Au Pair Salary Guide: South Africa
Almost every conversation between a family and an au pair stalls at the same point: nobody wants to say a number first. This guide gives you the range the South African market actually works in, and — more usefully — what decides where a particular role sits inside it.
The range
R8,000 – R15,000
per month, full-time
That band covers the great majority of full-time au pair roles in South Africa, in every province. It is a market range rather than a legal minimum, and it is not the same thing as a quote: a role at the bottom and a role at the top are usually two genuinely different jobs.
What moves a role up or down the band
Six things account for nearly all of the difference between one au pair role and another. Work through them honestly and the right number for your situation becomes fairly obvious.
Live-in or live-out
A live-in au pair gets accommodation and usually meals as part of the arrangement, so the cash salary tends to sit lower in the band than a live-out role with the same hours. Live-out au pairs cover their own rent, food and transport, and are paid accordingly.
Hours per week
This is the single biggest factor. A role covering school pick-up to early evening is a different job to one that starts with the morning drop-off and ends at bath time, and the pay should reflect that rather than being fixed by habit.
Driving duties
School runs and lifts to sport add real responsibility, wear and cost. Where the au pair drives her own car, families typically reimburse per kilometre at the prevailing SARS travel rate on top of salary rather than folding it in. Agree the arrangement in writing before the first term starts.
Number and ages of the children
Three children on three different school timetables is more demanding than one, and a toddler at home all day is more demanding than a nine-year-old who needs homework supervision. Both push a role up the band.
Experience and qualifications
Years of contactable childcare experience, a valid first aid certificate, a teaching or early-childhood qualification, and languages a family actually needs all justify the upper half of the band. An au pair with none of these is not underpaid at the bottom of it — she is starting.
Where the family is
Roles in the big metros — particularly Johannesburg, Sandton, Cape Town and Pretoria — trend towards the upper end, because the hours are longer and the driving heavier. Smaller centres more often advertise afternoon-only work, paid pro-rata.
How part-time and afternoon roles are paid
A great many au pair roles in South Africa are afternoon-only — school pick-up, homework, a lift to sport, and home before supper. These are not paid at some separate rate; they are paid pro-rata from the same R8,000 – R15,000 band. The practical method is to decide what the role would be worth full-time, taking the factors above into account, and then scale it to the hours actually being worked.
Two things are worth settling at the same time. The first is school holidays: some families want full days during the holidays, some want nothing, and an au pair who has budgeted for a monthly figure needs to know which. The second is what happens when a parent is late — an extra hour twice a week is a material change to a part-time role, and it is far easier to agree the rule in advance than to raise it in month three.
If you are the au pair
- Ask for the hours in writing — start time, finishing time, and what happens when a parent is late.
- Establish whether the role is live-in or live-out before you discuss a number, because it changes what the number means.
- Agree the petrol arrangement separately from salary if you will be driving your own car.
- Ask what happens during school holidays: full days, reduced hours, or unpaid weeks.
- Be honest about your availability. A rate you accept for hours you cannot actually work helps nobody.
If you are the family
- Budget the salary from the band that matches the hours you are actually asking for, not the shortest version of the job.
- Add petrol on top if there is a school run, reimbursed per kilometre at the prevailing SARS rate.
- Decide up front how holidays are handled and put it in the agreement — this is the most common source of friction.
- Expect to pay towards the upper end for a first aid certificate, several years of experience, or long days.
- Remember that an au pair is an employee: leave and notice are part of the arrangement, not a favour.
Au pair pay: common questions
How much do au pairs earn in South Africa?
Full-time au pairs in South Africa typically earn between R8,000 and R15,000 per month. Where a specific role falls in that range depends on the hours, whether it is live-in or live-out, how much driving is involved, the number and ages of the children, and the au pair's experience and qualifications.
How is part-time au pair work paid?
Part-time and afternoon-only roles are normally paid pro-rata from the same R8,000 to R15,000 band rather than at a separate rate. Work out what the role would pay full-time, then scale it to the hours actually being worked, and agree that in writing before the first day.
Who pays for petrol on the school run?
The family does, and it is normally handled separately from salary. Where the au pair uses her own car, the common arrangement is a per-kilometre reimbursement at the prevailing SARS travel rate, paid monthly against a simple log of the trips driven.
Should a live-in au pair be paid less?
A live-in arrangement usually carries a lower cash salary than an identical live-out role, because accommodation and meals form part of what the au pair receives. It should not, however, be treated as a reason to pay below the band — the hours worked are still the hours worked.
Ready to start?
Registration is free for both sides. Au pairs are never charged; families pay only when they want to unlock a candidate's contact details.