FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

EWES is an abbreviation of European Wilderness Education School, an nonprofit association registered in Spain. EWES is a Wilderness Guide Association (WGA) certified training institute which offers a wide range of courses and operates on an international level. Its professional education courses are accredited by the Institute of La Pobla de Segur in Catalunya.

The Wilderness Guide Association (WGA) is an international organisation founded in Finland with member and certified training institutes all over the world. It provides and promotes a high standard for responsible and sustainable wilderness guiding in a wide variety of environments, climates and activities. In order to fulfil its mission the Wilderness Guide Association will: Provide and promote high standard for environmentally and culturally responsible wilderness services Promote responsible and sustainable use and protection of wilderness areas Provide certification for guides and organisations that meet our high standards Provide networking-structures for our members, potential clients and other interest groups Provide services and benefits for our members Create and distribute information and material to improve the training and the level of wilderness guiding

The Wilderness Guide Level 1, 2 and Wilderness First Aid (WAFA) courses are taught in English. All communications, manuals and assignments are in English. Nevertheless, Spanish courses and workshops are being offered.

Generally, a B1 level would be sufficient but a successful participation highly depends on the learner’s personal motivation and communications skills. The level of language skills is the student's responsibility and it will not be evaluated prior to participation. If you are in doubt, please contact the EWES team at info@ewes.earth

- Basic navigation knowledge. - Basic survival and guiding skills will help to optimise the offered learnings since you can build your knowledge onwards. We have learned through observation that the key for successful learning does not find its base in previous skills but in an open mindset, willingness to learn and flexibility towards changing and challenging conditions.

You certainly do not need to be an athlete but a good healthy body and being soul-connected is coherent with the work as a wilderness guide and therefore highly promoted by EWES. As a general rule you need to be able to walk 15 kilometers per day on uneven mountainous terrain with altitude difference of maximum 750 meters with a backpack of 12 kilos weight. Be aware that when sleeping outdoors and having access to less nutrition, you can get more tired and your physical and mental shape can be temporarily affected, and sensations amplified. Having said that, remember that you will always be supported by EWES team and that having proper physical and mental health is key. By pushing our limits a bit, we will create conditions where learners can experience their own challenges, and enter the zone where magic is and deep learning takes place.

The practical consists of a total of 28 days: - Minimum 15 out of 28 days have to be under the supervision of a Wilderness Guide Association certified guide. A detailed audiovisual description of all the days of the practical period and a written evaluation of the supervising Wilderness Guide Association guide is required in order to conclude the practical period.

You have to choose two out of the three elective modules to fulfil the Wilderness Guide Level 1 program, according to the WGA standards. The third elective module is optional, but can also be taken.

No, to access to the second level of a particular environment, you need to have done the previous level: In order to take the WG2 Arid you need to have done the WG1 Arid module. To access to the WG2 Artic you need to have done WG1 Cold module.

Generally no. Nevertheless, our core team will always evaluate exceptions in case of extensive professional experience as long as it can be proved.

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1. Click the "Register now" button in the course that you are interested. 2. This digital questionnaire, contains personal data and questions about your motivation. All information in the forms will be strictly confidential as well as destroyed after the completion of the course. 3. After reviewing the questionnaire we will proceed to an individual call with you to make sure that the course objectives and your expectations are aligned. 4. After this call payment details will be provided. Note that a deposit which will be part of the course full price is required to secure your placement.

Please visit our reservation conditions on the website for details on this matter.

After completing the EWES Wilderness Guide Level 1 course with 2 elective modules, you will receive the following certificates: WAFA Certificate (valid for 3 years) EWES Wilderness Guide Level 1 certificate After completion of the practical period, you will receive a digital diploma as a Wilderness Guide level 1.

A Wilderness Guide is not a protected profession in most of the countries. It is important to study the legal situation in each of the countries where you want to work as a Wilderness Guide to comply with local regulations.

An International Mountain Leader (IML) has been trained and assessed against the challenging requirements of the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA). The competencies of an IML are focused on the skills required to lead parties in mountainous areas, including snow-covered type terrain of the “middle” mountains but excluding via ferrata, glaciers and terrain requiring alpine techniques. Note: Each country regulates the local competencies and might have legal variations. A Wilderness Guide has completed training in an institute certified by the Wilderness Guide Association (WGA) or has been assessed against the competencies and requirements of the WGA. https://wildernessguidesassociation.com/the-w-g-a-wilderness-guide/ The W.G.A. is categorizing regions for wilderness guide specializations based on the Walter Biome classification system. While more defined classifications are available, we feel that the following is sufficient for our purposes: https://wildernessguidesassociation.com/w-g-a-eco-regions/ Specific and pronounced Mountain areas are excluded from its competences. Please check each country regulations for specific competences of the Wilderness Guide.

After completing the Wilderness Guide Level 1 course successfully a certificate from EWES will be obtained. A practical period is not required to obtain the WG1 certificate of attendance. Nevertheless, the practical period is a requirement to request the WGA membership. The final membership is requested directly to the WGA by yourself. Please visit www.wildernessguidesassociation.com for more information.