Weekend Au Pair in South Africa: How to Find One in 2026

18 October 2026

Yes, you can find an au pair who works weekends only. In South Africa most au pairs work a regular weekday schedule, but plenty of families want help on Saturdays and Sundays, or just on Saturday mornings. Those arrangements are normal. You just have to ask for them clearly, because most profiles and job ads are written with weekdays in mind.

This guide covers what a weekend au pair actually does, how to set the hours, what you owe by law, what it costs to search, and how to get the first conversation going.

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TL;DR

A weekend au pair is a part-time arrangement: set days and set hours, such as Saturday 08:00 to 13:00, or Saturday and Sunday daytime.
Say the days and hours in your first message. It saves both sides a lot of back and forth.
If your au pair works more than 24 hours a month in your home, you need to register for UIF. Weekend work adds up faster than you think.
On AuPairly, au pairs join for free. Families pay R249 per week (7-Day Access) or R449 per month (30-Day Access) to message them.
We review every profile for completeness before it goes live. Your own final checks, including three references, are still your job.

What a weekend au pair is (and isn’t)
Who needs a weekend au pair
Setting the hours: Saturday morning, Sunday, or the full weekend
What the law says: UIF and hours
How much does a weekend au pair cost?
Why we built AuPairly without agency fees
Perspective: what we’ve learned about weekend arrangements
How to find a weekend au pair on AuPairly: step by step
Checks: what we do and what you should do
If you only need a single weekend
Start your search
Weekend au pair FAQ
Sources

What a weekend au pair is (and isn’t)

A weekend au pair is someone who helps with your children on Saturdays, Sundays, or both, instead of Monday to Friday. Some families also call this a Saturday morning au pair, or a Sunday au pair. It’s the same idea: a regular, predictable slot with someone your children get to know.

It’s different from three things people mix it up with:

A live-in au pair. Live-in means someone lives in your home and works a weekly schedule. A weekend au pair usually lives elsewhere and comes to you.
A one-off babysitter. A babysitter covers a night out or an emergency. A weekend au pair turns up every week, so the children build a relationship. If you only need an evening or a single Saturday, our weekend babysitter guide and evening babysitting checklist will suit you better.
A weekday nanny. A nanny usually works set weekday hours and often has formal childcare training. Some weekend au pairs do too, but it isn’t a given. Ask.

Babysitting and au pair work overlap a lot. Many au pairs on AuPairly are happy to babysit, and many families start with a few weekend hours to see how it goes. We think that’s a sensible way to begin.

Who needs a weekend au pair

From what families tell us, the weekend arrangement tends to fit a few situations:

Parents who work weekends. Retail, hospitality, healthcare, security and events don’t stop on Saturday.
Dual-income households with a packed week. Saturday morning is when the groceries, the sports fixtures and the admin all collide.
Single parents who want one reliable block of time each weekend.
Families with school-age children who need a lift to sport, a party, or lessons, plus someone to supervise homework before Monday.
Families who aren’t ready for a full-time hire. A weekend slot is a low-commitment way to try an au pair.

And on the other side, au pairs who want weekend work are often students, people with a weekday job, or people building up hours. Many are glad of a defined, short shift.

Setting the hours: Saturday morning, Sunday, or the full weekend

Vague arrangements go wrong. “Some help on weekends” means three different things to three people. Write it down in the first message instead.

A useful weekend brief has these pieces:

Days. Saturday only, Sunday only, or both.
Start and finish time. For example, 07:30 to 12:30. Include the time you’ll actually be home, not the time you hope to be.
Tasks. Breakfast, getting the kids to sport, playtime, lunch, tidying up after the kids, school bag prep. Keep it to childcare and child-related jobs.
Number of children and ages. Include anything an adult needs to know: allergies, routines, a child who needs extra patience.
Transport. Does the au pair drive? Do you need them to? Is there a taxi, Uber or lift club involved, and who pays?
Meals. Will you feed them on shift? Say so.
Cancellations. What happens if you cancel on Friday night, or if the au pair is ill?

The more specific you are, the better the replies you’ll get. It also helps au pairs see whether your offer fits around their studies or other work.

Morning-only slots

Morning-only help is a popular request. A Saturday morning block covers sport, shopping and chores, and the children get their afternoon with you. Au pairs often prefer short blocks too, since they can pair them with other commitments. If you want a morning slot, put the exact hours at the top of your message.

Sundays

Sunday is an easy day to overlook, but it needs a clear conversation. Many households treat Sunday as the day off for anyone who works for them during the week. If your weekend au pair is also working for you or another household on weekdays, check that they actually get a day of rest. If they’re a weekend-only hire, Sunday is fine, as long as you’ve agreed it up front.

What the law says: UIF and hours

This is the part many families miss. A weekend au pair is still someone who works in your home, and that can make you an employer.

According to ClearComply’s UIF guide for household employers, anyone who works in your home for more than 24 hours a month, a childminder included, makes you an employer under the Unemployment Insurance Act. A pay guide from Bolulo Care says the same about the 24-hour threshold and points families to the Department of Labour for current rules on minimum wage and contributions.

Here’s what that means in practice:

Two Saturdays of six hours each is 12 hours a month. Under the threshold.
Every Saturday and Sunday, five hours a day is roughly 40 hours in a typical month. Over the threshold.
Every Saturday morning, five hours is about 20 hours in a typical month, close to the line. A month with five Saturdays could push you over.

We’re not lawyers or accountants, and the rules can change. If you’re near the threshold, check the current requirements with the Department of Employment and Labour or a payroll professional before you start. Register if it applies to you.

If your au pair will also sleep over at some point, read our guide on making au pair accommodation lawful in South Africa. It’s a separate question from weekend hours but the two often come up together.

How much does a weekend au pair cost?

We don’t quote hourly rates or salary figures in our articles, because they vary by city, experience, number of children and what you’re asking for. Guessing helps nobody. Here are the places to get a real number for your situation:

Our Au Pair Salary Calculator lets you enter your own details.
Our Cape Town salary guide covers pay for that city.
Our au pair benefits article explains what else to think about beyond cash pay, like meals, transport and time off.

A few things push the cost up or down:

Number of hours per session. Short shifts often cost more per hour than a full day, since the au pair has to travel for fewer hours of work.
Number and age of children. A baby and a toddler are different from two school-age kids.
Driving. If you need the au pair to drive your car or do school runs, expect that to count.
Qualifications and experience. First aid, early childhood development training, or years of experience can all affect what an au pair asks for.
Special needs. If a child needs extra care, say so, and expect to talk about it.

Whatever you agree, put it in writing. A short message that both of you confirm is better than nothing.

Why we built AuPairly without agency fees

If you’ve ever looked at an agency, you’ll know the model: a registration fee, then a placement fee, often taken as a percentage of the first salary. For a few hours on a Saturday, that doesn’t make sense.

AuPairly is a marketplace. You browse profiles, message the au pairs you like, and agree the details directly. There’s no placement fee and no commission on what you pay the au pair.

What you pay for is access:

Plan	Price	Good for
7-Day Access	R249 per week	A quick search when you need someone fast
30-Day Access	R449 per month	Taking your time to talk to a few au pairs and arrange trial weekends

Both are on our pricing page. Au pairs register and message families for free, so they never pay to find work with you.

Perspective: what we’ve learned about weekend arrangements

We’re a small team, and we read a lot of messages between families and au pairs. Here’s what we see most often.

The families who find a good weekend fit quickly are the ones who are specific. They say “Saturday 08:00 to 13:00, two kids aged 4 and 7, we’re in Bryanston” instead of “looking for weekend help.” Au pairs can answer that in one line, yes or no. The vague messages often get no reply, and it isn’t personal.

The second thing is the trial. We’d suggest a short paid trial on a normal Saturday, with you at home or close by. You’ll see how your children respond, and the au pair will see whether your house and routine suit them. Don’t skip it just because you’re busy. That’s when it matters most.

The third thing is honesty about what we do. Our admin team reviews every au pair profile before it goes live. We check profiles for completeness, quality and authenticity. We call it a quality gate. It is not a background check, and it doesn’t replace your own checks. You still talk to the au pair, ask for three references and call them. Background checks are available only as an optional add-on, and we explain them below.

Finally: weekend work is real work. Pay on time, keep to the hours you agreed, and tell your au pair if plans change. Reliable families keep reliable au pairs.

— Nicole

How to find a weekend au pair on AuPairly: step by step

Decide your slot first. Days, hours, number of children, area.
Browse by area. Our au pairs by area page lets you filter by city and province, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria.
Read profiles properly. Look at availability, experience with your children’s ages, languages, and whether they have transport. Our article on five profile details that save time shows what to look for.
Message three or four people, not one. Send the same clear brief to each. Replies will tell you a lot about who is reliable.
Do a short call or meeting. Use our interview questions as a script.
Check references. Au pairs provide three references. Call them. Ask about punctuality, how they handled a tough moment, and whether the previous family would hire them again.
Run a trial weekend. Paid, with you nearby.
Agree and write it down. Hours, pay, cancellation and who covers transport.

If you want to know about safety from the au pair’s side, we’ve published a safety guide covering au pair rights in South Africa. It’s worth a read as a family too, since it shows what a fair arrangement looks like.

Checks: what we do and what you should do

We want to be clear here, because it’s important.

What we do: an admin reviews each profile before it goes live. We look at completeness, quality and authenticity. That’s a quality gate.

What we don’t do: we don’t run background checks or criminal record screening as part of that review, and we don’t vouch for anyone’s employment history. Families do their own final checks.

What you can add. Optional checks are available as add-ons:

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

You don’t have to buy any of them. Some families do, particularly when a stranger will be alone with young children. Whichever route you take, still speak to the references yourself.

A short checklist for any weekend au pair:

Meet them, in person or on video, before the first shift.
Call all three references.
Ask to see ID.
Give a clear emergency contact list and the address of your nearest clinic.
Tell your children who’s coming and why.
Start with a trial when you’re nearby.

If you only need a single weekend

A weekend au pair isn’t for everyone. If you need cover once, say for a wedding or a work trip, you might be better off with an on-demand babysitter. AuPairly handles urgent and last-minute babysitting requests as one-off payments, so you don’t need to commit to a month of access just to find someone for one Saturday.

For longer holidays, some Cape Town businesses offer nannies and babysitters for families staying in rental villas, such as Cape Town Luxury Escapes. That’s a different service from a regular weekend au pair.

If you’re deciding between daycare and a sitter for weekdays too, our guide to daycare or a babysitter covers age advice and safety checks.

Start your search

If you know your days and hours, you’re ready. Choose a plan on our pricing page, browse profiles in your area, and send your first message today. Au pairs who want weekend work can register for free.

Weekend au pair FAQ

Can an au pair work weekends only?

Yes. Many au pairs are happy with weekend-only or part-time hours, especially students and people with weekday jobs. State your days and hours clearly in your first message so they can see quickly whether it fits. Agree pay and cancellation terms before the first shift.

Do I need to register for UIF for a weekend au pair?

If the au pair works in your home for more than 24 hours a month, you’re treated as an employer under the Unemployment Insurance Act. Weekend work adds up quickly, so count your monthly hours. Check current rules with the Department of Employment and Labour or a payroll professional.

How much does it cost to find a weekend au pair on AuPairly?

Families pay R249 per week for 7-Day Access or R449 per month for 30-Day Access. Au pairs join and message families for free, and there are no agency fees. What you pay the au pair is separate and agreed directly.

Are the au pairs on AuPairly background-checked?

No, not as standard. Our admin team reviews profiles for completeness, quality and authenticity before they go live, but that is not a background check. Criminal record and other checks are optional add-ons, and you should always call the three references yourself.

What should I ask a weekend au pair in the first message?

Ask if they’re free on your days and hours, whether they have transport, and what experience they have with your children’s ages. Then arrange a short call. Our interview questions can guide you.