How to get started — a simple guide.
This page uses short, easy steps. Don't worry if you have never used an app like this before. Just follow the steps in order. If you get stuck, call or email us — our details are at the bottom of this page.
First, how paying works.
Card payments on this site are processed by Paystack, our payment provider. A family pays a babysitter's fee by card on this site, and Paystack handles that payment. An au pair's stipend works differently — it is arranged and paid by the family directly, outside this site. Babysitters and au pairs are independent contractors who set their own availability — Elite Traders Lounge does not employ them and does not pay their fees for them.
If you are booking a sitter
You pay by card on the booking form, the same way you would pay on any online shop. Have your bank card with you.
If a refund is due — for example when you cancel a booking with enough notice — Paystack returns the money to the same card you paid with, which can take up to 10 business days, depending on your bank. How much comes back depends on how much notice you give, and the amounts are set out in our cancellation and refund policy.
If you are becoming a babysitter
When you register, you give us your South African bank details — the bank name, the account holder's name, and the account number. Money from your bookings is transferred into that account.
Please make sure those details are correct. If your bank account ever changes, use the change your payout bank account form. You sign in with your usual email and access code and attach a confirmation letter from your bank, so we can check the new account is yours.
For your protection, bank details are only changed by our team after that check — they cannot be edited from a dashboard. We also email the address we have on file whenever a change is requested, so you would know if anyone ever asked on your behalf.
If you are becoming an au pair
Your stipend is agreed with the family you are placed with and paid to you by that family directly. It does not go through this site, so we do not collect bank details from you in order to pay it.
What the family pays us is a separate placement fee for finding and verifying candidates, and that is paid to Elite Traders Lounge by card. It is not part of your stipend.
Now, tell us what you want to do.
Are you looking after children, or looking for a babysitter? Tap the one that is you.
Fill in your details
- Your full name, ID or passport number, and cellphone number
- Your home address — this is where the babysitter will come
- How many children you have, and their ages
- If you have pets, say what type
Upload two documents
- A copy of your ID or passport
- A proof of address (like a light bill) from the last 3 months
Type in your email address
Use an email address you check often. This is where your booking confirmation, your receipt and any message from our team will be sent.
Choose your booking
Pick the date, time, and how many hours you need. You can also choose a babysitter you like, or let our team pick one for you.
Take a quick selfie
This is just to prove it is really you — it only takes a few seconds.
Pay the R499 yearly fee
This fee checks your identity and keeps everyone safe. It's non-refundable once we start checking your documents. Tap the Paystack pay button on the form to pay it. You only pay this once a year.
Submit the form and wait
Our team checks your details, usually within a day or two. Once approved, your babysitter booking is confirmed.
Open the babysitter sign-up form
Tap the button below to go to the babysitter sign-up page.
Open the sign-up formFill in your details
- Your full name, ID or passport number, and cellphone number
- Your nationality and home address
- Your years of childcare experience and when you are available
Upload your documents
You will need clear photos or scans of:
- Your ID or passport
- Proof of address (like a light bill) from the last 3 months
- An AFIS check or police clearance certificate
- A Child Protection Register (Part B) clearance letter
- A National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) clearance certificate
- A confirmation letter from your bank showing your name and your account number
- If you are not a South African citizen: a police clearance from your home country too
Don't have these documents yet? The form tells you exactly how and where to apply for each one.
Add a reference
Give the name and contact details of someone who knows your childcare experience. They will be contacted to confirm.
Add your bank details
Give your bank name, the account holder's name exactly as the bank has it, and your account number. This is the account your booking money is transferred to, so check every digit before you submit.
Attach the confirmation letter from your bank here too. Most banks let you download one from their app in about a minute, free of charge, and it is how we confirm the account belongs to you.
Take a selfie and a short video
This proves you are a real person, not a photo. It only takes a few seconds and is never recorded.
No fee to pay
Registering as a babysitter is free. You never pay a fee to Elite Traders Lounge, and nothing is taken off your rate.
Submit and wait for approval
Our team checks your documents, usually within a few days. Once your documents are checked, we invite you to a short 15-minute video interview. Once approved, families can find and book you.
Renew every year
Once a year, you will need to upload fresh copies of your police clearance, Child Protection Register letter and NRSO certificate. You do this from your own babysitter dashboard — we will remind you when it is due.
Not sure what a word means?
- Paystack
- The payment company that processes the card payments made on this site. It is a separate, established company used across Africa — it is not part of Elite Traders Lounge. Families pay by card as ordinary customers, and babysitters are paid into their own South African bank account.
- Verification
- Checking that you are really you, and that your documents are real and up to date.
- Platform fee
- Elite Traders Lounge’s fee for running the platform. It is a fixed amount per hour, paid by the family on top of the babysitter’s rate. The babysitter’s rate is 100% hers.
- Registration fee
- A yearly, non-refundable R499 fee, paid by families only, that covers the cost of checking identity. Babysitters pay no registration fee.
- Police clearance
- An official letter from the police (or AFIS) that shows a person does not have a serious criminal record.
- Booking reference
- A short code given to every booking, used to confirm arrival and departure.