to promote and protect wildlife and habitats, then you’re well-suited for a career in this industry.

Many conservation jobs involve working indirectly with animals, such as field guide and trails guide roles. If you want to work directly with animals, you might want to work at a wildlife rehabilitation centre, at an animal shelter, or in the field as a veterinarian. Whatever your ambition, Bushwise career courses, short courses and online courses prepare participants to enter these industries as world-class candidates.

We’re the top-rated field guide training provider in the safari industry and have extremely high graduate success rates. We are also unique in the industry by offering an employment guarantee, so you can look confidently towards a career in the industry.

After you graduate from a Bushwise course, you could be a field guide or safari guidetrails guidegame rangerpark rangergame wardenconservationist or work directly with animals. There is often confusion between some of these jobs, as many of them overlap. There are some important distinctions, which we’ve discussed on each linked career page.

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Wildlife

       jobs

Field Guide

Field guides are ambassadors of the natural world, serving as the first point of contact between tourists and wild spaces by sharing their nature knowledge with guests on guided experiences. A field guide job is right for you if you’re passionate about wildlife, you love learning about the natural world, and you’re comfortable hosting and interacting with all kinds of people.

Trails Guide

A trail guide is different from a safari guide by their ability to guide guests on foot in areas with dangerous game but they may also be on horseback or bicycle. Trail guides interact with guests, just like safari guides, but require additional training and certification. If you enjoy walking in nature, observing wildlife and hosting guests, then a trails guide job might be right for you.

Game Ranger

Game rangers are actively involved in conservation and game management. They work throughout a reserve to ensure rules are enforced, animals are protected and habitats are secure. Similar to field rangers, they are the “boots on the ground” of conservation. This is a highly demanding and specialised job, and responsibilities will differ slightly depending on where the game ranger is based.

Conservation

We provide insight into jobs you might find abroad after completing a Bushwise course, for example park ranger jobs, wildlife guide jobs and tour guide jobs to name a few. There is a common thread that runs through these roles and field guiding: a foundational interest in nature, an appreciation for conservation and wildlife, and knowledge of the way ecosystems work.

International students and careers

We know that Bushwise students bring with them a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and goals for the future. Not everyone will go straight into a traditional field guide role after graduation. Some will of course, but for the others there are endless options available. 

 

Some students join Bushwise as a “gap year” alternative. If you’ve just graduated, a Bushwise field guide course can also be a way to gain valuable skills and knowledge that transfer to a job back home. In the USA, for example, there are world-class national parks that are always looking for top-brass talent to join their teams. Positions might include park rangers, tour guides, naturalists, wildlife guides and more.

You may also join to learn more about wildlife and further your knowledge as lifelong nature enthusiasts. If you’re coming to a Bushwise course from abroad, you might wonder: what career paths are available for me? Many international Bushwise alumni are working in South Africa, throughout Africa and further abroad in field guide, nature guide, park ranger and other related jobs. Career options for you are endless; we’ve compiled a list of some of the possibilities here.

Terianne

from the UK, joined Bushwise in 2010. After finishing she went back to the UK and worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Tess

finished with Bushwise in 2011 and went home to Australia to work in bush regeneration in wild habitats.

Sophie

who is from Switzerland, joined Bushwise in 2011. She volunteered at a reserve in Botswana and then worked as conservation manager in Nepal.

Daniel

from the UK ran his own photography company and managed a wildlife concession in Botswana after Bushwise in 2013.

Francesca

is from the UK. After Bushwise, she worked on a research project with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Anna-Marie

graduated from Bushwise in 2013 and went back to Australia to work on wildlife documentaries and at a travel company back home.

Michael

returned to the UK in 2016 to finish his degree in Environmental Management, and went on to manage a lodge in Botswana.

Nathan

joined Bushwise from the UK in 2017, afterwards he went on to conduct elephant research in Malawi.

Ellie

graduated in 2018 and returned to the USA to work in wildlife rescue.

Bushwise international alumni working abroad

Animal Care

When you think of working with animals as a career option, what kinds of jobs come to mind? You might initially think of zoos, veterinary clinics, farms or animal shelters. These are some of the more commonly known and popular jobs involving animals, but the list is much larger than this! On this page, we discuss ways to turn your passion for animals into a career.

Park Ranger

Based in some of the most places in the world, park rangers contribute to the conservation and protection of natural resources. There are many variations within the role of park ranger, depending on where the job is based. On this page we dive into the different kinds of park rangers, their roles and responsibilities, and how you can start a career as a park ranger.

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