SANParks.org Forums

I would love to do my FGASA but at the price of anything between R20K-R30K those training providers charge is absolutely impossible.

I feel you on that. But now not anyway with a willing heart and a passion can join an anti poaching unit.
Go to the members list and send a PM to Imberbe

I'm doing the anti-poaching course in July, hopefully that would help me

Piet, I am going to say, contact Imberbe.

He is integity personified.

Chuck out the BB stuff. It is poison. (not bush baptist, he is more than ok) Chuck out racist . (OK not MM)

Remember, you are your own voice.

The forum is here for you.

Didn't mean to sound racist, just said it the way it is

Piet, times are tough.

Many people are in your situation, yet you wrote;

I am not hear to judge, but to encourage.

Look at your qualifications, see where you might improve

and go for it

Yip, but as I said ....no need for them to lie !

Piet,

ons is almal saam.

there are no victors here.

just look at how you might improve.

I promise, and I really do promise,.. for every resposibilty moment.. a mite will jump on board.

as for playing the victim sadly, we will kill you.

I don't know if you followed the topic properly, what does it even help to improve if they don't even consider or ask you to send your CV.

The topic was about how HR lied to me about how they advertise vacancies. I simply wanted help,asking who might help. When did you last email HR in Skukuza looking for work, you need to send several emails before they even reply.

I'm not claiming to be a victim, simply said what had happened.

I don't want to get into a argument about this.

I will find a way

Cheers

Piet

listen to me, and listen to me carefuly.

Don't play the victim

there are people on this forum, waiting to help you.

but, don't play the victim.

I don't know who you are, and I don't know why I should care.

Piet, Why dont you join the Honorary ranger group nearest your home. They are involved in many things in the bush, including anti poaching. Just follow the link on the home page of this site

No one is playing the victim, I don't know what you are on about...again go and read the topic from the beginning.What are you like??? Are you looking for a argument? I said what happened and that was it, I don't care if you care or not, I'm not 12 so please just go and fly a kite.


Thanks pwj

Piet,

I am sorry if I got it wrong.

I do that sometimes.

No worries, I'm not mad at you!

I don't want to fight and definitely not with senior members.

I prefer young blood


Sorry if I was rude, I'm just so frustrated with HR

Hi Piet, firstly you are not racist...you are stating facts, and facts that you and I and others have experienced of late. People who havn't been in this situation dont know what its like and how you are feeling right now. Well done for speaking out and trying again. Your persistence will pay off.

So good luck! Wouldn't you think that SANParks would be doing all they could to get more guys invloved in antipoaching?

Anyway I have been in your situation and I have finally made it to getting the job I want even if it means that the opportunity came for me in Botswana, I still get to work in the Southern African bush! I know and others know that its SA's loss and Botswana's gain. SA keeps shooting themselves in the foot in terms of loosing qualified young professionals who were mere toddlers in the apartheid era.
So my advice is:
* pester, pester and pester more until you get an anwer. Its also always great if you know someone or know someone who knows someone...its one of the best ways into getting into most indutries so networking is important.
*Start building your CV even if its starts with undesirable jobs or doing stuff for free.
*The most important thing is to also look for jobs in the private sector where at the least you will gain experience and will more likely get opportunities based on knowledge/passion and experience rather than the colour of your skin .. If anti poaching is your thing I can only imagine many private landowners will be keen for any extra set of eyes to stop poaching. So perhaps a hunting farm or less established game farm can provide you with an intial opportunity like this.

Furthermore dont be fooled by FGASA and the associated prices. Many of these courses are a rip off and while some of them can look good on a CV its often just guides etc trying to make a quick buck. Fair enough. There are plenty who will pay for these courses and they do offer good training but at the end of the day if your knowledge is self taught and comes through love of the bush, you can do as I did and write the exam without a huge expensive course beforehand. I was a guide before the ruling came in though so dont know if these courses are a must? You can cram 1 month of facts into your head on these courses but as we all know on the forum, learning takes a long time and comes more easily if you love the subject so passion for the bush is the key for passing FGASA. For writing the exam though, dont rememebr the exact costs but it was quite cheap. Plenty of people can provide you with the course work free or at least guidelines of what to study. Its all in the literature. Rather then pay money to go on a tour of a place you want to see and get an idea how guides operate. I also registered myself as a tour guide by writing the exam for R1000 instead of R5000 for the 2 week course. This combined with zoology all added up and now I have a job as a conservation ecologist for a big company which means I get lots of bush time!

Keep on trying and create your own luck. I got seriously despondent last year when seeing all the countless job opportunities in South Africa and just as I envisioned myself in each of the available positions, you read or get told that you are the wrong colour so dont bother applying!

This is the reality of today in our beloved South Africa...but the reality is also that the world is more pro conservation than 20 years ago and this means that more big companies need more conservationists etc so there is hope in this field!