Professional Hunter Work

[werner starbuck]

Hi. I'm about to do my PH. Can anybody tell me where I can start looking for vacancies across Africa?

 

[sestoppelman]

The question needs a little expanding upon.

 

[BRICKBURN]

About to do your PH?
Where?

Your profile has no information so, as Ses noted, a little more information and depth might help someone assist you.

There are several threads on AH about becoming a PH. Start your search there.

Good luck.

 

[Bobpuckett]

Welcome to AH Starbuck! Give us a little more info where are you from and where are you going this would help us to help you. May the Force be with you.:rockon:

 

[werner starbuck]

I'm going to do it in the Eastern Cape. I am from South Africa, but I live in the U.K. for the time being. My course will be during the last week in August and the first week in Sept. I hope this helps a little.

 

[spike.t]

Hi. I'm about to do my PH. Can anybody tell me where I can start looking for vacancies across Africa?

hi werner welcome to AH. with respect what you have written above doesnt make too much sense to me. you say you are about to presumably start your ph apprenticeship? in which case you must already have a place to go to, or a ph you will be learning from. if you mean you are about to take your ph examination then you would already have spent considerable time in the african country where you were an appy, and would have made contacts etc in the hunting industry of the country/ies you learnt in......as has been said more info might help. there are a couple of threads running on here with people who want to try and get their ph licence in africa which would be of help to you, as what you have written above makes it seem like you woke up one morning and decided to be a ph, but havent done any research on the whys/wherefores and feasibility of it. if i have misinterpreted your post then sorry , but again more info, regards mike

you posted while i was writing......

 

[shakari]

Werner,

I'll assume that you mean you still have right of residency in RSA? - Because if you don't, you may find they won't allow you to actually sit the exams and/or operate as a PH in RSA.

Also, do you mean where can you find work as a PH in RSA or do you mean where can you find work as a PH elsewhere in Africa?

Assuming you can and do get your qualification, don't think finding work will be a cake walk. One of the things employers look for is previous experience and that first step from newly qualified to previously experienced is often hard to achieve.

It's nowhere near impossible but it's never easy.

As has been said, there are several other threads here that might be of help to you and this is just one of them: http://www.africahunting.com/hunting-africa/6380-gaining-professional-hunter-license.html

 

[BRICKBURN]

I'm going to do it in the Eastern Cape. I am from South Africa, but I live in the U.K. for the time being. My course will be during the last week in August and the first week in Sept. I hope this helps a little.

You'll be able to sit the exam no matter what citizenship you have. Take the course, write the exam. That is not the easy part but it is the start. (You already know that though). This is only one requirement for a license.

The examiner can restrict your application for various reasons. ie. gain experience hunting in Africa, etc. It all depends what they see when they test you.

Then start banging on doors, etc.
Contact everyone you know or might have known and attend hunting shows and talk to everyone. This is the most likely method of "getting a break".

Like, Steve said. He wrote a book on it. It's not impossible but far from easy.

There are some web pages where folks advertise for "staff needs". I am sorry I can not recall the URL address.

Good luck.

 

[shakari]

Brickburn

I hope you won't mind me correcting you slightly on sitting the exams. The RSA Govt apply the Aliens act of 1937 and if the student does not hold a valid RSA residency and have an RSA ID number he/she is forbidden from sitting the exams.

To be absolutely precise they may sit the exams but their papers may not be officially marked/graded.

They can however attend the course and be graded on the field assessments and of course then look to other African countries for work and/or experience etc.

FWIW, IIRC, they started applying said act in about 1995 or so and have grown increasingly strict about that rule ever since...... especially with 'non indigenous' students.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Brickburn

I hope you won't mind me correcting you slightly on sitting the exams. The RSA Govt apply the Aliens act of 1937 and if the student does not hold a valid RSA residency and have an RSA ID number he/she is forbidden from sitting the exams.

To be absolutely precise they may sit the exams but their papers may not be officially marked/graded.

They can however attend the course and be graded on the field assessments and of course then look to other African countries for work and/or experience etc.

FWIW, IIRC, they started applying said act in about 1995 or so and have grown increasingly strict about that rule ever since...... especially with 'non indigenous' students.

Steve, I have no issues with anyone correcting, commenting or otherwise on anything I write or share.
I would rather people did it than did not.

I was sharing my direct experience.
I sat the exams (3) and passed them in 2011 and it was recorded and I can apply for my PH license in that province.
(I'll have to see if they arrest me when I go back this year.)

There are methods of acquiring a license without being a citizen that were explained in detail to me, although the schools do not promote or broadcast it. Nor does the government.

I believe the instructor and his colleagues form MET to be honourable men and were not misleading the class.

At the time I did not acquire or apply for my PH license as I did not intend to gain employment.

It might just be worthwhile, as an exercise, to make the application when I go back this year, just to test the theory.

 

[shakari]

Mate, I absolutely guarantee it can't be done legally. Whether it can be done otherwise is a different matter........... and one perhaps best not discussed on a public forum. Esp if said discussion might possibly have Lacey Act implications for my American cousins. (Not that I'm suggesting that's the case though)

If you need an additional source to confirm that you might like to ask PHASA or check their website at Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa

 

[shakari]

I should add that the newly(ish) amended Immigration Act can also come into play and that makes it even more difficult for any white person to get any kind of a long term visa or permanent residency and this has caused a fairly large number of whites who were well settled in RSA (but on visas) to have to sell up and leave........ and Susan & I were caught up in that one.

The saddest part of all this is a black who has entered the country illegally can walk into any Home Affairs office and get instant permanent residency without proof of clean criminal record, job, money, education or even a health check.

But that's the new Rainbow Nation for you.

BTW, I wasn't suggesting anyone had lied to you...... just that they didn't know the entire situation.

Getting back to the original question. He could always put an ad in the PHASA magazine/website.

 

[Buff-Buster]

Steve...Are you talking about Texas?????.....lol :eyecrazy:

 

[enysse]

Interesting conversation, not a lot of encouraging news.....and seems to be some gray area...TIA.

 

[shakari]

Mate, it's easier to get into and stay in Texas than it is RSA nowadays!

Convoluted rather than grey areas which is typical of the new South Africa.

Another example of the way they do it was my better half has no end of cardio thoracic surgery experience. She was theatre (OR) sister & manager in Guy's hospital in London. she's worked with most of the best heart surgeons in the world, was part of the team that pioneered heart surgery on unborn babies and even has surgical procedures names after her but despite that, when we went to RSA she was told she couldn't even register as a nurse of any kind unless she passed the final exam again so she sat the exam and passed with 100%.

Then they told her she couldn't even apply for a job unless she had the relevant work visa and registration couldn't apply for that work visa OR the registration unless she had a firm job offer in writing.

What it boils down to is they don't want whites and they want white immigrants even less and would rather do without the properly skilled people at all than have properly skilled people who are white.

 

[enysse]

I guess, I understand why you left Africa, that is bunch of BS.

 

[shakari]

Technically they kicked us out because of that newly(ish) amended Immigration Act I mentioned. The fact that we owned everything we had outright, employed staff, paid taxes on time and were provably (indirectly) responsible for bringing in a VERY large amount of hard currency in trade every year AND promoted RSA tourism didn't matter at all and the last words a Home Affairs employee said to me were "It's quite simple Mr Robinson. We don't want whites in our country and we want while immigrants even less"

That said. I'm now bloody glad we did leave and I wouldn't go back there to live again for all the tea in China............. Admittedly though, the first do-gooder that rattles a collection tin in my face and askes me to help the poor people of Africa is going to get his or her collection tin shoved right up his or her arse!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Mate, I absolutely guarantee it can't be done legally. Whether it can be done otherwise is a different matter........... and one perhaps best not discussed on a public forum. Esp if said discussion might possibly have Lacey Act implications for my American cousins. (Not that I'm suggesting that's the case though)

If you need an additional source to confirm that you might like to ask PHASA or check their website at Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa

I'm good with discussing my actions.

Not an American so I am safe from mr Lacey.

Thanks for the PHASA reference.

I'll check into the license application and let you know how it goes.

 

[enysse]

Steve were you able to sell your property and personal items off or were they just taken?

 

[shakari]

It really is a ridiculous stuff up and I'd dearly like to see it challenged in court because I reckon it's against their own constitution. (As incidentally is the Immigration Act.

They apply the Aliens Act of 1937 to stop you taking the exam but then say you MIGHT (note the big MIGHT) be able to get a 3 year work visa because most licences are valid for 3 years but even if you get to that stage they'll apply the aliens Act, BEE regulations and the Immigration Act etc to prevent you operating.

Karibu Afrikaaaaaaa LOL!