Careers in the wildlife industry
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 a top-rated FGASA 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 guide, trails guide, game ranger, park ranger, game warden, conservationist 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.
Wildlife jobs
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.
Some Bushwise students use our courses as an opportunity to learn more about wildlife and further their knowledge as lifelong nature enthusiasts. Because we assist with study visas, you can join a Bushwise course for six months or a year, become a certified field guide and then decide where your path will take you. There are also many volunteer opportunities for international students, which the Bushwise staff can help you find.
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.
Bushwise international alumni working abroad
If you’re thinking of a career in conservation, travel or wildlife photography, or you want to become a park ranger, tour guide or field guide, you aren’t alone! Bushwise alumni from all over the world have finished our courses and gone on to exciting careers. Here are a few wildlife job paths of our international graduates: