South Africans beware, there are no '2025 Teachers Assistant & General School Assistant' jobs
IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts claim users can apply for teacher assistant and general school assistant jobs in South Africa through unverified links and WhatsApp. But this is not true; don't be scammed.
A post circulating in a public Facebook group with over 180,000 followers says: "2025 Teachers Assistant & General School Assistant start on Monday."
It encourages interested South Africans to apply via a link or send a message to a WhatsApp number.
The post also says teacher assistants will earn a stipend of R4,500 per month (about US$247), while general school assistants will earn R3,500 ($192).
The requirements for these jobs include having a grade 10 for general school assistants and a grade 12 or higher for teacher assistants.
Grade 12, commonly called matric, is the final year of high school in South Africa. It is also when students write the national school-leaving exams.
Other versions claim that applications for "Phase Four" of the teacher assistants programme "will be available" on 30 March 2025.
More posts making the same claim appear here, here, here and here.
Some of these posts also include links to websites where users can supposedly apply for the positions, while others ask users to apply via the comment section.
Africa Check has previously fact-checked scams claiming to be legit job offers for teacher assistants.
Are these posts the same? We checked.
Signs of a scam
The first sign that the posts are scams is, as always, the unverified links attached. Most of these links include many pop-up ads and "read more" buttons to get users to click several times while navigating the website. This drives traffic to the website, which can be monetised, meaning scammers can make money from site visits and clicks, without offering genuine job opportunities.
Some of the posts ask users to "comment to apply," which is a form of engagement bait. Scammers often use this tactic to increase the reach of the post or the Facebook page.
Others ask users to send their applications via the WhatsApp number listed. This could be an attempt at phishing, a tactic scammers often use to trick unsuspecting users into giving out their personal information, such as identity numbers.
No official announcement through PYEI, SA Youth
Education assistant and general school assistant jobs are granted to young people through the presidential youth employment initiative (PYEI).
The programme, implemented by South Africa's Department of Basic Education (DBE), aims to reduce youth unemployment.
Phase 4 of the PYEI began on 1 February 2023 and was set to continue until the end of September 2023. The department has not mentioned phase 5.
There is no evidence that the DBE or the PYEI are taking applications for general school and teacher assistants through unverified links, WhatsApp or social media comments.
In January 2025, SA Youth, a national network offering young South Africans free access to legit opportunities, said the posts were a scam:
"There are misleading social media posts going around about available Teacher & Education Assistant positions. If the opportunity hasn't been advertised on the SAYouth Facebook page, and the application link doesn't redirect you to sayouth.mobi, it's probably a scam!"
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Vetting scams from fake government profiles
Scammers often disguise themselves as official government departments to make job opportunities seem legitimate. Here are some tips for vetting these opportunities on social media:
- Look for verification: Verified pages display a blue check mark, indicating that Facebook has confirmed their authenticity. Verified WhatsApp accounts use the same badge.
- Do some more digging: Not every government page is verified, so you might need to look for other clues. Spelling and grammar errors are signs that something is amiss.
- Head to the source: If you're still having trouble, visit the relevant department's official website or contact them directly to confirm the opportunity.
To avoid falling prey to scammers, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
