Firstly, a big welcome to all the new Field Guide recruits! Everyone arrived safe and sound and are ready to make this their year to start their amazing careers. We wish the #ClassofJanuary2019 the best of luck!

New Programs!

FGASA Field Guiding and Conservation Careers Internship

Join us in South Africa’s Lowveld region, and train to become a qualified field guide while experiencing the African bush at its most exquisite. This course, which is available to anyone 18 years or older, provides a training platform for prospective field guides or conservation professionals who are eager to get a head start in these competitive industries. It will also offer students exposure in various fields to help them decide what they wish to do with their future careers.

The FGASA Field Guiding and Conservation Careers Internship allows you to choose your Internship Placements, ranging from 1, 3 or 6 months, depending on the time commitment you wish to make to gain practical experience and improve your CV, ahead of looking for a job in the industry. See the project details tab for more info on each of the specific internship placements and what they each entail.

Students on this course have an opportunity to undertake a career exposure internship (with varying lengths) after completion of the 6-month certified course. This allows you to gain valuable hands-on experience, as well as cementing the information and skills learnt during the training period, as you ‘set foot-in-the-door’ towards the exhilarating and competitive safari tourism industry or in the direction of your intended wildlife and/or conservation career. On this course no PDP is required.

Possible activities you could get involved with and exposed to on career exposure internship:

1. Wildlife research and monitoring: spend time with a dedicated team of researchers learning about what life is like as a field researcher, logistics, research techniques and data collection.

2. Anti-poaching: learn from the dedicated anti-poaching personal and be trained in the basics dog handling and anti-poaching techniques, essentially a real’ hands on’ and ‘boots on the ground’ experience.

3. Assisting at an ecotourism lodge: assist in all departments of a luxury ecotourism lodge to see how it works behind the scenes and gain new skills and experiences.

4. Environmental education and animal rehabilitation: help a team to teach local children the importance of protecting wildlife, care for injured or abandoned wildlife.

5. Game farming and reserve management: get involved in some of the activities on game farm and intensive breeding programmes and get stuck in to some hands-on reserve management tasks and activities.

The career exposure placements provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in the fields of research, anti-poaching, and more, all while getting practical insight and experience and learning about what life will be like a field guide. You are guaranteed to get a practical head start on the other guides in the industry, and to solidify yourself as a field guide to be reckoned with, as soon as you turn 21 and are able to acquire your PrDP (driver’s permit).

For more info please check out this link – FGASA Field Guiding and Conservation Careers Internship

Scientific Field Research and Techniques Internship

This program, which takes place in 4, 8- or 12-week durations, is of particular relevance to students wishing to gain practical exposure and experience in the field, as well as to develop the necessary ‘on the ground’ skills in order to become a more well-rounded wildlife field researcher in the conservation industry. Alongside intensive field experiences, lectures, practical surveys, research and tracking techniques and skills are taught as a focus for the duration of the course.

It also aims to give students a holistic experience and to provide the necessary skills for living and working in a remote field location. This includes everything from managing a camp, safety considerations and awareness, orientation, 4×4 driving and so much more. The course also offers training in fauna and flora identification, animal behaviour and fundamental field techniques to collect data. This aims to enable students to work safely and effectively in the field, while having a better understanding of species in the context of their environment.

Through hands-on experience, game drives and lectures, students will have the opportunity to develop their bush and field biologists’ skills and to elevate their understanding and skills as field biologist.

This could possibly include:

1. Interpreting the environment for field safety, specifically utilising and using field survey techniques;

2. Gaining skills to set up and manage field camp;

3. Learning fundamental skills in identification of fauna and flora;

4. Learning how to interpret animal behaviour in relation to safety and scientific data collection;

5. Developing techniques and skills for studying wildlife, animal behaviour and biodiversity survey of reptiles, birds, amphibians and arthropods;

6. Gaining training and skills in 4×4 driving and learn how to communicate via VHF radios;

7. Learning fundamentals of tracking animals using tracks and signs.

For more info please go to this link – https://www.bushwise.co.za/scientific-field-research-techniques-internship/

Free recruitment service

Since 2012, 100% our SA students who graduated were offered permanent positions in the industry and 50 – 70% of the International students have gone on to get permanent job offers.

We are now looking at giving job security to students by offering a free recruiting service to all students who graduated after the course and to past students looking for new opportunities.

T’s & C’s apply, For more info please go to this link – https://www.bushwise.co.za/bushwise-recruitment/

50% money back guarantee

The team at Bushwise has launched an exhilarating employment guarantee offer for South African students taking part in the 2019 FGASA Professional Field Guide Course start dates (8 January or 8 July).

What the offer entails, is the opportunity for incoming students to get half of their course fee back in cash, should our recruitment service not be able to secure a job offer within 6 months after successful completion of our 6-month course and 6-month work placement. That’s an unheard-of rand value of R90 000.00 in your pocket at the end of you achieving your qualification, if we can’t secure a job offer for you to work in the field after!

We intend to continue this positive trend and have faith in our guides as highly skilled, motivated, professional ambassadors not only for Bushwise, but for the industry as a whole. We believe in you so much, that we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is.

This offer is exclusive to South African students. For a full list of T’s & C’s, please navigate to our website footer.

So, here’s to an exciting 2019 with Bushwise!

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