Professional Field Guide – 1 year course
Professional Field Guide Courses are a one year course for:
- those who want to pursue a career as a Field Guide in the safari business or in conservation projects
- those taking a year out, who love the great outdoors, appreciate nature and want to have a completely different experience. This is an opportunity to get away from it all, do something completely different, meet new and interesting people and be at one with nature.
Successful candidates will have a FGASA (Field Guide Association of South Africa) qualification at the end.
Candidates need to be 18+ and, in reality, those attending this course will be from all walks of life, countries from around the world and aged anything up to 70! Participants need to be fit, able to walk out on the treks and able to climb into the Landrover for the game drives.
Whilst on this year course, participants will experience at least 4 different pristine and private reserves across Southern Africa with different biomes, camp conditions, animals and birdlife. Camps are unfenced and are very much part of the bush in keeping with the ethos of the organisation and animals do pass through the camps!
Aspects of this course include:
- Learning how to become a Field Guide – theory and practice – FGASA accreditation
- Learning how to become a Back Up Guide – theory and practice – FGASA accreditation
- Firearm Proficiency (FGASA accreditation)
- Animal Tracks and Tracking (FGASA accreditation)
- Basic knowledge of the unique and numerous birds in the area
- Advanced birding – FGASA accreditation
- Wilderness Medicine – Levels 1 & 2
- Navigation and Orientation including at night by the stars
- Lodge Placement program
The course is made up with 4-5 months intense theory and practice in field guiding at the remote bush camps in both South Africa and Botswana and then the participant is sent on a lodge placement which can be in South Africa, or neighbouring countries for 5-6 months to put into practice all they have learnt.
At the end of the year, candidates return to camp finish off their exams, advanced rifle handling, advanced birding and complete their course.
There are a maximum of 20 candidates starting at any one time and start times are staggered throughout the year. Regular breaks allow candidates to return home for a holiday or take some out away from camp.
For Foreign & Commonwealth information on South Africa, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa
For Foreign & Commonwealth information on Botswana, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/botswana
For Foreign & Commonwealth information on Kenya, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya
2020 Start dates for Professional Field Guide Course | Price |
04 January - 17 December 2020 | South African Rand 317,800 |
1 February - 23 December 2020 | |
01 August 2020 - 18 July 2021 | |
01 September 2020 - 15 August 2021 | |
01 October 2020 - 19 September 2021 |