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Cape Town, South Africa

Two cities, one job market.

Cape Town has a growing tech and business services sector, and enormous distance between the people who can reach it and the people who cannot. A session puts an experienced person in front of somebody who has never met one.

Session length
30 minutes
Cost to a mentee
Free
Local time zone
SAST
Who books a session in Cape Town

The people who arrive stuck.

Township and first-generation students

Talented, and separated from professional work by contacts rather than ability.

People in customer operations

Working in call centres and shared services, looking for the next step up.

Creative freelancers

Skilled, underpaid, and negotiating without any reference points.

Mentors you can be matched with

The fields our mentors work in.

Mentors volunteer 30 minutes. Matching is cross-border, so a mentor outside the city is normal and often the point.

  • Technology, software and data

  • Business process and shared services

  • Tourism, hospitality and events

  • Finance and insurance

  • Creative, film and design

  • Renewables and environment

How a session works in Cape Town

Four steps, one half hour.

  1. 01

    Tell us what you are stuck on

    A short sign-up: where you are, what you want next, and the one thing blocking it.

  2. 02

    We match you

    You are matched with a mentor who has done the job you are aiming at, wherever in the network they sit.

  3. 03

    Pick a time that suits you

    Times are shown in SAST, so a mentor in another country never means an awkward hour for you.

  4. 04

    Thirty minutes on video

    Free to you, on the platform, with a written summary of what to do next.

What Cape Town mentees ask about

The questions we hear most in Cape Town.

These come up again and again from people sitting in Cape Town, whatever stage they are at.

  • How do I get into technology, software and data here without knowing anyone in it?

  • Is business process and shared services worth moving into, and what does the first year really look like?

  • What does a strong application for tourism, hospitality and events look like from Cape Town?

  • Should I stay in Cape Town, move, or work remotely for an employer somewhere else?

  • How do I explain my Cape Town experience to an employer who has never heard of my last one?

Partners in Cape Town

Who funds the sessions here.

  • International employers running Give, with people mentoring from Cape Town and beyond

  • Universities and skilling programmes for students in and around Cape Town

  • Foundations and youth employment funders

  • Employers running Redirect for rejected candidates

Ready to start in Cape Town?

Book a free 30-minute session, or tell us what you need and we will match you with a mentor who does the job you are aiming at.

Questions

The things people ask first.

Do I have to live in Cape Town to book?

No. Matching is cross-border, so a mentor is chosen for the job they do rather than the city they sit in.

Is it really free?

Free to you. Sessions are funded by our employer, university and public-sector partners.

How soon can I get a session?

Sign up, tell us what you are stuck on, and pick a slot in SAST once you are matched.

Can I be matched with someone in technology, software and data?

Yes. Technology, software and data is one of the areas Cape Town mentees ask about most, and mentors in it volunteer across the network.

Will my mentor understand the Cape Town job market?

Often, yes. Where the better match sits elsewhere, you still get someone who does the job you are aiming at, and the advice is set against what you are facing in Cape Town.

Get unstuck from Cape Town.

Thirty minutes with someone who has already done it. Free to you, wherever you are sitting.