How to Become An AU Pair In South Africa

An au pair is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monetary allowance for personal use.

How long does an au pair stay?

Au pairs initially come to the S.A. on a 12-month J-1 au pair visa and can extend for an additional 6, 9 or 12-months, allowing a family to benefit from up to two years of live-in childcare from the same au pair.

What does an au pair girl do?

An au pair is a young adult aged 18 to 30 who travels to a foreign country for a defined period of time to live with a host family. The au pair supports the host family with childcare and light housework while learning the language and culture of the host country.

Do au pairs have to be female?

Au pairs can be male or female. Male au pairs who are generally known as au pair boys or bro pairs may also register on our website to search for a host family on an international basis.

Do au pairs work weekends?

Au pairs follow the family schedule, so they may work on weekends and evenings. Au pairs get a full week-end off every month, from Friday night to Monday morning. Any hours that an au pair has responsibility for the children, even if she is sleeping, are considered work hours.

How to Become An AU Pair In South Africa

South Africa offers Au Pairs a unique opportunity to experience both modern cities while taking in the natural beauty of the country. In your free time, you have the opportunity to see African wildlife on a safari, explore the different cities on the best-developed transportation infrastructure in Africa, or enjoy some of the most diverse music in the world.

Au Pair Requirements

18-24 years old

Previous child care experience as verified through references

High School diploma or equivalent

Hold a valid drivers’ license

Clean criminal background

Au Pair Duties

As an Au Pair in South Africa, you are responsible for providing up to 45 hours of child care each week with a minimum of two weeks’ vacation during your year. Child care responsibilities can include activities such as meal preparation, baths, naps, general supervision, helping with homework and driving the children to school and activities.

As an Au Pair, you help around the house through light housekeeping. Examples of light housekeeping include laundry, tidying up rooms, making beds and vacuuming. Au Pairs are not responsible for heavy housework or the overall care of the home.

Au Pair Benefits

Host Families in South Africa provide their Au Pair with the following:

Private room and full board

R2500-R4000 pocket money per month

2 weeks of paid vacation per 12 months

Agency will assist with many different touring and travel options during the year

Cost

Airfare to and from South Africa

Health insurance

$75 South Africa work permit fee

Below is How to Become An AU Pair In South Africa

You can become an Au Pair if you:

are 17 – 30 years old

have a good command of English or other language spoken in the host country

enjoy working with kids

are not married and don’t have kids of your own

have at least a high school diploma

are healthy without any chronic diseases

have a clear criminal record

want to spend time abroad

Let’s discuss each requirement in details. 

Age

You need to be at least 17 years old and not older than 30 to apply for the program. Check out the specific age requirements for each country. 

Language requirements

You need to be able to communicate on a daily basis with your Host Family. If the host country’s requirements don’t state otherwise, usually good command of English or the host country’s official language is more than enough. The Au Pair program is for you to practice a foreign language, so don’t worry if you are not fluent yet

If you need a visa to participate in the Au Pair program, you might be required a language certificate proving your knowledge of the target language.
You are also allowed to improve your proficiency by attending a language course in the host country. In some countries, language courses are mandatory.

Family Status

In order to take part in the Au Pair program, you can’t have children of your own. This is also a very important criteria to be entitled to the Au Pair visa. In many countries, you need to be unmarried as well. 

Education

You need to have at least a school diploma (depending on the country). Some Host Families might ask for additional certificates or documents proving your experience in childcare. 

Visa (if required)

You must fulfill the requirements of the host country’s embassy to be entitled to the Au Pair visa. If you are interested in participating in the Au Pair program, check the requirements for the J-1 visa.  Read also more information about the working holiday visa, which is issued to Au Pairs in several countries. 

Au Pair’s expenses

You must be able to cover the travel expenses required to reach the host country and get back home, unless you have agreed with your future Host Family on different terms. Though we encourage Host Families to support their Au Pairs with travel costs, this is not a mandatory requirement and totally depends on the family’s decision. 

How much do au pairs earn in South Africa?

As a guideline, an inexperienced au pair working 20 hours or more per week can expect to earn around R50 – R60 per hour, whereas one working for 10 hours less can expect to earn roughly R60 – R75 per hour.

Where can I study au pair in South Africa?

You can register for an au pair training course at Oxbridge Academy. We offer a skills certificate course in childcare/au pair work, which will equip you with a variety of the skills that you will need if you want to work as an au pair: Oxbridge Academy Skills Certificate: Childcare/Au Pair.

What qualifications do you need to be an au pair?

What are the Au Pair in America program requirements?

are aged between 18 – 26 years.

have a full driving license.

enjoy caring for children.

have at least 200 hours recent, non-family, practical childcare experience.

are a secondary school graduate or equivalent.

speak English to a good standard.

have no criminal record.

Can I au pair in South Africa?

Hosting an au pair from South Africa is a unique opportunity to experience a culture with many similarities to the United States as well as some very exciting differences. Au pairs from South Africa often have a lot of experience with children both in their own families and in schools and daycares.

What happens if an au pair gets pregnant?

Not having children is part of the conditions in the au pair contract. If an au pair got pregnant, she would be deported.

Can you be an au pair for 1 month?

A summer au pair typically lives with a host family during the summer holidays for a shorter period of time than a regular au pair stay (just 1 – 3 months). The main aim of the stay is to help the family with childcare during the school holidays while giving the au pair a compact experience in a foreign country.

What do au pairs do in South Africa?

Au Pairs can assist with homework, drive children to and from school and extra-murals, and manage children’s schedules. They will become the parent’s representative while the parent is not there e.g. by liaising with teachers, coaches, therapists etc.

Do u need a degree to be an au pair?

Please note: You must be at least 18 years old before the date of departure to legally become an au pair. In addition, you must have a school degree, a clean criminal background, and often a driver’s license is required.

Do I need a degree to be an au pair?

Education. You need to have at least a school diploma (depending on the country). Some Host Families might ask for additional certificates or documents proving your experience in childcare.

How do you introduce yourself as an au pair?

Sample Au Pair Profile

1 Introduce yourself. A few sentences about who you are, your age, your family and your background.

2 Your experience with children.

3 Why you want to be an au pair.

4 Anything else you can offer.

Do au pairs get weekends off?

Au pairs follow the family schedule, so they may work on weekends and evenings. Au pairs get a full week-end off every month, from Friday night to Monday morning. Any hours that an au pair has responsibility for the children, even if she is sleeping, are considered work hours.