Foreigners who intend to work in South Africa must apply for work permits before they start looking for work. Foreigners who are looking for work must complete a visa application form and submit it to their local South African embassy at least six weeks before their proposed date of departure.
South Africans rely on contacts and other personal recommendations when looking for work, but foreigners with few personal contacts in the country do not have to worry. There is no reason why the foreigners cannot compete in the work market and gain access to networking resources.
A foreigner can work many industry sectors within South Africa such as, information technology, engineering, accounting & finance, sales, marketing and many more. They need to work as the cost of living is changing rapidly in South Africa. There are career advisors for those who do not know what kind of work they want to do.
Due to high unemployment in South Africa, it can be problematic for a foreigner to obtain a work permit for non-permanent and, particularly, unskilled work. The few temporary jobs that do exist can be found in restaurants, hostels and within the tourist industry.
Au pairs usually need some experience in childcare, but they do not always need to be able to speak fluent English to obtain work. Wages are usually low, but food and accommodation is often included.
The voluntary work that is available includes tourism, environment, education and social welfare. There are many places you can visit to find work in South Africa and the country offers good jobs to people who are seeking employment.