IFGA For Students
As a student entering the guiding industry, there are two key ways you can engage with IFGA: through membership and through certification. Becoming a member is your first step, giving you the tools to prepare for your eventual certification.
Types of Certification
IFGA Certification comes in three levels: IFGA Guide, IFGA Advanced Guide, and IFGA Ambassador. The type of certification a guide is awarded depends on the cumulative grade they receive from a series of assessments covering guided experience, knowledge and technique. Certifications are also specific to a specialisation, such as Vehicle Guide or Trails Guide.
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Should a student’s assessment grade fall between 40-59, they will receive the designation of “IFGA Trainee Guide”. This allows them to demonstrate their affiliation with IFGA, while continuing their training and reassessment at a later stage to achieve full certification as an IFGA Guide, IFGA Advanced Guide, and IFGA Ambassador.
Grade: 40-59
IFGA Trainee Guide
Grade: 60-75
IFGA Guide
Grade: 76-85
IFGA Advanced Guide
Grade: 86-100
IFGA Ambassador
Free IFGA Membership
Take control of your career from day one.
Membership is instant and 100% free. Simply register on our app to access a powerful career-building ecosystem designed to help you launch your career, unlock new opportunities, and stand out to the industry's best lodges and employers from the moment you graduate. We charge zero joining, annual, or renewal fees - ensuring you have ongoing support without any financial barriers.
Here is what your free IFGA profile offers you as you build your career:
Stand Out on the Industry Leaderboard:
Kickstart your job hunt with maximum visibility. Earning your certification automatically places your score on the global industry leaderboard, making your talent and guiding standards instantly visible to employers looking for top new guides.
While membership gives you the tools to manage your career, certification is the internationally recognised standard earned by demonstrating your skills in an IFGA assessment. Read on below to find out exactly how the student certification process works.
Expand Your Career Opportunities:
Build a direct pipeline to your first guiding role. You can browse active vacancies across the industry directly on the platform, or toggle your profile status to "Open to Private Guiding" or freelancing to unlock independent opportunities.
Fast-Track into Leadership:
Set your sights on long-term career progression and senior roles. As you gain experience in the field, you can access and earn the specialised IFGA Head Guide Certificate directly through the platform, giving you a clear pathway into management.
Earn a Global Professional Designation:
Elevate your status worldwide right from the start of your career. Scoring 60 or above in your assessment awards you the official right to use the professional designation of International Field Guide (IFG).
Streamline Your Administration from Day One:
Say goodbye to outdated paper logbooks and messy paperwork during your training. Effortlessly log your walking hours, game drives, and species sightings digitally and in real-time right from your phone. Your data is securely backed up to the cloud, and your critical compliance certificates, training documents, and licences are safely stored in a single digital vault so you never risk losing your hard-earned credentials.
Why Get IFGA Certified?
IFGA certification is built on what the industry identified as a crucial need: a new standard that goes beyond technical skills to spotlight the soft skills and guest-centred approach that truly set top guides apart.
IFGA adds a vital layer of credibility to your training by measuring your ability to create immersive, interpretive, and memorable guest experiences in the field.
Earning your certification automatically places your score on the global industry leaderboard, instantly showcasing your capabilities to employers and lodges looking for top new talent. With transparent scoring and globally transferable standards, IFGA helps you stand out in a competitive market and opens doors to exciting career opportunities worldwide – all without any joining or annual membership fees.
Specialisations
IFGA Vehicle Guide
Assesses the guest-facing and interpretive skills demonstrated during vehicle-based safaris, including storytelling, ecological knowledge, and the ability to engage guests across topics like mammals, botany, birding, and track & sign.
IFGA Backup Trails Guide
A Backup Trails Guide (second rifle) can accompany an Advanced Trails Guide (first rifle) on walking safaris in dangerous game areas. IFGA assessments focus on guest interaction, communication, support given to the lead guide, situational awareness, crisis management, sensitivity to the environment, and contribution to a safe, immersive experience.
IFGA Advanced Trails Guide (Dangerous Game)
An Advanced Trails Guide can legally walk as the first rifle (country dependent) to conduct extended trails walks in dangerous game areas, and to actively follow and view potentially dangerous animals.
IFGA evaluates the behavioural, leadership, and guest experience skills of experienced guides in high-pressure walking environments.
IFGA specialisations recognise a guide’s ability to deliver outstanding guest experiences in specific guiding contexts, such as vehicle-based safaris, nature walks, and trails in dangerous game areas.
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IFGA adds an important layer of distinction – recognising guides who go beyond basic competency by evaluating how they communicate, interpret, connect with guests, and demonstrate situational awareness to create meaningful, memorable encounters.
IFGA Assessment
Theory Assessment
The theory exam assesses a guide candidate's knowledge across topics like ecology, animal behaviour, species identification, and guiding principles. While the industry pass mark ranges from 50% to 75%, the IFGA requires a higher standard with a minimum pass mark of 80%.
Practical Assessment
The IFGA practical assessment is divided into three categories: Guided Experience, Technique, and Knowledge, with each assessed separately. This structure ensures a comprehensive evaluation of a guide's skills and abilities across all key areas.
*There are additional requirements to become certified depending on the specialisation you choose, such as a driving assessment. These are detailed below.
Requirements: IFGA Vehicle Guide
For this specialisation, each component must be successfully completed, though there is no required order for achieving them. If any component is not met, a statement of results will be issued until all remaining requirements are fulfilled.
IFGA Theory Exam (Vehicle Guide): 80%
IFGA Practical Components: 85%
IFGA Driving Assessment: Required
National Guiding Certificate: Required (country specific)
Age: 21+
First Aid Certificate: Required
Requirements: IFGA Trails Guide
As with Vehicle Guide, each component must be complete to fulfil this specialisation, but in no specific order. Exposure walks are led by other experienced and qualified guides to give the trainee encounters needed for this specialisation.
IFGA Theory Exam (Trails Guide): 80%
IFGA Advanced Rifle Handling: Required
CyberTracker Tracker: Level 1 required
Exposure Walks (Participant): 30 encounters required
Exposure Walks (2nd Rifle): 1 encounter per dangerous game species* required
Age: 21+
First Aid Certificate: Required
National Guiding Certificate (Walking): Required (country specific)
*In South Africa this includes elephant, rhino, buffalo and lion
Requirements: IFGA Advanced Trails Guide (Dangerous Game)
This is the advanced version of the Trails Guide specialisation, which allows the guide to lead walks in areas with dangerous game. The same expectations apply regarding fulfilling components to complete the specialisation.
IFGA Trails Guide: Required
IFGA Advanced Rifle Handling: Required
IFGA Graded Assessment: Required
CyberTracker Tracker: Level 3 required
Dangerous Game Encounters: 200* required
Age: 21+
First Aid Certificate: Required
National Guiding Certificate (Walking): Required (country specific)
*Not including encounters on Trails Guide exposure walks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone can be an associate member of IFGA. And the best part? It is free to be an IFGA associate member, and it always will be.
Note: IFGA associate membership is the first step in your journey and is not the same as meeting the full IFG standard. To achieve the IFG standard, candidates must score above 60 in an IFGA assessment. Those with a score below 40 (or no score yet) proudly hold associate member status.
Who can become an IFGA Member?
Anyone with a passion for nature and interest in guiding can apply to join a field guide course and work towards becoming a certified IFGA guide. While the minimum age requirement to join most field guide courses is 18, you must be 21 to become a certified IFGA guide. This is aligned with industry standards for professional driving permits and other requirements for professional guides. You can still earn your entry level guiding certification, country dependent, at 18 (ie. Cathsseta Nature Site Guide NQF2 in South Africa).
Who can become an IFGA Guide?
Our certified training providers, such as Bushwise in South Africa, host in-person training courses to give you the necessary skills and experience to take the IFGA Assessments. These assessments are then held by qualified assessors to determine your level of proficiency.
How can I get certified as an IFGA Guide?
On average, field guide courses take six months to complete, plus an optional additional six month work placement. These courses are designed to provide you with essential training, theory, soft skills and knowledge to excel as an IFGA guide.
How long is an IFGA training program?
IFGA offers three certification levels based on your graded performance: IFGA Guide (60-75%), IFGA Advanced Guide (76-85%), and IFGA Ambassador (86+). Each level is awarded based on the candidate’s performance in their assessment, which covers areas such as guided experience, technique, and knowledge.
What are the different levels of IFGA certification?
IFGA certification allows you to specialise in areas like Vehicle Guide, where you lead wildlife tours in vehicles, or Trails Guide, where you can conduct nature walks. Advanced specialisations, such as the IFGA Advanced Trails Guide for Dangerous Game, enable you to lead extended walks in dangerous game areas.
What specialisations can I pursue with IFGA certification?
IFGA assessments evaluate guides across three key areas: guided experience, technique, and knowledge. Each guide is graded on these areas, and their certification status is based on the overall score. Specialisation-specific assessments are also required, with the score for each specialisation appearing on the issued certificate.
How are IFGA assessments structured?
Costs
There are no joining or annual membership fees to be an IFGA Guide. For more information about becoming an IFGA member, please click here.
If you’re looking at taking part in training or sitting any exams, your IFGA training provider will provide you with their specific training and examination costs.
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