Matt

The first thing I would do is talk to your family friend and see if he can arrange an introduction to main safari company(ies) he has dealt with. Especially if it is the same one each year.

If you could tag along on one of his hunts that would be great.

If you are lucky you may be invited to spend a season or some time working in a safari camp for experience and probably for no wages. A bowl of posho, a scrap of rotten meat, a campfire and a grass hut to sleep in doesn't make top wages in any case.

If you have other skills such as Steve mentioned eg mechanic you may find it easier.

Steve didn't mention it but he also offers or used to offer (?) a short week long course on safaris, skills, game identification etc in South Africa. And an opportunity to do a very cheap plains game hunt afterwards. I myself wouldn't mind do his course one day. Of course if you have the money a full elephant, buffalo and lion safari in Tanzania would be much much nicer.

A lot of clients see the PH life as glamorous but if you get the chance have a look in some camps where the PHs and camp managers live. Sometimes they share equivalent bandas to the client but many times they have little hot, squalid, airless concrete block dog boxes.

Good luck and have fun.