Au Pair Qualifications in South Africa: What Families Look For

19 October 2026

There is no national licence or compulsory qualification for being an au pair in South Africa. What you’ll find instead is a set of things families expect: childcare experience, first aid, a driver’s licence in many homes, good references and a clear, written agreement. This guide covers what counts, what’s a bonus, and how to check it properly.

We wrote it for two people: the parent deciding what to ask for, and the au pair deciding what to get.

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TL;DR

No law says an au pair must hold a certain certificate. Expectations are set by each family, not by a national body.
The most useful extras are first aid, Early Childhood Development (ECD) training, and a driver’s licence if school runs are part of the job.
Every au pair on AuPairly provides 3 references. Families still do their own final checks.
Foreign nationals need the right work permit from the Department of Home Affairs before they start.
Profiles on AuPairly are reviewed by our admin team for completeness, quality and authenticity before they go live.

So what does an au pair actually need?
Can you be an au pair without matric?
Childcare experience
First aid and ECD training
Driver’s licence and your own transport
Age requirements
Language
Work permits for foreign nationals
References: the three that matter
Optional checks families can add
The soft skills that make a good au pair
Au pair or babysitter?
Agreement, hours and pay
Our view
Find an au pair on AuPairly
FAQ
Sources

So what does an au pair actually need?

Let’s start with what isn’t required. You don’t need a degree. You don’t need to have studied childcare. Career guidance for the role says becoming an au pair doesn’t take years of study after matric, and lists first aid skills, a sober lifestyle, no criminal record and a driver’s licence as the basics.

That matches what we see. Families want someone they can trust with their children every day. Paper qualifications help, but they’re only part of the picture.

Here’s a simple way to sort it out:

Category	Examples	Who asks for it
Almost always expected	Real childcare experience, 3 references, good communication	Most families
Often expected	Driver’s licence, first aid, clear availability	Families with school runs and extra-murals
A strong bonus	ECD certificate, paediatric first aid, a childcare or teaching qualification	Families with babies, toddlers or children with extra needs
Legally required for some	Work permit	Au pairs who aren’t South African citizens or permanent residents

Can you be an au pair without matric?

Yes, in the sense that no law says you can’t. There’s no national rule that sets matric as the entry ticket for family-based childcare.

In practice, it depends on the family. Some want a matric certificate because they see it as a sign of reliability and basic communication skills. Others care far more about your experience and references.

If you don’t have matric, here’s what we’d do:

Say so honestly in your profile. Don’t hide it.
Lead with what you do have: years of looking after younger siblings, cousins or neighbours’ children, crèche or church volunteering, or paid babysitting.
Get a first aid certificate. It tells a parent you take safety seriously.
Line up three references who can speak about your work with children.

Parents, if matric matters to you, ask for it. If it doesn’t, you’ll widen your pool of candidates. Either is fine. Just decide before you start reading profiles.

Childcare experience

Experience is the thing families mention first. A parent who’s never left their baby with anyone wants to hear that you’ve changed nappies, managed bedtimes and dealt with a tantrum in a shopping centre.

One published guide to au pair work in Johannesburg says au pairs are expected to show around 200 hours of childcare experience. That’s one guide’s expectation, not a legal threshold, but it’s a useful target if you’re just starting out.

What counts as experience:

Paid babysitting, with the age of the children and how long you did it
Looking after family members’ children regularly
Work at a crèche, after-care or holiday programme
Previous au pair or nanny roles
Volunteering at a school or church children’s programme

What makes it believable is detail. “Looked after a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old three afternoons a week for a year” beats “love children” every time. Our guide on the profile details that save families time goes into this.

First aid and ECD training

This is where an au pair can really stand out. There’s no rule saying you must have it. But many South African families look for it, because it signals that you’ve thought about what to do when something goes wrong.

Two types of training come up most:

Paediatric first aid. This covers things like choking, burns, fevers, falls and when to call for help. It’s the one we’d put first if you can only afford one course.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) training. Courses at levels 3 or 4 are often mentioned. Training centres such as the Fisantekraal Centre for Development run practical full-time programmes that cover infant care, development milestones and safety.

Costs and funding vary by provider and change over time, so check the course page itself before you commit.

It’s worth noticing how other fields treat safety credentials too. A swim school in Singapore, for example, explains how certified coaches and a strict class ratio are part of what parents look for when they choose lessons. The principle travels: parents trust what they can see written down. If your au pair will be near a pool, a swimming or water-safety qualification is worth mentioning on your profile.

Driver’s licence and your own transport

This one is practical, not formal. If the job includes school lifts, extra-mural runs or doctor visits, a driver’s licence matters. Some families add that the au pair needs a reliable car. Others offer their own car for the children’s trips.

Career guidance says a valid licence with some driving experience is among the usual basics. If you don’t drive, that’s not a dealbreaker. Many families live close to school or need help mainly at home. Just be clear about it so nobody’s surprised in week one.

Parents: if driving is part of the role, say so in your first message and agree who pays for fuel and who insures what. Put it in writing.

Age requirements

There’s no single age rule for local au pairs. Families decide, and you’ll see a wide range of ages among the people who offer childcare.

The age limits you may have read about, usually 18 to 24, apply to a specific group. One expat guide says foreign nationals are typically expected to be between 18 and 24 and hold a legal au pair work permit. Programmes in other countries use their own limits. The US BridgeUSA programme, for example, works with 18 to 26-year-olds. Those numbers belong to those programmes and countries. They aren’t South African law for local au pairs.

As a parent, think about maturity rather than a number. Ask how the person handled a difficult moment with a child. Our interview questions for South African parents are copy-ready and will help.

Language

There’s no official language test. What matters is whether the au pair and your children can understand each other, and whether you and the au pair can talk easily about the day.

South Africa has 12 official languages, and many families want a particular one at home. Some want English for school readiness. Others want Afrikaans, isiZulu or isiXhosa spoken with the children. If that’s you, say so up front and check it in a short call.

Au pairs: list every language you speak comfortably, and say which you’d use with the children. It’s a quick way for the right family to spot you.

Work permits for foreign nationals

If you’re a South African citizen or permanent resident, you don’t need a permit to work in a family home. If you’re a foreign national, you do. Visa and permit rules are handled by the Department of Home Affairs, and the applicant is responsible for holding the right documents before starting work.

You’ll also need an employment contract with the host family that sets out duties, hours and responsibilities. The Immigration Regulations are published by the Department of Home Affairs. Rules change, so check the department’s current guidance, or speak to an immigration practitioner, before you accept an offer.

Parents: don’t assume the au pair has sorted this. Ask to see the permit and keep a copy.

References: the three that matter

If you can only fix one thing on your profile, fix this one. Au pairs provide 3 references. Always three.

Good references are:

From people who aren’t family
From people who’ve seen you with children, such as a previous employer, a teacher, a crèche manager or a family you babysat for
Willing to take a call or reply to a message

Parents, actually contact them. Ask what the au pair was like on a bad day, whether they were on time, and whether the referee would hire them again. It takes ten minutes and tells you a lot.

Optional checks families can add

Some families want more than references. We offer optional add-ons, priced separately, so you only pay for what you want:

Check	Price
ID Check	R99 per year
Reference Check	R89 one-off
Qualification Check	R79 one-off
Criminal record check	R500 per year per check

These are add-ons. A standard profile on AuPairly isn’t a background check, and we don’t claim it is. Families do their own final checks before they hire. If you want a criminal record check, you can add it.

The soft skills that make a good au pair

Certificates get you the first conversation. These skills keep you in the job.

Reliability. Turning up on time, every time. For a dual-income household, this is everything.
Time management. School pick-ups, snacks, homework and bath time all land in the same two hours.
Initiative. The best au pairs anticipate needs rather than waiting to be asked.
Patience. With children, and with a family’s routines that are still being worked out.
Honest communication. Say when something isn’t working, early and kindly.

A family can’t read these off a certificate, so show them in your profile and in how you reply to messages.

Au pair or babysitter?

Both are real childcare roles, and plenty of families need both. A babysitter usually covers an evening or an occasional block of hours. An au pair is more of a regular, ongoing arrangement, often with school runs, meals and extra-mural logistics.

The qualifications you need differ in degree, not in kind. For an evening out, a parent mostly needs someone responsible, with first aid and references. For a daily arrangement, parents tend to look harder at experience, transport and fit with the family’s routine. If you’re booking evening cover, our guide to what to send before an evening babysitting booking will save you back-and-forth.

AuPairly also handles urgent babysitting requests, which are paid as a one-off, so the platform works whether you need help tonight or every weekday.

Agreement, hours and pay

Whatever qualifications your au pair has, put the arrangement in writing. A written contract that covers hours, duties like school lifts or chores, and leave is the best way to avoid misunderstandings.

We don’t quote hourly rates in articles like this, because they depend on city, hours, experience and what’s included. For current guidance, use our salary guides for Johannesburg and Pretoria. If your au pair lives in, read about making au pair accommodation lawful too. For what a good package includes beyond pay, see our guide to au pair benefits.

Our view

We get asked often whether there’s an official au pair qualification. There isn’t, and we think that’s okay. It means families have the freedom to choose a person, not just a certificate.

But it also means you have to look closely. A first aid card and three real references tell you more than a polished profile photo. We’d rather families ask good questions than assume that a platform has done the work for them.

That’s why we’re clear about what we do. Our admin team reviews every au pair profile before it goes live, checking it for completeness, quality and authenticity. We call that a quality gate. It isn’t a background check, and it isn’t employment vetting. You make the final call, and you should check references, ask for documents and meet the person before you hire.

For au pairs, our advice is simple. Write a complete profile, name your experience in detail, list your training and give three references. Families notice.

— Nicole

Find an au pair on AuPairly

We connect South African families directly with admin-reviewed au pairs, with no agency fees. You can filter by city and province, read detailed profiles and message au pairs directly. Au pairs join and message families for free.

Families pay for access: 7-Day Access is R249 per week and 30-Day Access is R449 per month. You can also browse au pairs by area to see who’s near you. Are you an au pair? Register for free and add your first aid, ECD and reference details.

FAQ

Do you need a qualification to be an au pair in South Africa?

No. There’s no national licence or compulsory certificate. Families set their own expectations, and many ask for childcare experience, first aid, references and, where school runs are involved, a driver’s licence.

What’s the minimum age for an au pair?

There’s no single age rule for local au pairs. The 18 to 24 range often quoted applies to foreign nationals on au pair work permits. Families decide for themselves what age and maturity suit them.

Which language should an au pair speak?

There’s no official language requirement. Choose the language your children need to hear at home and confirm it in a short call. If you want your au pair to speak Afrikaans, isiZulu or another language with the children, say so in your first message.

Does AuPairly check au pairs’ backgrounds?

Not as standard. Our admin team reviews profiles for completeness, quality and authenticity before they go live, and au pairs provide 3 references. Criminal record, ID, reference and qualification checks are optional add-ons, and families do their own final checks.

Is a first aid certificate worth getting?

Yes. It isn’t compulsory, but families notice it, especially those with babies and toddlers. Paediatric first aid and ECD training are among the credentials families often value.