If you have no matric and no experience, most job sites feel like they were not built for you. Every ad says “Matric required + 2 years experience”.
The truth: a huge share of entry-level hires in South Africa come through YES programmes, learnerships, retail and hospitality — not degrees. Here are 11 legitimate ways in.
Before the list, one thing worth understanding. “Matric required” is often a preference dressed up as a rule. When an employer has a hundred applicants, they use matric to cut the pile. When they have five, they hire the person who seems reliable and turns up. Your job is to get into the second situation, which means applying to places with fewer applicants, arriving in person, and making yourself a person rather than a PDF.
1. Retail YES programme — the biggest door
TFG, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Boxer, Clicks and KFC run YES intakes regularly. Twelve months, paid stipend of around R4 000+, and cashier/sales assistant roles do not require matric. You get a reference letter at the end. Apply on the official careers pages or via SAYouth.mobi. The reference letter is the real asset here: it converts a year of work into proof, and proof is what unlocks the next job.
2. SAYouth.mobi + Harambee
Zero-rated — no data needed. Create your profile once; Harambee matches you to jobs and sends free SMS alerts. Zero-rating matters enormously if you are searching from a phone with limited airtime, which is why this is the first thing to set up rather than the tenth. Complete the profile properly: an incomplete profile matches to far fewer opportunities.
3. Learnerships via SETAs
Get paid to learn and earn an NQF certificate. Services SETA, W&R SETA, AgriSETA and CETA all run programmes. Stipends are typically R3 500–R5 500 for 12 months. Search “Services SETA learnership 2026” for current intakes. A completed learnership gives you two things at once — a qualification on paper and a year of attendance in your history — which is why it beats almost any other route for someone starting from zero.
4. Call centres
Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town are the big hubs. They test your English and attitude — not your matric status. (The sector created over 26 000 jobs in 2025 alone.) If you speak clearly and can stay patient on a difficult call, this is one of the few sectors where the interview is genuinely a test rather than a formality, and where performance leads quickly to team leader roles.
5. EPWP
Municipal work, school assistance, road maintenance. Typically R2 000–R3 500 per month for 6–12 months. Enquire at your local municipality or Labour office. These are short contracts rather than careers, but they put money in your pocket and a named referee on your CV, which is what most people at this stage actually need.
6. Fast food & hospitality
Hungry Lion, Chicken Licken, KFC, guest houses. Walk in Tuesday–Thursday mornings and ask for the manager. Timing matters: Monday mornings and Friday afternoons are the worst times to ask for anyone. Take a printed CV even if they only want a form, and dress as if you are already on shift.
7. Security with PSIRA
Get PSIRA Grade E, D and C registered. Training costs roughly R800–R1 500 through an accredited provider, and demand is huge. Registration is a legal requirement — you cannot be employed as a security officer without it — which means being registered moves you from “unemployable in this sector” to “ready to start” in a matter of weeks.
8. Cleaning & domestic via companies
Bidvest, Servest and Clean Spot hire cleaners with proper UIF and payslips. Working through a company rather than privately matters: you get a contract, a payslip and UIF contributions, all of which you can later prove. That paperwork is what makes the work count as experience.
9. Delivery with a licence
Code 8/10 plus a smartphone opens doors at Takealot, Sixty60 and your local Spar. Delivery work rewards people who know their area and can work unsupervised. If you do not yet have a licence, it is the single qualification most worth saving for, because it widens every other option on this list.
10. Promo & merchandising
Mall agencies need weekend promo staff — typically R150–R300 per day. This suits students and people caring for family during the week. It is irregular work, so treat it as income plus contacts rather than a career, and use every shift to get known by a supervisor who can call you again.
11. Volunteer for one month to get a reference
A school, clinic, NGO or church. Ask for a reference letter on letterhead — it unlocks the next step. One month of volunteer work is a surprisingly cheap way to remove the “no experience” line from your CV entirely, and most organisations are glad of the help.
What to put on your CV if you have no matric
Do not leave it blank. Write “Grade 11, [School Name], [Year]” and list your transferable skills. Our free guide on writing a CV that beats ATS software shows you exactly how.
Transferable skills are things you have genuinely done, whether or not anyone paid you: handling money, cooking for numbers of people, caring for children or relatives, fixing things, selling airtime, running a stall, helping in a church or sports club, using WhatsApp and Facebook to organise people. Write them as plain statements with a scale attached where you can — “cooked for a household of six”, “sold airtime daily for eight months” — and they read as experience rather than padding.
Three honest warnings
- Never pay to get a job. SETA learnerships are free, YES placements are free, and no legitimate employer charges an application or placement fee. If money is asked for up front, walk away.
- Do not fake a matric certificate. Employers verify, and a fraud finding is far more damaging than a Grade 11.
- Apply widely but not identically. Twenty tailored applications beat two hundred generic ones. Read the advert, change your summary, and mention the specific role.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a job with Grade 10?
Yes, though the range is narrower. EPWP, cleaning companies, general work, hospitality kitchens and some NQF 2 learnerships accept Grade 10. Getting a Grade 11 or 12 through an adult education centre widens things considerably and is worth doing part time.
Are learnerships really paid?
Legitimate SETA learnerships are paid a stipend. Yes, that is the point of them. If a programme asks you to pay, it is not a learnership.
How long should I expect to look?
Longer than you want. Treat job seeking as the job: a set number of applications each morning, follow-ups in the afternoon, and one new skill being added in the evenings.
Where do I find matric exemption or adult matric?
Department of Basic Education adult education centres offer the Senior Certificate (amended) to adults who did not complete matric, and TVET colleges offer equivalent vocational routes.
Also read: Learnership vs Internship vs YES — which one pays? and how to spot fake job adverts.
Ready to apply? Browse the latest jobs across South Africa on JobsJunction — no sign-up, apply direct — or get matched jobs sent to you daily for free via our Telegram alerts bot.