Hermanus, Western Cape

Find a nanny you can feel good about.

I personally meet and vet every nanny in my database, get to know your family's needs, and make the match — so you're not sifting through a flood of replies from people you know nothing about.

Find a nanny for my family How it works

Why families use Hermanus Helpers

"We moved to Hermanus for three months and had no idea how to find reliable childcare. Kirst matched us within a week — it felt like asking a trusted friend for a recommendation."

Personal

Shortlist of 1–3, always by Kirst

Vetted

Every candidate personally met

Local

Hermanus families only

The problem

Finding a nanny in Hermanus
is harder than it should be.

The Hermanus nanny market is noisy and untransparent. Families spend weeks on it. Here's why.

💬

Recommendations get lost

WhatsApp groups and Facebook posts attract dozens of replies — but rarely from people with real references or personal knowledge of the candidate.

⏱

Vetting takes real effort

Many people in Hermanus are looking for nanny work — but finding the right fit takes genuine knowledge of the local pool. Without it, families spend hours on conversations that go nowhere.

🤷

No one knows the going rate

Salary norms for nannies in Hermanus are opaque. Families don't know what's fair to offer — and good candidates don't know what to ask for.

✈️

Seasonal families struggle most

Families visiting Hermanus for weeks or months from the UK, EU, or Cape Town have no local network at all. The local childcare market is completely opaque to them.

📋

No one helps with onboarding

Even after a family finds someone, the first few weeks are make-or-break — and there's no support for how to structure a trial period or give useful feedback.

🤝

Great nannies miss out too

Hermanus has many outstanding nannies who rely entirely on word-of-mouth. Without a trusted route to market, the best people go unnoticed.

The process

How Hermanus Helpers works

A hands-on matching service — not a directory, not an agency. I'm involved at every step to make sure the match is actually right for both sides.

Tell me about your family

Fill in a short intake form about your needs — hours, age of children, what matters most to you. I'll follow up to make sure I understand the full picture.

I make the match

I search my private database of personally vetted candidates and put together a shortlist of 1–3 people I genuinely think are the right fit — never a generic list.

Warm introduction

I personally introduce you with context on why I think it's a good match. You take it from there — your own interviews, your own trial.

Onboarding support

I suggest a paid trial period and can help facilitate feedback between you and your new nanny — so the first month goes smoothly for everyone.

Who I work with

For families. And for nannies.

Hermanus Helpers works on both sides — because a good match requires knowing both people well.

For families in Hermanus

You need a reliable nanny — and you don't have time to vet ten+ people.

Whether you live here full-time or you're visiting for the season, I'll do the hard work of finding someone you can trust. I know the local candidate pool well, I've met many of them personally, and I only recommend people I'd consider for my own family.

Full-time and part-time nannies in Hermanus
Short-stay and seasonal childcare
Guidance on fair Hermanus salary rates
Template employment contracts
Trial period and onboarding support

Get started

For nannies looking for work

You're great at your job — but finding families relies on word of mouth.

The best nannies in Hermanus shouldn't have to depend on luck or knowing the right people. If you're hardworking, reliable, and good with children, I want to know about you — and I'll actively refer you to families looking for someone exactly like you.

Free to register — no fees for nannies
I'll build a short profile for you
I'll personally refer you to matching families
Guidance on fair salary expectations
Ongoing connection as new families come through

Apply to join

Also placing au pairs and carers — get in touch if that's you.

"This isn't an agency. It's just me, doing something I genuinely think Hermanus needs."

About Kirst

A local mom who knows exactly how hard this is.

I'm Kirst — I live in Hermanus with my husband and two small boys. I'm also an admin of the Hermanus Moms WhatsApp community, which means I've seen (and fielded) hundreds of nanny requests over the years.

Before this, I spent years in the tech industry as a product manager — professionally obsessed with identifying real problems and building things that actually solve them. This is one of those things.

I've hired nannies myself. Good experiences and bad ones. I know what to look for, and what a genuinely strong candidate looks like — regardless of how polished their CV is.

How we work

What Hermanus Helpers stands for.

👶🏼 Experienced childcare only.

We only list nannies with previous childcare experience — nanny work, crèche, preschool, or similar roles. We don't take chances with first-timers.

🤝 Trusted in the community.

Every candidate has at least one contactable reference from within the Hermanus community — someone who has personally seen them work with children.

🌿 It takes a village.

Children thrive when they have secure attachments to caring adults beyond their primary caregivers. Finding your village — people you can genuinely trust with your children — is what we're here for.

🤲🏼 Mutual respect and dignity.

Having a nanny is a privilege. Your nanny is caring for your most precious people and may come from a very different walk of life. We believe in fairness, generosity, and treating this relationship with the weight it deserves — on both sides.

🤍 Heart beyond credentials.

Certificates and experience matter — but they're not enough on their own. We look for nannies who genuinely love being with children, not just people who need a job. Warmth, patience, and loyalty matter just as much as what's on a CV.

For visiting families

Staying in Hermanus for a few months?

Many families come to Hermanus from the UK, Europe, or Cape Town for weeks or months at a time — for the whales, the schools, the pace of life. They arrive with no local network and often no idea where to start when it comes to finding reliable childcare.

I work with seasonal and short-stay families regularly. I understand what you need, I know the local market well, and I'll make sure you find someone you can trust for your time here — even if you only need someone for six weeks.

Find a nanny

New to finding childcare in South Africa?

I'll walk you through how it works here — including what's normal, what's fair, and what to expect.

Short-term placements welcome

I work with families needing help for as little as a few weeks. Some candidates are specifically open to short-term arrangements.

Guidance on going rates in Hermanus

One of the most common questions I get from visiting families. I'll give you honest, current information on what's fair to offer.

What it costs

Simple, transparent fees.

The fee is structured in three steps — you only commit the bulk of it once you've met your match.

R200 Search deposit

Paid when you submit your intake form. Deductible from your final fee. Covers your intake conversation and active matching — I only come back to you with a shortlist I believe in.

R1,550 Before the trial begins

Once you've decided to go ahead with a trial — paid before it begins. Covers candidate briefing, onboarding guidance, and trial week support for both sides.

R1,750 When you decide to hire

Paid only at the end of a successful trial. Includes post-trial debrief and availability for questions through your first month.

Total placement fee: R3,500 · For context, formal agencies typically charge R9,600–12,000. · Full fee guide →

Questions

Things people ask

Is this an agency?

No. Hermanus Helpers is a personal matching service, not a registered employment agency. I introduce families to nannies — that's it. Families conduct their own interviews, arrange their own contracts, and pay nannies directly. I'm not involved in employment.

What does it cost?

For families, a placement contribution applies when a match leads to a successful hire. See how fees work →

Do you interview every candidate?

Yes — and always in person. Meeting face to face tells me things a phone call never would: did she arrive on time? How does she carry herself? Is she warm, present, curious? I ask about experience and preferences, but the implicit cues matter just as much as the answers. I only add someone I'd genuinely consider recommending.

Are you responsible for contracts or employment?

No. Hermanus Helpers makes introductions only. Families remain fully responsible for their own interviews, references, contracts, salary arrangements, and any other employment obligations. I'm the trusted connector — everything after the introduction is between you and your nanny directly.

How is this different from posting on Facebook?

A Facebook post in a local group gets you a flood of replies from people you know nothing about. With Hermanus Helpers, you get a shortlist from someone who has personally met the candidates and understands your family's needs — and who will tell you honestly if she doesn't have a good match right now.

What if the match doesn't work out?

It happens. I'll always try to understand why it didn't work and suggest an alternative if I have one. The trial period I recommend to every family is specifically designed to catch mismatches early — before anyone is uncomfortable or committed to something that isn't right.