Why Bushwise?
Since the birth of Bushwise Field Guides in 2006, we’ve delivered the cream of the crop to the safari industry.
Bushwise delivers the highest standard in both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. This ensures our students land the best jobs in the future – backed by our employment guarantee – an industry first.*
It’s our passion, respect and dedication to nature, and our students, that drives us to keep on improving our courses.
We train our students to deliver the best guided experiences and to be a valuable addition to wildlife research programs.
And our numbers don’t lie. Bushwise students continuously receive high pass marks in their FGASA exams.
As a result, the Bushwise experience can’t be matched. And that’s why we deliver field guides of the highest calibre.
1. Employment guarantee
Bushwise is the only field guide training provider that offers an employment guarantee. Our students obtain employment at some of South Africa’s finest lodges.
2. High pass rates
Bushwise students constantly achieve high marks in their exams. And with a focus on high-quality training, professionalism and ethical guiding standards, we’ve maintained a 100% employment record for students that passed the Bushwise Professional Field Guide course since 2012.
3. Most comprehensive
As a graduate of an on-campus Bushwise course, you will have all the necessary national qualifications to be a professional field guide. We also add extra in-house certificates and training, included in your fee, to help you stand out from the competition.
4. Personalised guidance
Students excel in different areas of our courses. That’s why we believe in providing one on one attention and training that’s focused on the individual. Bushwise maintains one of the lowest student to staff ratios in the industry, with one trainer to every six students.
5. Experienced trainers
Our trainers bring over 100 years of shared experience in the industry, including experts in entomology, ornithology, conservation, rifle handling, botany and beyond. We also have award-winning trainers on our staff, including Nico Brits, winner of Hospitality and Best on Camera in the Safari Guide of the Year 2022 competition.
6. Best value for money
Bushwise offers extra qualifications to improve your employability, with additional training in areas like ethical guiding practices. You can take a look at the “Included” tab of your chosen Bushwise course for more information about what your fees cover.
7. Placements
Our Bushwise Professional Field Guide course includes a 6-month placement at a top lodge. This gives our students the experience they need to join the industry. Placements are varied and include work in field guiding, wildlife research, animal rehabilitation, or as game rangers. Our trainers are also available during placements for support.
8. Campus
The Bushwise campus is located on a private game reserve. Students are accommodated in a two-person, shared rondavel and weekday meals are prepared by in-house chefs. We have electricity, wifi, pool and a basic gym that the students can use. Bushwise staff live on campus in case of an emergency.
9. Community development
Bushwise hosts a local student with a proven dedication to conservation who does not have the financial resources to complete a FGASA field guiding course. We aim to improve awareness of conservation through field guiding in the local communities.
10. Ethical guiding
Bushwise is aware of the misguided ethics and practices in wildlife conservation and field guiding. For that reason, we prioritise aligning our courses with best practices in ethical guiding. As a unique extra, we also train all our staff and students on child and vulnerable adult protection policies and best practises.
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