For families
Au Pair Extraordinaire helps South African families find carefully screened au pairs who suit their children and household needs. An au pair is the perfect solution if you need dependable after-school childcare, school lifts, homework support and help keeping your child’s routine on track.
We take the time to understand your family, recommend suitable candidates and support you from first enquiry to placement and beyond, so you can hire an au pair in South Africa with clarity and peace of mind. We place au pairs across Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.
No obligation · Takes about 5 minutes
5-stage screening
for every candidate
Types of au pairs
An au pair can wear many hats. From school runs and baby milestones to running your diary, here’s how our au pairs support South African families.
Choose a type of au pair to see what they do
Homework, play and routines
More than lifts and homework: an after-school au pair plans stimulating, age-appropriate play and activities that support your child’s development, all within a calm, steady afternoon routine.
Ready to hire your after-school au pair?
Development-led care
An infant care au pair plans your baby’s day around stimulation, milestones and learning through play, and gives you regular feedback on feeds, sleep and progress.
Looking for an infant care au pair?
Childcare and PA support
Childcare plus PA support for your family or business: an executive au pair cares for your children while managing diaries, admin, household staff, service providers, travel and events.
Ready to hire your executive au pair?
Understanding, consistent care
An au pair with neurodiverse experience gives your child calm, predictable afternoons, and follows through on the strategies used at school and in therapy.
Ready to find neurodiversity support?
How it works
Hiring an au pair should feel structured and manageable. We guide you step by step and empower you to make a well-informed decision.
Sign up with Au Pair Extraordinaire. It only takes a few minutes.
Tell us about your family, children, schedule and location.
We review your brief and hand-pick suitable candidates.
You receive pre-screened au pair profiles to review.
Meet or interview your preferred candidates.
We support your final decision and the placement.
Welcome your au pair homeWhen building your shortlist, we consider:
Start your application today, or send us a message if you’d like to chat first.
Screening
Families trust us because our screening process is thorough and focused on quality. Every candidate passes five stages before they reach your shortlist.
We screen hundreds of CVs daily. Every candidate must have:
Only 1 in 10 applicants reaches the next phase.
We interview the candidate, using structured questions created by a psychologist. Here we look to get a firmer grip on their underlying motives, abilities, passions and suitability for different learning dynamics.
Roughly half of applicants at this stage get our stamp of approval.
We mine all past employment. A single bad reference is enough to cut representation.
Every applicant has not only been vetted and cleared as an exceptional candidate, but we know each of them well enough to match them perfectly with the right family.
We go beyond personality to evaluate the real-world abilities of our candidates with our custom-built Child Care Competency Test.
These assessments go beyond what a CV can convey, evaluating candidates’ practical, day-to-day skills and ability to handle real-world scenarios effectively.
Before placement, every successful candidate completes a Criminal Background Check.
Families can also add ID Verification, a Premium Social Media Check with a comprehensive report, TransUnion Credit Check, Driver’s Licence Verification and Academic Qualification Verification.
Salary guide
An au pair’s salary depends on their age, childcare experience and courses completed, as well as the number of hours worked each week. Most au pairs look for a set monthly salary rather than an hourly rate.
This is a starting guide, not a salary quotation. Petrol is excluded. The family pays the au pair's salary directly.
Our placement fee is once-off, based on the candidate’s salary, and payable before they start work. Choose the plan that suits your family, then use our calculator to estimate your fee.
Standard
3-month replacement guarantee
Premium Most peace of mind
6-month replacement guarantee
Both plans include
FAQ
An au pair usually provides regular, ongoing support with school lifts, homework, routines and childcare during the week, while a babysitter is generally better suited to occasional or short-term care after hours and on weekends.
An after school au pair’s duties may include school lifts, homework supervision, preparing simple meals for the children, managing afternoon routines, arranging activities and providing age-appropriate childcare. An infant au pair takes care of feeding, nappy changes, naps, bathing, soothing, developmental play, walks, bottle cleaning, baby laundry, and keeping the nursery tidy. They also follow the parents’ routines and safety guidelines while keeping track of feeds, naps, and diaper changes.The responsibilities are agreed upon before placement.
It helps to know your required working hours, children’s ages, expected duties, location, special requirements, preferred start date and approximate monthly budget. We use this information to identify candidates suited to your family.
Placement timing depends on your requirements, location, hours, budget and flexibility. Highly specific roles may take longer to fill, while families with more availability may be able to interview suitable candidates sooner.
Yes. We support you throughout the process, from preparing your brief and presenting suitable candidates to coordinating interviews, gathering feedback and assisting with the final placement decision. We also assist with letters of appointment and employment contracts
Our screening process includes an application and CV review, structured interviews, reference and employment checks, childcare competency assessments and criminal background checks. Additional checks may be arranged when required.
We place candidates who are available to work legally in South Africa and whose experience, location and availability suit the family’s requirements. Candidate availability varies according to the role and placement area.
Please contact us as soon as a concern arises. We will discuss the situation with you and explain the available support or replacement process according to your selected placement package and its terms.
Still have a question?
Our team is happy to talk it through with you.
The right au pair can support both parents and children, making daily life easier. If you’re ready to find an au pair who truly suits your home and children, we’re here to help you move forward with clarity and support.
One of our agents will be in touch within 12 hours to discuss your needs.
One of our friendly consultants will contact you shortly
One of our agents will be in touch within 12 hours to discuss your needs.
COVID-19 Lockdown Solutions:
We place accomplished homeschool tutors
Permanent Solutions: Hire a homeschool teacher to facilitate and teach our recommended digital CAPS or Cambridge International homeschool curriculum.