Employ South African Staff from the UK, Europe and USA
Your talent in South Africa. The employment taken care of.
Build your UK business with experienced South African professionals, without
establishing a South African company.
RecruitMyMom’s Employer of Record (EOR) service provides the local employment
structure, payroll and HR administration needed to employ professionals based in South Africa.
Whether you have already found your ideal employee or need help recruiting,
our South African team can support you from the first appointment as your business grows.
Build your UK team with South African talent
Simplify employment administration and access the support you need to employ permanent South African professionals remotely.
South Africa offers UK businesses access to accomplished professionals who can contribute to their operations without the need for another local office.
With closely aligned working hours, English widely used in business and access to experienced professional skills, South Africa is a practical option for companies building international teams.
But employing someone in another country brings responsibilities that are different from hiring in the UK.
South African employment contracts, employee payroll deductions, employer statutory contributions, leave and employment legislation all need appropriate attention.
That is where RecruitMyMom’s Employer of Record service comes in.
We provide an established South African employment arrangement so your business can concentrate on the work your employee has been hired to do.
Why South Africa works for UK businesses
Work together during your business day
South Africa is only one hour ahead of the UK during British Summer Time and two hours ahead during winter.
This makes everyday communication, team meetings and collaborative work considerably easier than managing employees across widely separated time zones.
Access experienced professional skills
South Africa has a substantial pool of qualified, English-speaking professionals across finance, marketing, operations, human resources, administration, technology and other business functions.
RecruitMyMom has been connecting businesses with experienced South African talent since 2012.
Strengthen your team with a different cost base
South African salary levels can offer UK businesses an attractive commercial opportunity, particularly when building operational and specialist teams.
The right comparison is not salary alone. It is the total cost of employing a capable professional, including employment administration, applicable employer contributions and the experience needed for the role.
Employ professionals as part of your business
Your South African employee can work with your UK colleagues, contribute to your established processes and take responsibility for ongoing business outcomes.
For suitable roles, this provides a way to expand team capacity without requiring everyone to work from the same location.
Our EOR Process
How can a UK business employ someone in South Africa?
If your company does not have a South African entity, an Employer of Record can provide a local employment arrangement for suitable South African employees.
RecruitMyMom acts as the South African legal employer under the agreed EOR structure, administering employment contracts, payroll and applicable statutory requirements.
Your UK business remains the operational employer, directing the employee’s day-to-day work within the responsibilities set by the agreements and applicable law.
Already found your South African employee?
Perhaps someone has been recommended to you, you have identified a professional through your own network, or an existing contractor is moving into an employment role.
You do not need to use RecruitMyMom’s recruitment service.
We can assess the proposed arrangement and, where appropriate, provide the South African employment administration and ongoing support.
Need help finding the right person?
RecruitMyMom is also an established South African recruitment specialist.
We can source and assess experienced professionals for your role, support the selection process and then provide the EOR service for the appointed employee.
You can use our recruitment and EOR services together, or independently.
Why RecruitMyMom
Your South African employment partner
Our EOR service gives your business access to the local expertise needed to manage employment administration in South Africa.
Employment contracts and onboarding
We prepare and administer appropriate South African employment documentation, coordinate employment onboarding and establish the agreed payroll arrangements.
Payroll and statutory administration
We process salaries in South African Rands, administer employee PAYE and UIF deductions from gross salary, and handle applicable employer contributions, including UIF and SDL, as well as statutory payroll reporting.
Leave and employment records
We administer applicable South African leave entitlements and maintain the relevant employment documentation and records.
Local HR support
Our South African team provides a point of contact for routine employment queries and supports clients in understanding local employment procedures.
Employment changes and offboarding
We assist with administering the agreed employment changes and standard offboarding, including final payroll calculations and applicable documentation.
Support as your team expands
When you are ready to employ additional professionals, we can extend your EOR arrangements and, if needed, assist with sourcing new talent.
Our EOR Process
EOR, Global PEO or umbrella company: Which do UK employers need?
UK businesses looking to employ someone in South Africa may come across several names for international employment services. The distinction is not the label alone but who legally employs the individual and how local obligations are managed.
| Term | Typical use |
| EOR in South Africa | Local employment through RecruitMyMom, with the UK client directing the employee’s operational work. |
Global PEO / International PEO | May describe EOR-type cross-border employment services, depending on provider. |
| UK umbrella company | Commonly used to employ and pay temporary or agency workers under UK arrangements; the appropriate South African structure must be checked separately. |
If the professional will live and work in South Africa, RecruitMyMom’s EOR service provides the agreed South African legal employment arrangement while your UK business manages their work. Recruitment support is available, but optional.
Talk to Our South African TeamEOR Pricing
Transparent EOR pricing for South African employees
Our EOR management fee is 15% of the employee’s monthly salary, capped at R6,600 per employee per month. That cap is approximately £299
All fees are calculated and invoiced in South African Rands (ZAR), so the GBP equivalent will vary with the exchange rate.
What the EOR management fee includes:
- Local employment contracts and onboarding administration.
- No standard onboarding administration fee.
- No standard offboarding administration fee.
- Routine local HR support and advice from our experienced South African team.
- No standard onboarding or offboarding administration fees.
- Employee remuneration and EOR charges calculated and invoiced in South African Rands.
- No separate RecruitMyMom foreign-exchange mark-up.
Costs in addition to the EOR management fee:
- The employee’s agreed gross salary and benefits, where applicable.
- The client’s applicable employer contributions: generally 1% UIF (subject to the earnings ceiling) and 1% SDL on leviable remuneration where SDL applies. Employee PAYE and 1% employee UIF are deducted from the employee’s gross salary, administered and remitted by RecruitMyMom; they are not an additional employer cost.
- Recruitment fees, only if recruitment services are requested.
- Separately agreed additional HR services and actual international banking or currency conversion charges.
How it works
From the UK to your first South African employee
Tell us about the role
Share your employee’s proposed responsibilities, salary, working arrangements and anticipated start date.
If you need recruitment support, we can discuss that too.
Understand your employment costs
We review the proposed arrangement and explain the monthly EOR fee, expected employment costs, payment process and refundable deposit.
Establish the local employment arrangement
Once the appropriate agreements, documentation and funding are in place, our South African team manages the local onboarding process.
Work together across borders
Your employee joins your operational team while we manage the agreed South African employment administration.
You have a local partner to contact as employment questions arise or your hiring requirements change.
Why UK employers choose RecruitMyMom
A South African specialist, not simply an international payroll platform
RecruitMyMom was established in 2012 and has worked with more than 6,000 companies locally and internationally through its recruitment and talent services.
We combine our knowledge of South African professional talent with practical local employment administration and personalised client service.
People who understand the employment environment
Our South African team works within the country’s employment environment and understands that effective employment support involves more than processing monthly salaries.
We value clear communication, sound administration and professional relationships with both employers and employees.
Recruitment capability when you need it
You may begin with one South African employee you have already identified. Later, you may want to add a finance professional, operations manager, marketing specialist or another team member.
RecruitMyMom can support those hiring decisions through its separate recruitment services. We help you employ the person you have found and find the people you still need.
FAQs
Questions UK businesses ask about employing South African staff
Yes, an Employer of Record can provide an appropriate local employment arrangement for a UK company that does not have its own South African entity. The structure and employment responsibilities should be reviewed for the specific circumstances.
Under RecruitMyMom’s EOR arrangement, the employee is employed and paid through the South African employment structure. Salaries are denominated in ZAR and applicable South African payroll obligations are administered locally.
Any separate UK payroll or tax obligations depend on the facts and should be confirmed with the company’s advisers.
Yes, working hours can be arranged to support UK business operations, subject to the employee’s agreement and applicable South African working-time requirements.
The one- or two-hour time difference makes substantial working day overlap practical.
Yes. RecruitMyMom’s EOR service is available independently of our recruitment service, subject to reviewing the proposed role and employment arrangement.
An EOR arrangement may be an appropriate alternative where the actual working relationship is more consistent with employment than independent contracting.
The appropriate classification should be assessed rather than assuming that a contractor agreement determines employment status.
Yes. We can support suitable arrangements for a single employee or multiple employees as your South African team develops.
The position depends on the employment structure, the employee’s residence, where the duties are performed and any applicable UK rules.
South African EOR payroll does not automatically establish that a UK company has no UK tax or National Insurance obligations. We recommend confirming the position with appropriately qualified UK tax advisers.
No. An EOR manages defined local employment responsibilities. Your company may still need advice on corporate tax exposure, permanent establishment, data protection, intellectual property and the employment structure.
Global PEO and International PEO are terms sometimes used for cross-border EOR services. A traditional PEO generally supports a client through a co-employment arrangement, often where the client has a local entity. Under RecruitMyMom’s EOR service, RecruitMyMom is the legal employer in South Africa while your UK business directs the employee’s operational work.
Umbrella companies are commonly used in the UK for temporary and agency workers. That arrangement does not automatically provide a suitable South African employment structure for someone living and working in South Africa. A local Employer of Record can be a more appropriate route for suitable employees when your UK business does not have its own South African entity.
Both may be legal employers in their respective arrangements. UK umbrella companies typically support temporary or agency work, while an EOR is commonly used to establish an employment relationship in another country. What matters is where the employee works, which organisation employs them, and what local law and the contracts require.
If you have identified your employee but have no South African entity, an EOR may provide the local employment structure. Global PEO is sometimes another name for that service. A recruitment agency finds candidates rather than automatically becoming their employer. RecruitMyMom offers recruitment and EOR independently or together.
Our EOR management fee is 15% of monthly salary, capped contractually at R6,600 per employee per month, and we invoice in ZAR. Approximately £299 is an illustrative conversion at R22.07 to £1, not a separate GBP-denominated cap. You may settle in GBP by agreement, but the GBP amount varies with the exchange rate. Actual bank and conversion charges may apply; we add no separate percentage FX mark-up.
We believe these questions should be considered properly at the outset.
We calculate and invoice salaries, statutory employer costs and EOR management fees in South African Rands (ZAR). This gives clients a clear contractual basis for their South African employment costs.
UK clients can settle ZAR invoices in ZAR or, by agreement, GBP or another currency. A GBP equivalent is an illustration rather than a separate sterling price; the amount in pounds changes with the exchange rate. Actual international banking and conversion charges are for the client’s account.
Minor differences between the ZAR amount invoiced and the net ZAR amount received are reconciled on the following month’s invoice. Material shortfalls, particularly those affecting salary payments, must be funded by the agreed payroll deadline.
RecruitMyMom does not apply a separate percentage-based foreign-exchange margin.
We believe these questions should be considered properly at the outset.
Yes. A refundable deposit equivalent to one month’s gross base salary is required for each employee.
The deposit is held in ZAR as security for obligations under the EOR arrangement and is reconciled when the arrangement ends. Any remaining balance is refunded in accordance with the service agreement.
A South African team that works with your UK business
You do not need to establish a South African office to access professional skills based in South Africa.
Whether you have identified your first employee or are planning to build a wider team, RecruitMyMom can help you establish and manage the local employment arrangements.
Your people work with your UK team. Our South African team supports their employment.
