Sunny from India asked us some questions regarding the 1 year field guide course in South Africa.
What type of visa do I require for 1 Year Couse? Student visa
How much i will pay for your 1 Year Couse? 2011 – South Afriocan Rand 143 999,-
I want to build my career in Wildlife Photography or Documentaries Making so this course help me in this ot not? You will be exposed to 66000 hectares (During your stay with us) of stunning wilderness areas teeming with game, including the big five and a huge diversity of birds. Many of our students do their own filming and photography while on the course. (You will have to go very far and wide to get the same exposure to film locations and wildlife encounters)
Essentially the course is created to provide you with the knowledge to understand the bush and to be able to relate it to potential clients. You would definitely find that the course is very beneficial if you want to become a filmmaker – Having the knowledge about the bush and the natural environment you would be filming in is very important, this should be your backbone knowledge.
We have a short course geared towards wildlife photography (You could always join the course on your off times and or after the 1 year course)
Can i pay your course fee in installments? Yes you can depending in how much time you want to go.
Can i join a part time job in South Africa with this course? The one year course includes a practical section (Thus you would be placed at a Lodge in the industry for a couple of months at the end of your course). This is a great opportunity to get to know people in the industry. We have a lot of students who get permanent employment in this way, although we cannot guarantee this.
I would advise that you use this time to look out for a perfect match regarding the Filming and other interests. (Lodges and operators keep track of the students – Try and get a placement at one that wants a filmmaker for marketing purposes, it’s how many wildlife filmmakers start their career)
After this 1 year course what are the future prospectus are available? It would depend on the student. The students that do the course for a professional qualification all move on to permanent employment in the industry (Please keep in mind the course is a combination of a lot of different courses, and how well you do will relate directly to the options that become available). The best students get exposed to very rare opportunities across Africa. Below is a list of venues we trained for in the last year.
The training culture is respected and effective and it has yielded good results in terms of reaching a wide audience, the partners and trainers have trained somewhere around 3000 people over the years in ten different countries, from rural tribesmen in the Gabonese forest in the Congo Basin of West Africa to Royalty from Europe, here are a few of the organisations where our training has been conducted:
- Abercrombie and Kent – Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana
- Heritage Hotels – Kenya
- CC Africa – Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa
- Royal African Safaris – Kenya, Botswana
- Lewa Wildlife Conservancy – Kenya
- Ugandan Wildlife Authority – Uganda
- Tanzanian Photographic Safaris – Tanzania
- Wilderness Safaris – Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
- Conservation Lower Zambezi – Zambia.
- Kwando – Botswana, Zambia
- KZN Wildlife – Emzemvelo (Natal Parks Board) Thembe, Umfolozi, Hluhluwe, Itala Game Reserves.
- Milwane, Mkhaya Lodges – Swaziland
- Shamwari and Amakhala – Eastern Cape
- University of Georgia – United States of America
- London Zoological Society / ECOFAC / Lope National Park – The Republic of Gabon
- Koiyaki Guide School – Masai Mara, Kenya
- Kakadu National Park / Northern Territory – Australia
After this course if i want to stay in SA anf want to do some work in wildlife so can i stay there or not after 1 Year? Yes – I provided more info at the end of your email.
Also provide me some dates in 2010 because i want to be there as soon as possible: All the 1 year spots for 2010 have been filled, but if we have an opening because of a cancellation we will let you know. It is wise to book this programme well ahead.
Is there any examination or test before my visa application for coming to Africa in your 1 year course? No, you don’t need any subjects or experience prior to these courses. The only requirements are to be 18 years or older, it is preferable to have a valid driver’s license and you must be of reasonable fitness- 21 years in order to get your PDP
What if I only have a learner’s license? You will be able to do the short courses and be assessed, but you will not be able to work until you have a driver’s license. A FGASA level 1 assessment need not be a drive, but can be a walk too. On the one year course you can start the course with only a learner’s license but need to get the driver’s license in the first break.
What is a PDP? Professional driver’s permit – you need to be 21 to be able to get a PDP
Is my PDP very important? Yes, most lodges require that their guides have a PDP. If you are doing a year course, this will also be an immense help with your lodge placement.
How do you apply for the PDP? Go to the traffic department and collect the necessary papers. Go to your local GP for a general check-up and to complete his section of the form. Go to the nearest police station for a background check and fingerprinting. The police station will have your details within 6 weeks which you can collect from them and go back to the traffic department with all the paperwork & id photos. Apply for a temporary PDP and wait about 8 weeks for the original.
Can international students apply for a PDP in SA? No, you need to have a South African driver’s license to apply for a South African PDP
Will my international PDP or the equivalent be valid in SA? Yes
SASSETA – what is this? SASSETA is the firearm proficiency certificate needed when you are doing the Trails guide course. This certificate allows you to handle a firearm while on the course. Once you start working in the industry and use a firearm/rifle on walks you need to have a white card from the police station. International learners can do the SASSETA.
When do I need SASSETA? You must have your SASSETA before you come on our Trails Guide course. This will also be imperative for when you start working in the lodges.
Where can I do SASSETA? There are many service providers across South Africa. You can visit the SASSETA website to find service providers per province.
Where on the SASSETA website can I find these providers? Go to their website, www.sasseta.org.za, click on departments in the left had side menu, now go to ETQA, then onto Training providers. This will take you to another screen where you can do your search. For this, you don’t need the name or the accreditation number. All you need to do is indicate which province you want to search and click on find. This will list all providers in that specific province. If you don’t select a province, it will show a list of all the providers in South Africa.
After your 1 year course can i get working visa or any job in this field. Yes our students work all over Africa
What career path can I follow after this course? As with any other career, you have to start at the bottom gaining good basic knowledge before you carry on to specialize in the areas which interest you most. EcoTraining will provide you with a broad, detailed and very good foundation of knowledge and experience which you will be able to use in many fields such as field guiding; game ranging; conservation; rehabilitation; veterinary studies; professional hunting; wildlife photography, game farm management; lodge management; anti-poaching; wildlife education; and so much more.
Will international learners find a job? Yes, but you must be aware that you would need to apply for a job and be offered the position prior to applying for a work visa in South Africa. There are quite a few of our past students who have gone on to work in the guiding industry, but they have been persistent as it could take some time. The problem is that because of the high rate of unemployment in our country, an employer must be able to prove that he/she cannot find a suitable South African candidate for the job, before they can even think to employ a foreigner. This does make it tricky, but not impossible. There’s a company called Immigrant. Exclusive who should be able to give you some advice and you can call them on +27 12 347 0745 OR see this website http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1008.html Finding a job in another African country is very difficult as they are really strict on employing their own people first – but once again, not impossible. If you have contacts in any of the other countries it will really help in getting employed.
What type of salary can I expect as a starting salary in the industry? Becoming a field Guide is not something you do for the money of it. You definitely need to have passion for nature, animals and a life in the bush. The standard salary of guides starting out in the industry is fairly low (R3000 – R4500) per month. Keep in mind that you do earn gratuities throughout the month as well and depending on where you work, this may become a very attractive sum at times. You will always have furnished accommodation, all meals daily, bed nights (guest accommodation at a minimal rate for family & friends), some beverages at no cost and some at staff rates. You do not have to drive to work at all. This means that you do not spend anything during your work cycle.
What qualification will I have once I have completed Field Guide level 1? You will have your FGASA field guide level 1 certificate and can start work in the industry as a junior guide.
What qualification will I have once I have completed Trails Guide at Makuleke? The Trails Guide qualification has changed in early 2008. When you do a 28 day Trails Guide course with us, pass the exam and get all your encounters, you will have the Back-up Trails Guide qualification. To get the Back-up Trails Guide qualification you need to have:
- Trails Guide Theory
- FGASA Rifle Handling – in any order
- Rifle Handling – achieve either Rifle Handling Advanced (Lead Rifle) or Rifle Handling Intermediate (Back-up Rifle)
- Minimum of 10 Vehicle Encounters in dangerous game area
- Minimum of 10 On Foot Encounters in dangerous game area, 5 of which have to be as ‘Lead’ and 5 can be as participant
- Minimum of 50 hours on foot in dangerous game areas
- Encounters relate to Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Hippo out of water, Lion, Leopard, but can be any of those
- If you meet all of the above criteria you can undergo the practical assessment, where you have to undergo a walk, and effectively encounter a dangerous animal, or even two if the assessor thinks it is appropriate.
In order to reach the Lead Trails Guide level, you need and additional 50 encounters on foot and 100 hours in dangerous game areas as ‘back-up’ to a qualified Trails Guide or SKS DG guide. Once you have this, you are automatically given the Trails Guide Lead Qualification, once you have your Log book signed off by FGASA (this, providing you have your Lead Rifle)
What foundation does the course create for me and my future in this industry? We will provide you with a broad, detailed and very good foundation of knowledge and experience which you will be able to use in many fields such as field guiding; game ranging; conservation; rehabilitation; veterinary studies; professional hunting; wildlife photography, game farm management; lodge management; anti-poaching; wildlife education; and so much more
What 3 levels of Birding Qualifications are available?
- a. Local Bird Specialist – requires full Level 1 or a Tracker qualification as a minimum
- Practical Birding Assessment only – no theory, no slide and sound
- If successful, you become a local bird specialist for the area in which the practical assessment was undertaken.
- I.e.: a couple of the guides from wilderness Pafuri lodge have done this and become Local Bird Specialist for Northern Kruger
- b. Bird Specialist – Biome Specific – required full Level 1 or a Tracker qualification as a minimum
- Slide and Sound Assessment PLUS Practical Birding Assessment
- If successful at both the slide/sound and the practical, you become a Birding Specialist for the biome that you chose for the slide/sound
- Most guides in the Mpumalanga or Limpopo area would choose Savannah Biome, therefore becoming a Savannah Birding Specialist
- These people can then add biomes to their qualification by doing additional slide & sound assessments
- No theory required
- c. SKS Birding – requires full Level 3
- SKS Theory Exam
- Slide and Sound Assessment
- Practical Birding Assessment
- If successful you get the SKS Birding qualification for the biome you chose in the slide/sound
- To gain the National qualification, you have to do the slide and sound for all biomes
- This is the qualification that Bruce has – SKS Bird National
- Theory exam is a national sitting exam
- All slide and sound can be done at the FGASA office, or with us (should time allow)
