One upfront fee reserves a candidate exclusively for your trial. No monthly billing. No placement fee on hire. No second invoice to chase.
One fee, paid upfront. The longer the trial, the more time you have to properly evaluate the candidate's suitability, reliability, and fit for your team.
Why is the fee tied to duration?
When you book a trial, we hold that candidate exclusively for you — they can't be matched to or contacted by any other employer during your trial window. A longer trial means a longer commitment from them, which is why the fee scales with duration. You're not paying for a placement; you're paying for exclusivity and time to make a confident decision.
7 days trial
Then hire for free
Best for straightforward roles where you can assess fit quickly — packing, driving, general labour.
14 days trial
Then hire for free
See consistency across multiple shifts. Enough time to assess reliability, punctuality, and team fit over different working days.
28 days trial
Then hire for free
A full month to be certain. See how they handle pressure, different scenarios, and how they settle into your culture.
Anyone can have a good first day. A multi-week trial shows whether that performance holds under different conditions, workloads, and team dynamics.
Culture fit reveals itself over time — how they interact with colleagues, handle feedback, and show up when it matters. A week rarely tells you enough.
A bad permanent hire costs far more than the trial fee. The more thorough your evaluation, the lower the risk of an expensive mistake down the line.
R0 — No credit card needed
One upfront fee, nothing else ever
Hiring permanently? Free.
No placement fee. Ever.
Sign up, post your job, and get matched to pre-assessed, verified candidates. No credit card. No commitment.
Pick 1, 2, or 4 weeks depending on how much time you need to properly evaluate fit. Pay the one-off fee upfront. The candidate is yours for that window — exclusively.
They complete their trial shifts. You observe real performance — not a 30-minute interview. You pay them directly for the work they do.
Happy with them? Make it permanent. No placement fee, no second invoice. You already paid for the right to make that decision.
See how much you save with ShiftMate
Traditional approach
Per placement, paid upfront
DIY approach
Per listing, no guarantees
Trial-to-hire
to start a 1-week trial
Yes, 100% free. You can create your account, post as many jobs as you like, and get matched to verified candidates — all at no cost. No credit card required. You only pay when you decide to start a trial.
Different roles need different evaluation windows. A warehouse role might be assessable in a week — consistent, observable output. A customer service or admin role needs two to four weeks before you can confidently judge how they handle pressure, build relationships, and adapt. The fee reflects how long we hold the candidate exclusively for your trial — no other employer can contact or book them during that window.
Two things: the matching and sourcing work we did to find and verify the candidate for your role, and the exclusivity — that candidate is reserved for your trial and can't be matched to anyone else while you're evaluating them. You pay the worker directly for their shifts.
No. The trial fee covers our matching, verification, and exclusivity service — not the worker's pay. You pay the worker directly for every shift they work during the trial, at the rate you agreed with them. Think of the trial fee as the cost of finding the right person; wages are between you and them.
Correct. If you decide to hire permanently after the trial, it costs nothing extra. The trial fee is the only fee. We believe you've already paid for the right to make that decision.
You only lost the trial fee — no further obligation. You can start a fresh trial with a different candidate. There's no long-term commitment and no additional cost.
Generally, yes — if you can afford the time. A longer trial gives you a more reliable signal. You see how the candidate performs across multiple shifts, under different conditions, and how they settle into your team culture. For most roles, a 2-week trial is the sweet spot between thoroughness and speed.
Agencies charge 8–15% of annual salary — typically R15,000+ per placement — before you've even met the person. We use technology and AI to match efficiently. And because you see the person work before committing, the risk of a costly mis-hire drops dramatically.
Join hundreds of South African businesses using trial-to-hire to build better teams with confidence.
It's completely free to get started.