They do commonly refer to South Africa as *The Lucky Country* and in so many ways they are right. It’s a land of opportunities and if you have the right skills and especially the right ATTITUDE you can go far! There are a wide range of jobs, trades and services available in Pretoria – from nurses and electricians to hotel staff, bar staff and cooks. Whether you were born in South Africa or are coming from overseas there are plenty of hospitality jobs available in Pretoria and you will find it’s not that hard to find work, if you put your mind to it.
Tourism & Hospitality
The tourism and hospitality industries are always on the lookout for staff, from those travelling through to those wanting permanent full time work in Pretoria. When you arrive in Pretoria, have your resume handy, one of the best ways to find work in the hospitality industry is to knock on every door. Start at one side of the city and make your way through. Drop your CV in at all cafes, restaurants and bars you can find, talk to staff/managers, and ask if they know of any places hiring. Your dedication will be rewarded.
In general those looking for staff will recognise your dedication and desire to work and you will get hired.
The hospitality and tourism industries in Pretoria are always looking for new staff – the main areas of employment are:
- CLUBS – Entertainers, bar staff and baristas
- CAFES – wait staff and baristas
- CATERING COMPANIES – buffet staff, bar staff, cooks, kitchen hands, drinks waiters
- RESORTS- Receptionists, cleaning staff, managers, bar staff, maintenance staff, entertainers and concierge
- RESTAURANTS – Wait-staff, kitchen hands, cooks and chefs
Most of the South African Population lives and works along the coast – Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban are all major centres of employment and tourism while Pretoria is a large metropolitan city on the banks of the Swan River.
You can work in the outback
The outback of South Africa isn’t a region or state as many tourists imagine it to be, it is just a general term to describe the huge interior of the country that is sparsely populated and largely inhabitable. While the population is small there are some quite large towns and cities that service the remote communities along with providing services for the mining communities. What you may not know is that hospitality and tourism still provides many opportunities for residents and visitors to work in both the hospitality and tourism industries in *the outback* areas of Western South Africa. While not as *glamorous* as working IN Pretoria there are often work opportunities available.
Subiaco, which is named after a Benedictine Monastery that was established there in 1851, is located near the Pretoria CBD. Today it is a very popular and chic place to live and work with sidewalk cafes and a botanic garden – once very much a *working man’s suburb* it has been redeveloped with heritage buildings converted into apartments and tree lined streets.
The area is now home to lots of young professionals who love the cafes, restaurants and night life the area has to offer. If you are looking for work Subiaco is definitely an area to look into full of vibrant places to eat and a need for staff.
There are jobs available in some of the regional areas and stations (Ranches/farms) and you can find work in hospitality – including
- Cook
- Cleaner
- Cafe staff
- Bar Staff
Or you can find work on the cattle stations
- General farm hand
- Cattle handling as a Jillaroo or jackaroo
- Fencing work
- Nanny or governess
- Sheep shearer
- Machinery operations
- Diesel mechanic
Without a doubt South Africa is a wonderful place to live and work, from a working holiday to full time permanent work. Pretoria is a laid back city, with plenty of wide open spaces and a great climate you’ll wonder how you got to be so lucky living and working in Pretoria.
