Governesses
What is a Governess?
Governess can be thought of as the 'Rolls-Royce' of childcare. These are mature candidates able to handle multiple children across multiple age groups from 0 - 18 years old, else from 3 to 5 children, matched in experience to the ages of your own children.
Minimum Requirements for Governess Candidates
Our Governesses have:
- Experience and References: Minimum of 5 years’ experience with similarly aged children as those requiring care, most have 7 to 15 years of experience or more.
- Vehicles: Their own vehicles and driver’s licenses.
- Education: Minimum NQF 5, although depending on duties required, most governess candidates have a degree | NQF 6 or higher.
- Personality: We prefer working with au pairs who are dedicated, organised, friendly, energetic, creative, patient, active and caring.
- First Aid: Completed a SETA approved first aid course or that they sign up for a course when joining our team.
How do we screen our Governesses?
- Au pairs are personally interviewed by a trained Sitters4U Recruiter.
- Applying applicants submit copies of ID, drivers license, proof of address, first aid, matric or higher certification and criminal clearance which are checked.
- References are checked by a Sitters4U recruiter or representative.
What does a Governess earn?
Salaries are dependent on the experience and education level of the governess and your families requirements; if traveling is required, the number and age of children requiring care, the duties required, etc.
- Half day: From 2 to 6 hours per day: R 5000 to R 18 000 per month.
- Full day: From 6 hours upwards per day: R 12 000 to R 35 000 per month.
What are the Duties of a Governess?
A governess usually works full days and may do after hours babysitting or adhoc childcare for her/his employers from time to time. In this section we look mainly at the duties of a governess caring for multiple children across multiple age groups.
A governess may be expected to:
- Provide lifting to school, picking up and dropping off the children at school, outings, lifting to extra murals, doctor’s appointments and play dates.
- Preparation of snacks, lunch or dinner.
- Teach personal hygiene and cleanliness.
- Bathing of the child/children (applicable to children aged up to 8 years old), running a bath or supervising showers for older children.
- Communicating with teachers in order to ensure that the child/children's work is up to date, checking that homework is being covered and ensuring the child's schoolwork is up to date. Assisting with homework, projects, research and teaching the child to study, preparing for exams.
- Providing emotional support and guidance.
- Assisting the child/children to clean up their rooms, study areas and cleaning up/washing dishes after meals.
- Keeping records of the days activities, meals served and observe and monitor a child’s development for signs of emotional or developmental problems and bringing them to parent’s or guardian’s attention.
- Creation, management and implementation of a child’s schedule including planning age appropriate, stimulating recreational activities, eating times and sleeping times.
- To work with this age group you should be able to have fun and learn with the child while assisting the child to excel in whatever activities and studies they may partake in.
- They are able to set boundaries and provide constant guidance and truly enjoy themselves at the same time. They are organised and are not easily stressed.
