Thread: Wilderness Guide Courses (Erä- ja luonto-opas) in Finland

The course run from Tampere in Kuru is a fantastic course.When I did it it was only Nine months but now your looking at 16mths. You learn everything from edible and none edible plants,medicinal plants,birds,mammals, Rocks,orienteering and map reading,canoeing,survival,cross country skiing,team building,customer service,Snowmobiles, trip planning,do your own business plan....the list goes on.I highly recommend it to anyone looking to become a wilderness guide here in Finland, Unfortunately the qualifications are not valid in any other country.

It has held me in good stead with my own tours business Baltic Pike Tours which I'm able to apply to my clients.

Actually it says on their site that they went back to 10-month program

We did an experiment and extended the program to last 15 month. Now we have noticed that applicants have considerable problems to finance so long stretch of time. Because of this fact we have decided to return back to a 10 month program.

I think (and hope) that in the end actual knowledge is what is important, not official qualifications. And even if the profession is regulated, there are usually organisations that check your credentials and give you a licence if your education is appropriate.

Thank you for the reply

Hey, I was just wondering because I tryed to open the webside of the wilderness course but it didn't work! Somebody got an idea?

Josy

I think their website is currently down. Just checked it as well. Try it in a few hours again.

Ah, thanx a lot :-)

Digging a bit deep to get this back to the top.

I respect Simon and his opinion on his experience at this course, though as a student currently doing this course I can not share his enthusiasm.

The teaching standard and quality is pretty low, plenty of unnecessary breaks (15 minutes every 45 minutes), teachers don't motivate or use up-to-date teaching methods, and generally, in my and the other students opinion, aim at keeping the status quo instead of trying to improve the course. As in all Finnish higher education facilities, you are expected to study by yourself, so if you're from a culture where your spoon-fed knowledge you're in for a change.

This is for the two in-house teachers, the people coming in to do different segments (canoeing, wilderness cooking & traditional wilderness skills, etc.) are top-notch and their lectures are fun and useful. Sadly they are few, otherwise the overall quality might be higher.

If you'd like to read more about my experiences at this course (including photos et. al), then you can follow them here.

Aleš, if you still look for answers and have more questions, let me know & I will try to help.

Hendrik, I've been reading your blog since September

Even though the program might have some problems, I think it can open quite a few doors - networking wise, if nothing else. Sure it doesn't teach you everything you'll need to know when on the job, but which school does.

Well I've already sent my application, so that's that. I don't like my odds for getting in though, since I lack wilderness survival experience. But I won't be too down if I don't get accepted (I would try again next year), because I've hatched a backup plan, which I like so much, I've almost chosen it over the IWG.

Nice to hear that, Aleš!

If you are serious about getting in, it shouldn't be a problem. They have 16 spaces and in the last years they NEVER were able to fill these, even if they claim that they have 150+ applicants. In our class there are people who got their acceptance letter a few days before the course started. So don't worry =)

It might open up some doors, but don't expect too much. If you want to work in this area you could already now contact some companies and ask if they'd be interested in your free labour for a few weeks - that's what some of my classmates have done before the course. Doesn't hurt, and you learn some wilderness survival skills!

All those trips which are included in the course...I suppose they need to be paid by yourself?

Anyone applied for the 2011 course yet? Tomorrow is the application deadline.

Is this diploma international recognized or only in Finland?