Know your hours.
Know your worth.

Straight, sourced answers to the questions au pairs and host families actually ask — hours, pay, overtime, contracts, time off and kilometres.

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  1. 01 How much should you be paid as an au pair?
  2. 02 How many hours should an au pair really work?
  3. 03 The rules that decide your pay as a South African au pair
  4. 04 What belongs in your au pair contract?
Hiring an au pair Employing an au pair for the first time What the relationship actually is in South African law, how to choose well, and the part no agency covers — what happens after the match. Read more → Contracts & rules The rules that decide your pay as a South African au pair The BCEA rules behind South African au pair pay in 2026 — the R30.23 minimum wage, overtime at 1.5x, the earnings threshold that switches it off, UIF and the tax line. Read more → Hours & time off How many hours should an au pair really work? Au pair working hours compared across the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa and more — plus what actually counts as working time. Read more → Pay & money How much should you be paid as an au pair? What au pairs are actually paid, how pocket money differs from a wage, and how to work out whether your offer is fair. Read more → Pay & money Are you actually getting paid for overtime? How au pair overtime works, when extra hours must be paid, and why most au pairs never claim what they are owed. Read more → Free download Contracts & rules What belongs in your au pair contract? The clauses every au pair contract should contain — hours, pay, time off, duties and notice — and why a handshake is not enough. Read more → Free download Hours & time off Time off, sick days and leave: what you're entitled to Days off, sick leave and holiday entitlement for au pairs, and how to agree them properly before you start. Read more → Free download Pay & money Are you claiming the kilometres you drive? If you drive your own car for the family you should be reimbursed. How to agree a rate, log trips and claim every kilometre. Read more → Pay & money How to talk to your host family about pay and hours A practical script for raising pay, hours and overtime with your host family without it becoming a confrontation. Read more →