Au Pair Salary Guidelines for 2024

The remuneration that you can expect to receive as an au pair differs from one position to another, but here are some guidelines for agreeing on a fair salary with the family:

Request a basic salary of between R60 and R140 per hour, depending on your experience and qualifications, as well as the number of hours per week you will be required to work. The less hours per week that you will be working, the greater the hourly rate should be to compensate fairly for this. As a guideline, an inexperienced au pair working 20 hours or more per week can expect to earn around R60 - R70 per hour, whereas one working for 10 hours less can expect to earn roughly R70 - R90 per hour. A more experienced and qualified au pair can expect to earn around R80 - R100 per hour and R100 - R140 per hour respectively for these types of positions.
On average, a full-time au pair working around 40 hours per week should request a monthly salary in the range R10,000 - R15,000 if they are required to have their own car, and around R6,000 - R8,000 if they aren't. Live-in au pairs should usually request slightly less than this as they are receiving free accommodation from the family in addition to their basic salary.
Occasional babysitting should be remunerated at roughly the same rate as above, provided that the family gives you sufficient notice each time they need you for babysitting.
For travelling expenses, you should request around R4.00 to R5.00 per kilometre for all travelling done for the family in your own car during your working hours. Instead of calculating the amount each time, you can also suggest that the family add a set amount to your salary to cover your average driving expenses.

Should the family be offering any special benefits, such as meals, a cellphone allowance, the use of their car, accommodation (for a live-in position), you should allow for these when determining a fair salary to ask for.

Au pair salaries are usually paid either weekly or monthly, but you should also be willing to arrange a different payment schedule if the family requests it.