The talent agencies in South Africa business are one of those businesses where volunteering or internship is crucial. This is a win win situation because the agency gets the help it needs without affecting the bottom line and the intern gets invaluable experience as well as an inside look at the casting business. The entertainment industry is a business where you need experience no matter what area you want to venture into. It is also a business where you often times end up volunteering for jobs just to obtain the experience.
A lot of South Africa talent agencies and casting directors did go to college to get a degree before they became a talent agency or casting director in South Africa but this is not absolutely necessary. A lot of casting people got their experience from on the job training and never had to get formal college education. If you are interested in going to a college or university before pursing work as a casting professional, you might want to get a degree in communications, radio, TV and film or even acting and then branch out as a casting director. Most talent agencies are small and cannot afford to hire South Africa talent agencies. When you visit agencies, you often times see one or two mature people who are the owners of the agency and a number of young people from time to time that are filing, making phone calls, sending faxes, etc. You need to contact your local university/college and talk with a counselor about all this. Please remember that even with a degree, you may still have to work for no pay as a casting intern/volunteer to get experience.