A real estate agent must complete their internship training (NQF4 Qualification) with an accredited provider and receive a certificate of competence from Services SETA (the Services Sector Education and Training Authority)
- [Services SETA][12] (SSETA) governs, controls and monitors education standards. The real estate industry falls under [SSETA Trade and Industry.][13] It is legislated that to be a full status real estate agent, and the candidate must be found competent in the outcomes-based NQF Level 4 Real Estate.
- This qualification has 150 credits, equating to 1 500 notional hours (study hours needed to complete the course). SSETA require 30% of the time spent studying to be in the classroom and the rest open book, on their own. It is designed so that the intern estate agent can easily complete the qualification at their own pace within the allocated time.
- The ideal scenario is to complete the academic qualification simultaneously with the practical logbook in the workplace. The time frame for completion is 1 year for the logbook and 2 years for the academic qualification.
- The intern estate agent must maintain a [Portfolio of Evidence][14] (PoE) reflecting the various estate agency functions and activities that have been undertaken and performed during the course of the internship period. The PoE & Intern logbook is submitted to the EAAB for assessment and granting of NQF 4 status:
- Intern estate agents holding relevant (certain subjects and experience) tertiary qualification, upon application to the EAAB and having paid the required assessment fee, be granted an equivalency exemption against the NQF Level 4 and/or 5 real estate qualifications.
- If the intern estate agent has exemptions for NQF4, they must submit their logbook for assessment together with the required documentation for exemption.
The Portfolio of Evidence (PoE)
- The portfolio of evidence will be a separate file, carefully created and maintained by the intern estate agent and should align with the prescribed logbook activities.
- All naturally occurring workplace evidence generated over the 12 month internship period, and reflecting the workplace learning experience of the intern estate agent, should be inserted.
- The intern estate agent will be required to download and print the Portfolio Guides (questions) as they form the Portfolio of Evidence (PoE).
Exemption:
Please refer to the exemption matrix for details on who could qualify for an exemption. Should the intern estate agent apply for exemption, their application will also be included in their PoE. The following documentation should be added:
- A letter from the applicant indicating the NQF real estate qualification(s) against which the applicant seeks an equivalency exemption as well as whether or not the applicant currently holds a valid fidelity fund certificate issued by the EAAB and, if so, the status of that fidelity fund certificate (whether an ‘intern’, ‘non-principal or ‘principal’ fidelity fund certificate);
- A copy of the candidate’s identity document;
- The candidate’s full curriculum vitae;
- Original(s), or certified copy(ies), of qualifications, either awarded to the candidate or in respect of which the candidate relies for the assessment of the equivalency exemption application;
- Original(s), or certified copy(ies), of the statement(s) of courses passed towards the attainment of the relevant qualification(s);
- Original(s), or certified copy(ies), of any other professional qualifications and/or designations that may have been awarded to the candidate; and such further information as the applicant wishes to disclose to the EAAB to properly assess the applicant’s equivalency qualifications.