Gap year after matric? Why au pairing is a smart first job

Matric results come out in January, and by February thousands of families across South Africa are looking for someone to do the afternoon school run. If you’re taking a gap year, that timing is a gift.

What the job actually is

Collect children from school, drive them to sport, sit with homework, make a snack, keep the house calm until a parent gets home. Twenty to thirty hours a week, weekday afternoons, usually for a school year. Some families offer a room and meals for a live-in arrangement. Our guide on becoming an au pair covers the detail.

Why it’s a good first job

• It pays properly. Gap-year au pairs in the metros earn roughly R6,000 to R11,000 a month, more with a driver’s licence and a car. Small towns pay less but often include accommodation. See the pocket money guide.
• It’s a real reference. A family who trusted you with their children for a year will write you a reference that carries weight for any job, or for a university residence application.
• It’s structured but flexible. Afternoons only leaves mornings for a part-time course, driving lessons, or a second job.
• It teaches things a first office job doesn’t. Managing three children, a car and a schedule teaches judgment quickly.

What you need

• To be 18 or older.
• A driver’s licence, ideally. If you’re 18 without one, book the test now; a licence roughly doubles your options and your rate.
• A first aid course. One day, and it puts you at the top of many families’ lists.
• Experience you already have: younger siblings, cousins, babysitting, coaching, Sunday school. Write it down specifically.

When to start looking

Families post in January and February and again in July. Create your profile as soon as your results are in and set your start date. Say how long you can commit; a family who knows you’re theirs until December will choose you over someone vaguer.

Live-in or live-out

If you want to work in another city, live-in roles in places like Ballito, the Helderberg, Fourways or the Garden Route come with a room and meals. Our live-in guide explains what a fair arrangement includes.

Stay safe

Meet families in daylight, tell someone where you’re going, keep the early conversations on the platform, and never send money to anyone. The safety guide has the full checklist.

Then what

Many gap-year au pairs keep the same family into first year at university, moving to fewer hours. Others use the year to decide on teaching, nursing, psychology or something else entirely. Either way, you’ll have earned, learned and been trusted.

Create your free profile.