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I need an Au Pair

Our Service

Sitters4U is a national, full service, au pair placement agency. This means we will take care of everything from setting up your interviews with carefully hand picked candidates matching your requirements, too the provision of a personalised contract of employment specifically designed for au pair placement. We believe in forming long term relationships with both clients and staff alike and provide ongoing advice and support for all parties throughout the employment process and beyond. We place you first, always.

As parents we want to know that our children always have plenty of care, love and attention. At Sitters4U, we understand that with the hectic schedules of modern day life, as a parent one cannot always be by your child’s side 24 hours a day. Parents are always the primary provider, however an au pair can play a vital supportive role in your children’s lives, making the time you and your children spend together quality time.

What are the Duties of a South African Au pair?

In the traditional sense, an au pair, is defined as a young person living with a family abroad caring for the families children and doing light house work. However in South Africa, today, an au pair is much more than this. An au pair in South Africa, is a professional, responsible, experienced and even trained person who cares for the child’s entire welfare whilst in his or her care and is not responsible for general household duties and is the equivalent of a professional Nanny in the UK.

An au pair is expected to do a lot more than just supervise the children. Parents should always be the primary care providers and role models for their children and au pairs can support the parents in achieving this goal by contributing to the children’s vital support network.

An au pair helps with daily activities related to the child’s needs, from lifting to helping with homework, preparing healthy snacks and filling the children's days with fun, age appropriate activities. This leaves time for mom and dad to relax with their children and enjoy a healthy relationship which ultimately will provide the basis to develop the communication and trust needed between children and parents as they get older.

What are our Requirements for Au pairs

Sitters4U specializes in the placement of local professional au pairs. We like to look at applicants as a whole, relying not only on what they have done but who they are as people. All of our candidates are personally interviewed, thoroughly background checked and reference checked. They are healthy and usually quiet active. We prefer applicants who are friendly, outgoing and most importantly caring. At the end of the day and through years of experience, we have found on many occasions that personality, is almost always the most important factor when it comes to placing a person who will form such an integral and important part of you and your children’s daily life.

Our staff are educated and we place preference to candidates who have a tertiary child care related education as this shows dedication to the provision of child care as a long term part of the candidates goals. We ensure that they all have their own licensed child safe vehicles and valid SA driving license, as well as a minimum of 1 year’s childcare experience, although most of our staff have 3 to 5 years experience, if not more. We don’t believe that a piece of paper counts as a reference either and contact each and every reference personally before deciding whether a candidate should be allowed to join our team. In keeping with international standards, and as one of the first agencies in South Africa to insist on candidates completing and holding a SETA approved first aid certificate, we believe proper first aid training is essential for any person caring for a child, to know. We are proud to see many agencies now trying to following our lead. We insist in assisting only those au pairs who look as child care as more than a job, see it as a commitment to the children they care for, and who enjoy the responsibilities involved in doing so

What is the average salary of an Au pair?

The following rates are a guideline to the current market related rate and may vary according to your requirements, the hours required and the number and age of children:

Less than 15 hours per week: R 55 per hour or from R 3700 or less per month
15 to 35 hours per week: R 50 to R45 per hour or from R3700 to R8000 per month
35 hours or more: negotiable

If your au pair will be using her own vehicle, please note that petrol is charged for at a rate of R 3.00 p/km.

Au pair Placement Fees

1. Registration:

A registration fee of R 350.00 (ZAR) must be paid before or upon interviews taking place, being requested or confirmed. This covers the cost of setting up interviews, contacting potential staff on your behalf, registering you as a client, etc. No interviews will take place until proof of payment of registration fee has been received. The registration fee registers you for a maximum period of 3 months or a maximum of 10 interviews. The registration fee is non-refundable. Should the registration expire or 10 candidates be interviewed, you may request to re-register.

2. Placement fee:

Is due immediately once you have made an offer, either telephonically, via fax, email or in person which the candidate accepts.

2.1 Long Term Placement Fee:

Long term placement is any placement for longer than a 3 month period. Sitters4U charges a once off placement fee for long term positions which is equivalent to 100% of the recommended salary. Salaries themselves are negotiable.The minimum placement fee is R3500. This is a once off payment worked out based on your requirements. For a full quote please complete our au pair service request form.

2.2 Short Term Placement Fee:

Short term placements are positions which are shorter than a 3 month period. The placement fee for short term placement is 30% of the total amount earned over the total period worked by the chosen candidate (short term positions are 3 months or less).The total to be earned by the candidate over the period worked is paid up front and any amounts due above and beyond this will be charged for on the last day of the position. Short term contracts are not renewable.

Hiring an Au pair with Sitters4U

Its a simple 5 step process.

Step 1: Complete our comprehensive online request form which allows us to fully grasp your requirements and expectations and match these to our available candidates. No faxing or emailing required as this form is submitted directly from the website. You will need to provide the times you are available to interview candidates, which should be approximately 3 to 5 working days from the date of sending your request form.

Step 2: We will quote you on the market related salary bracket according to your requirements.

Step 3: First Interviews: Once you are happy with the bracket provided we will approach all the candidates in your area that may be interested and who match your experience and personality requirements. We will confirm the times of the interviews with the candidates and yourself. We will not invoice you for registration unless we have candidates available for you to interview who are interested in the position and salary you are offering and are suitable to your requirements. We will then send you an invoice for registration fees which is R350 and a copy of our guidelines for interviewing an au pair . We will assist you with any questions or guidelines you require and on receipt of payment we will confirm the interviews. In your first interviews you will see the candidates for approximately 30 minutes to an hour per candidate and we recommend seeing all the candidates on the same day or within a 2 day period at a maximum. This ensures that should one of your candidates not arrive you have not wasted time waiting for them and all of them are fresh in your mind to decide between. In your first interview you should exclude the children. This will give you the opportunity to get a feel for the candidates you would like to see for second interviews. You should immediately report to Sitters4U as to which candidates you preferred and provide times for second interviews.

Step 4: Second interviews should take place not more than 2 days after the first interviews. Your second interviews with your preferred candidates should include the children and should last approximately an hour or 2 longer. You can also request that the candidate come for a trial of up to a maximum of 3 hours.

Step 5: As soon as you have come to a decision on the candidate you would prefer to hire, please contact Sitters4U to ensure that the candidate is still available to be hired, we recommend making this decision within 1 to 3 days of your second interviews and providing a time for signing of the contract. Sitters4U will immediately confirm the placement and forward you the documentation required to be signed together with the invoice for the placement fee .Invoices are due within 3 days of invoice. We offer a free value added service you may make use of and can put together the appropriate personalised short term or long term employment contract for you, and your au pair. Assistance also takes the form of personalised payslips and on going support.

Read more about maintaining a good relationship with your au pair
Read more about the Basic Conditions of Employment Act
What are the current tax tables?

How long does the placement process take?

It will take 1 to 3 days for us to confirm your first interviews with potential candidates from the date on which you approve the quote provided.
You should have completed your first interviews within 3 to 5 days of sending your initial request.
You should be able to make a decision on who you would like to see for second interviews within 2 to 3 working days of the initial interviews.
You should come to a decision on who you would like to hire within 1 to 3 days of your second interviews.

How many candidates can I expect to see?

You can expect to see 2 to 10 candidates per position.

Browse Our Au Pairs

Click here to take a look at the au pairs we have listed in your area.

Added Benefits of finding an Au pair with Sitters4U

Initial request for an au pair is free.
The position you are offering is advertised for free on our website and directly to our already listed and available candidates via SMS, telephonically, email and through the website.
On joining with us all candidates, if they have not already done so partake in a SETA approved paediatric first aid course. Even you can join us to take part in these courses by clicking here and selecting the next course taking place in your city. By making First Aid a necessity instead of luxury as it is in the rest of the world, Sitters4U aims to set a new precedent and increase the standard service level in South Africa for child carers.
Beyond First Aid , through our articles and provided resources for candidates we provide guidelines to ensure your children are always safe.

One of the benefits of having an au pair is that they are able to provide age appropriate, fun activities to do. From being at home on a rainy day to taking your children on outings, allowing them to safely explore the world around them.During school holidays this is especially important and can be of great assistance. Sitters4U believe that keeping you and your au pair informed of the latest events and possible outings in your area is of absolute importance. Every month you and your au pair will receive a copy of the Mom's Gig Guide newsletter which will allows you to choose from a variety of fun activities that your au pair can do with your children, we also ensure to include information about events even you will enjoy. View our Mom's Gig Guide by clicking here.