Intern Review

I found the placement very enjoyable. Although some of the work was hard physically, it always felt rewarding once it was completed. Working in such a beautiful setting also made it more fun.

The staff were all very friendly, helping with any difficulties we had. They were approachable and easy to talk to. We were always thanked for the work we did, and felt valued.

The staff were brilliant. I arrived 24 hours later than planned due to unforeseen circumstances in a foreign airport, and was worried about getting to the reserve and missing the first day of training. However all the staff were amazing and made sure I got to the reserve safely and caught up on all that I missed. I was so grateful after a very stressful journey.

I think there was a perfect balance of work and free time. We had about 1.5 days off a week, and this often involved leaving the reserve for trips. We also had time in the evenings for watching tv, wifi etc. Towards the end of the month it did get a bit more tiresome, but I was happy to work as the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The interns were given lots of responsibility in helping to run the reserve. As well as the jobs out in the field, such as tree surveys, game counts, fence patrol, we also had to cook and clean. It was good to have lots of responsibility as it felt more like a placement rather than a trip you'd take with school.

I learnt so many skills out there that I will hopefully use in a future career. As well as gaining skills, I also learnt lots about myself eg what I'd like to do as a future career, how much I am willing to push myself, and my confidence since returning has soared.

Generally, the atmosphere was very positive. We had all applied for the placement and all had similar views about conservation and wildlife so we were eager to do the work. Occasionally, the hard work, change in climate, and missing home takes its tole, but overall we all helped each other out and stuck together. The staff were also very positive and would check each day to make sure everybody was feeling okay.

Organisation was very good. We were sent all details regarding flights, where we would be picked up from, kit list, visas, vaccinations etc. Emails were generally responded to very quickly, and if not social media accounts (twitter) could be used for contact. The staff did very well in organising the inters, especially as they were one member of staff short due to unforeseen circumstances.

On day one we were given orientation training which warned us about dangerous things that could happen on the reserve and what to do if they occurred. When we were given tasks to do we were also given instructions on how to do it, eg tree surveys and game counts. We were free to ask if we had any questions, and a member of staff was always with us so help was easily available if we were unsure.

Since being at the reserve I would like to enter a career in conservation. Possibly at a reserve similar to UmPhafa, or at Colchester Zoo which owns the reserve. I would like to visit UmPhafa again in a few years time to see how the reserve has developed since I was there. The placement definitely inspired me in terms of future career goals after graduation.

The social scene was good. The majority of the interns had not previously met before coming to the reserve, but as we all were studying similar things and had similar interests with conservation we got on very well. As we were a large group we were split into smaller groups, and this allowed us to get to know people better. We also went places outside of the reserve eg Durban and to the pub, which made it feel like we'd known each other for a lot longer than 4 weeks.

When we left the reserve, the nearest town seemed like it was a very poor area of South Africa. When prices were converted to GBP, things were a lot cheaper than they would be at home. I took a little over the reserve's recommended spending money, but still came back with around £200. Compared to other placements, I feel the living costs we paid the reserve were very good value.

We couldn't leave the reserve at night, so most evenings were spent with people doing their own things. There was a tv so we could watch films and shows. Every saturday we would have a BBQ and sit round the fire with beers. A couple of times we went on night drives, which was cool to see the reserve in the dark (the stars were also incredible). One night we went for dinner and drinks at the local club too.

On our days off we were given options to go on trips to places in the area. One day we went to Durban and went to the aquarium and water park. One day we went to lots of little villages and did activities like wine and beer tasting, and chocolate dipping. The highlight though was visiting a big 5 nature reserve and seeing different animals to those we had on the reserve up close.