Intern Review

Greatly so. As one of the earlier interns on the project we were tasked with numerous duties such as game counts, ethograms of both wild and captive (in the BOMA) species and habitat monitoring. But following the progress the reserve has made I would recommend it to anyone else as leaps made (such as purchasing more land and new habitats) make Umphafa a much more diverse and interesting place.

I felt valued. The interns are a key part of Umphafa and so are respected by those who work fulltime on the reserve, who are open and friendly. The group I was with got along well and all being around the same age no one felt higher than anyone else, those who had already been there a month were nothing but welcoming.

A large extent. Without theose who work fulltime on the reserve there would be no instruction or guidance to any work and most of the reserve would also be inaccessible without the vehicle. They were supporting in tasks and also offer bioscientists the oppurtunity to study on the reserve with full support.

Very busy. It is a 6 day week, but on Sundays walks in the reserve or personal interests may be persued so there is never the danger of being bored or housebound. The work begins in the morning (or before dawn in if carnivore monitoring is done by the BOMA) and lasts until midday, when there is a break for lunch and to avoid the hottest part of the day. Work begins again at the afternoon and finished before sunset.

A lot. There is trust, and strict safety briefings and rules that are obviously in place due to the potentially hazardous wildlife around. It never feels suffocating or dissapointing as said rules are easy to follow and also totally neccesary. Yet responsibility is still given, volunteers can walk in the reserve or set up camera if they wish, and there is never the feeling of being babied.

Very much so. And I would also say the same for other bioscientists. Ethograms, camera trapping, game counts and general lessons in ecology and animal monitoring will obviously be useful to anyone wanting to work in the field and having them taught first hand in the a field study enviroment is unquestionably the best way to learn. I have used them since

Usually positive. The large group I was in got one well, and the groups were also often mixed so as to prevent cliches strongly forming. Due to similar age groups and degree schemes much of the group had similar interests and this allowed for a lot of good discussion and friendships to be made.

Very well. Everyone had a good idea of what was required in terms of both kit and travel, with the pickup and dropoff going just fine. All activities and work was well organised and neccesary to the reserve. Safety briefings and information of the reserve and duties surrounding were supplied and questions always answered well.

I think it would be fair to say almost everything due to the fact it would be very hard for the reserve to function well without volunteers. There is still a large working body on the reserve but due to the large size and numerous duties there is never a dull moment and many hands make light work, so volunteers are absolutely neccesary and encouraged to join.

It's hard to say, as no one I know has attempted to seek employment with them. Whilst most who worked on the reserve were local south africans there were also some british and due to the tasks and professionals needed for them employment seems like a high possibility following graduation. If not full employment something short term and useful is likely.

Absolutely. As said earlier due to the large number of fellow students doing a similar course everyone gets on well and there is a good social scene. With the night and day off at the end of the week this allows for a braai and socialising with a lie in. The time off at the middle on the day also allows for socialising, and there are also shared experience whilst working.

The costs of living and socialising were relatively cheap for me and others due to the strength of the round against the pound at the time. Food and drinks are all relatively cheap and covered fully in the costs paid for the internship and socialising is also done for free excluding outside purchases.

The nightlife was primarily local bars visited occasionally or nightlife we made ourselves on nights off, which was still a great night. Bars visited were friendly, not too far away, cheap and had good facilities and all who went expressed a desire to go again on other nights off too. Despite the nature of the work good nights can still be had.

On days off there are many. The local is area is great for activities and these were always enjoyed by the group. Such activities included going to nearby Big 5 game reserves, going to local nature areas such as the Drakensberg mountains, going to falconry displays or reptiliaries, or going to local adventure sport areas, all of which were enjoyed.