Most job adverts ask for matric, but legitimate, no-matric paths into paid work exist too — you just have to know where to look. Search live vacancies below (in South Africa or in 18 other countries), or browse through real programmes, government routes and job categories, each one with honest requirements and a link straight to where you apply.
Figures current as of September 2026 — sourced below, and worth re-checking, since rules and listings change often
R30.23
National minimum wage per hour from March 2026 (Dept of Employment and Labour)
Free
To register and search on SA Youth — no data needed, no cost, ever
2 tracks
Real, legitimate routes exist both with matric and without it — this tool covers both
Search live vacancies
What kind of work are you looking for?
Choose a country (South Africa or abroad), type a job title and, if you like, a town or city. Use the buttons to open live results on LinkedIn, Indeed and Pnet, or (when it is switched on) show matching vacancies right here.
You normally need a visa or work permit for the country. A real employer either sponsors it or explains exactly how it works. Nobody can guarantee you a visa.
Never pay anyone for a job offer, a "guaranteed" visa or permit, "placement" or your flight before you start. Real visa fees are paid on the government's own official website or office, never to an agent's personal account or by money transfer.
Check the employer is real: its own website, registration details, a phone number you can call, and a written offer showing the employer's name and address, the job, the pay, the hours and who pays for travel and housing.
Be careful with offers that come out of the blue, use free email addresses, or promise pay far above normal. Never hand your original passport to an agent.
Agencies that place South Africans in jobs abroad should be registered with the Department of Employment and Labour. Ask for their registration and check it with the Department.
Tell someone you trust the full details before you accept or travel.
Vacancies shown here
Live adverts collected from South African job sites. Tap an advert to read it and apply on the employer's or job site's own page.
The links update as you type and open in a new tab so this page stays open. LinkedIn does not allow other websites to copy its listings, so the button opens LinkedIn's own live search for you. SA Youth (below) and Careers24 are also worth searching directly on their own sites — register once on SA Youth and it can match you to opportunities automatically.
Start here
SA Youth — sayouth.mobi
The single best place to start, whether you have matric or not. It's free, it uses zero data, and it brings together jobs, learnerships, internships, entrepreneurial support and skills training in one place — built with Harambee and government, and now also the official recruitment channel for EPWP.
South Africa's national minimum wage is R30.23 an hour from March 2026 — most ordinary entry-level jobs should pay at least this. EPWP placements are the exception: they're paid under their own, separate determination because they're designed as short, transitional work experience, not permanent employment.
Exact requirements vary by employer, even for the same job title — a "general assistant" role at one company might list matric, while another doesn't. Always check what a specific listing actually asks for before assuming you don't qualify, or that you do.
None of these are guarantees. They're real, legitimate avenues that other young people have gotten into work through — the difference is usually applying to many of them, and applying again after a "no".
Download the Vacancy Finder guide
One PDF with everything on this page — every programme, the honest requirements, the steps to apply, and every link — yours to keep, print or share.
⚠ Watch out for scams
SA Youth, EPWP, YES4Youth and PSIRA registration are all free — no legitimate programme ever asks you to pay a "registration fee", "processing fee" or buy a starter kit before you can apply or start earning.
Be wary of WhatsApp or SMS "job offers" that ask for a copy of your ID plus an upfront payment — real employers don't work that way.
Never share your banking PIN, full card details or one-time passwords with anyone claiming to "activate" a placement, learnership or wage payment.
Check a company or agency's name before applying if it was sent to you unsolicited — a quick search for its name plus "scam" or "reviews" takes a minute and can save you a lot of trouble.