FGASA
Membership
Already a FGASA member or would like to join?
Anybody can become a FGASA member but you must be able to communicate in English. For all Nature Site Guide NQF2, Nature Site Guide (Marine) NQF2 and Culture Guide NQF4 membership registrations, you need to be over the age of 18. This is in order to write the exams and be practically assessed.
Nature Enthusiast membership registrations are for non-guiding adults over the age of 18. Junior FGASA memberships, namely Pangolin and Nature Ambassador courses are for school learners including categories for both Primary and High school learners. Certificates are issued on successful completion of workbooks.
Nature Site Guide NQF2
Membership is for anybody who would like to:
- Follow a career in Nature Guiding
- Gain a recognised Guiding Qualification
- Support the development of Professional Nature Guides
- Gain a recognised Tracker qualification
- Attain a Specialist Nature Guiding Qualification
- Register with Department of Tourism (NDT) as a legal guide
- Keep track of qualifications and experience
Cultural Guide NQF4
Cultural FGASA Membership is for anybody that would like to:
- Follow a career in Culture Guiding
- Gain a recognised Culture Guiding Qualification
- Support the development of Professional Field Guides
- Register with Department of Tourism as a legal guide
- Keep track of qualifications and experience
Nature Enthusiast
(non guiding certificate)
Nature Enthusiast Membership is for any non-guiding person would like to:
- Improve their knowledge of wildlife, conservation and culture
- Gain recognition for acquired knowledge
- Enjoy benefits and discounts with our retail partners
- Verify and track their FGASA knowledge courses
Junior FGASA Pangolin Course
Junior FGASA Membership is for any junior (8-12 years) that would like to:
- Improve their knowledge of wildlife, conservation and culture from an early age
- Connect with nature
- Gain recognition for acquired knowledge
- Enjoy benefits and discounts with our retail partners
- Verify and track their FGASA knowledge courses
This is a wonderful course covering 17 modules, all combined in a beautiful manual developed by FGASA and created by Kids in the Wild. There are 2 workbooks that accompany the manual which can be done with no deadlines, so you may work at your own pace. Once the workbooks have been completed, you can write a mini test. After a mark of 75% has been attained a Junior FAGSA certificate will be issued to you for the Pangolin course.
The self-study Pangolin programme includes:
Junior FGASA Pangolin manual and two workbooks,
Junior FGASA membership fee and registration
Junior FGASA Pangolin certificate
Once off course fee of R1390.00
Optional (additional fee)
Series of on demand lectures delivered by Kids in the Wild and other endorsed providers
Quizzes, games, mini tests
Junior FGASA Nature Ambassador Course
FGASA Nature Ambassador Membership is for any teenager ( 13-17 years) that would like to:
- Improve their knowledge of wildlife, conservation and culture from an early age
- Connect with nature
- Gain recognition for acquired knowledge
- Enjoy benefits and discounts with our retail partners
- Verify and track their FGASA knowledge courses
Once you turn 13 you may then move onto the Nature Ambassador category, here we explore all that you have covered before but more in depth, discovering more about the animals and the environments that we all live in. Again the workbooks and assignments are open book, so a mark of 85% needs to be obtained in order to pass. Once you have completed the Nature Ambassador certificate you may then apply for the specialist workbooks that are available for the Nature Ambassador.
Corporate Membership
Corporate Membership is for any lodge or tourism company who would like to:
- Support the development of Professional Field Guides
- Hire our highly qualified and trained legal Field guides
- Enjoy benefits and discounts with our retail partners
- Verify and track employed guides qualifications
- Host special exam sittings for in house guide training
- Free advertising for employment opportunities or events held at your lodge, reserve, and/or company
Membership Benefits
Did you know that as a registered and up-to-date member of FGASA you have exclusive access to many benefits?
FGASA is both locally and internationally recognised as an organisation and brand that promotes and upholds gold-standard professionalism, ethics and training. FGASA guides are highly sought after in the tourism industry of southern Africa as a result of these world-class standards. Being a member of FGASA tells people you are professional, ethical, have undergone excellent training and mentorship. This makes FGASA trained guides extremely attractive to employers and other roles players across the tourism sector in southern Africa.
Aside from the training materials and brand recognition, the FGASA office staff handle all of our members administrative needs and keep detailed records of qualifications earned, hours in the workplace and logbooks of guiding experience. All of this functions as an archived, record of evidence and guiding competence that we can use to assist you, should you ever need it.
We also provide many additional benefits that range from partnerships with retail stores for uniforms and clothing items to health cover benefits and insurance. Visit our Membership Benefits page to learn more and see what you’ll have access to as a proud, FGASA member!
Registration
To sign up for any FGASA course or qualification, you need to register as a member
All registrations are completed online
- All information is required for statistical and registration purposes by both FGASA and CATHSSETA
Membership fees include:
- A registration fee
- An annual subscription fee (this is payable every year in order to maintain membership)
- Nature Site Guide NQF2 study material
- Non-dangerous game logbook
Fees do NOT include:
- Exam fee
- Assessment fee
- Postage fee for certificate
Membership is valid for one calendar year. If your membership lapses, after 60 days from expiry date, you will be required to re-register.
Annual Membership FAQ’s
As a member of FGASA, you will need to pay an annual subscription fee.
If your annual subs fee is not up to date, you will not be able to:
- purchase books
- purchase study materials
- write exams
- be practically assessed
- request NDT registration letters
Fees are payable annually from the date of your registration with FGASA.
There is a 60 day grace period in which to pay your subs. After 60 days, you will need to pay a re-registration fee.
Registration fees are paid when you register either as a NEW member
OR
If your current membership expires, you will need to pay a re-registration fee.
Re-Registration is for any member who has not maintained his/her membership and wants to re-register.
If your annual membership has lapsed, after 60 days you will need to pay a re-registration fee.
Please register online, or log into your account to pay your fees. All fees and annual subs are payable online only or at one of our offices.
Please do not pay any money into our account if you have not received an invoice.
As soon as your registration and membership has been processed by the FGASA Head Office you will receive your study material pack via the method you have chosen ie. Digital link, Postnet or collection from one of our offices.
Membership Cards and Certificates are only issued once you have attained a FGASA qualification. You have to attain both theory and practical competence. The South African post office is no longer reliable for postage, and as such all post is sent either via postnet or worldwide couriers.
The postage fee for membership cards and certificates is not included in your membership fee. You will therefore need to pay the relevant postnet or worldwide courier fee, and we will then send your membership card and/or certificate to your closest postnet, as advised by you.
Certificates and membership cards can also be kept at the Hoedspruit FGASA head-office for collection.