Candidate Terms & Conditions

1 Who we are & what these cover

1.1. The Sew & Grow Talent Network (the "Network", "we", "us", "our") is operated by Sew and Grow Sewing School (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2017/370214/07), based at 11 Main Road (Cnr 4th Avenue), Melville, Johannesburg, 2019 ("Sew & Grow").

1.2. These Candidate Terms & Conditions (the "Terms") apply to you when you access or use the Network as a candidate or member ("you", "your", "Candidate") — including our website, dashboard, application forms, and the Skills Verification service.

1.3. By submitting an application, creating a profile, booking Skills Verification, or otherwise using the Network, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Network.

1.4. These Terms are written to work alongside the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("CPA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECTA"), and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). Nothing here is meant to take away a right you have under those laws.

2 Definitions

• "Brief" — a job, project, or assignment a Client brings to us.
• "Client" — a business or individual seeking to engage candidates through the Network.
• "Membership" — your free place in the Network after an accepted Application.
• "Application" — the free intake form and review to become a member.
• "Skills Verification" or "Verification" — the optional, paid, in-person session described in clause 7.
• "Verified mark" — the "Sew & Grow Vetted" mark shown on the profile of a Candidate whose stated skills have been verified.
• "Personal Information" — as defined in POPIA.

3 Eligibility

3.1. Where you're based. The Network is currently open to skilled sewing professionals based in South Africa, of any nationality. (We may open the Network to other regions in future.)

3.2. Your right to work is your responsibility — and the client's to check. We do not require you to prove a right to work, and we don't verify or guarantee any candidate's immigration or work-authorisation status. You are responsible for honestly stating your status on your profile and for only accepting work you are lawfully allowed to do. Any decision to engage you, and any duty to verify your right to work, rests with the Client as the prospective employer. Sew & Grow is an introducer only and is not responsible for a Client's hiring decisions or for any engagement that follows.

3.3. Age. The Network welcomes applicants of any age. If you are under 18, you may take part only with the verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian, who must also agree on your behalf to these Terms and to any Skills Verification booking and payment. Any work a younger member takes on must be lawful for their age, and ensuring that is the Client's responsibility as the prospective employer. We process a minor's information only with that consent (see clause 15).

3.4. Accuracy. You are responsible for making sure any qualifications, skills, experience, licences, or permits you claim are true and that you actually hold them.

4 Free membership & your account

4.1. Membership is free. We do not charge you any fee to join the Network, to appear on it, to be matched, or to be put forward to a Client. The only thing we may charge you for is the optional Skills Verification in clause 7 (and any optional add-on services you choose under clause 10).

4.2. To apply, you complete the Application and give us the information we ask for. We review Applications and may accept, decline, or ask for more information, acting reasonably.

4.3. Application and Verification are separate. You don't need Verification to apply, and you don't need a completed Application to book Verification. Either can come first — Verification has its own intake form.

4.4. Keep your login details private. You're responsible for activity under your account. Tell us promptly if you think it's been used without your permission.

4.5. Keep your profile accurate and current. Out-of-date or misleading information may lead to suspension or removal.

5 How the Network works — and what we don't promise

5.1. The Network is an introduction and matching service. We give Candidates the chance to be seen by Clients and to be put forward to Briefs that may suit their skills.

5.2. We're an intermediary, not your employer. Sew & Grow is not your employer, principal, or partner, and is not a temporary employment service or labour broker. We don't employ you, pay you, or supply you as labour. We simply introduce.

5.3. No guarantee of work or income. Membership, profile visibility, referrals, and even a Verified mark do not guarantee any Brief, offer, engagement, income, or number of opportunities. We make no promise about how many Briefs exist or their value.

5.4. You choose what to accept. You decide whether to take on any Brief or Client, and you satisfy yourself about the work, the rate, and the conditions before agreeing to anything.

6 Your status — independent, not employed by us

6.1. You take part in the Network as an independent, self-employed professional. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, or independent-contractor relationship between you and Sew & Grow.

6.2. If a Client engages you, that engagement is a direct arrangement between you and the Client. Whether you act as an independent contractor or an employee of that Client, and on what terms, is determined between you and the Client based on your actual working relationship. Sew & Grow is not a party to it and takes no responsibility for how it is classified or carried out.

6.3. You are responsible for your own tax affairs (including any SARS registration and provisional tax), and for any insurance, registrations, tools, or equipment your work requires. Sew & Grow does not deduct or pay tax, UIF, or any contribution on your behalf.

6.4. You may work with anyone you wish, including people you meet through the Network, on whatever terms you agree directly with them.

7 Skills Verification (optional & paid)

7.1. Purpose. Skills Verification is an optional, paid service run by Sew & Grow, centred on an in-person session at our Melville school and supported by reference checks, portfolio review, and the compilation of your results. Its purpose is to verify that the competencies you've stated on your profile are accurate — so that Clients can rely on Candidate profiles and aren't matched with skills that don't hold up in practice.

7.2. Not pass/fail. Verification is not an exam and there is no "pass" or "fail". It is a skills check. The outcome is simply whether your demonstrated skills match what your profile claims. Where they do, your profile receives the Verified mark. Where they differ, we may adjust your profile to reflect your verified skill level, or not apply the mark for a particular skill, so that your profile stays honest.

7.3. What the fee pays for. The Verification fee covers the full verification service, not just the time in the room. This includes: preparing for your session; the in-person practical assessment of your skills; verifying your references; reviewing your portfolio and work samples; and the work afterwards to compile, cross-check, and record the results on your profile. This back-office work is substantial and forms part of the service you are paying for. The fee is not a fee to join the Network, not a registration fee, not a placement fee, and not a payment for the Verified mark or for any work.

7.4. Verification is never required. You can be a full member without ever doing Verification. It simply adds a verified credential to your profile.

7.5. Fee & disclosure. The current Verification fee is R800 (the full amount you pay). The fee, what it includes, and what the session involves are shown to you before you pay. By booking, you confirm these were disclosed to you and that you accept them.

7.6. If we reschedule. If we have to move a session (for example, illness or a facilities issue), we'll offer you another date or, if you'd prefer, a full refund.

7.7. Accepting the normal risks of a practical session. Skills Verification is a hands-on session involving sewing machines, tools, and materials. You agree to follow all safety instructions given by our team on the day, and to tell us beforehand of any condition that affects your ability to take part safely. You take part voluntarily and accept the ordinary risks that come with practical sewing work. This does not affect your rights in clause 16.3 — we remain responsible for injury or loss caused by our own negligence or that of our staff.

8 Payment, cancellation, rescheduling & refunds (Verification)

8.1. Payment and how the fee splits. The Verification fee is R800, payable in full when you book, and it is made up of two parts: a R300 non-refundable booking fee (which secures and prepares your slot) and a R500 refundable balance. The R300 booking fee is never refunded if you cancel — no matter how much notice you give — the only exception being if we cancel or reschedule your session (clause 7.6). Any refund you receive is worked out on the R500 balance only.

8.2. Cooling-off (online bookings). Because you book online, you have a 7-day cooling-off right under section 44 of ECTA. You may use it to cancel within 7 days of booking — provided you give us at least 48 hours' notice before your session — and receive back the full R500 balance (we keep only the R300 booking fee).

8.3. Cancelling your booking. Because we reserve and prepare your slot, the following applies when you cancel. The R300 booking fee is always kept; the figures below are what you get back out of the R500 balance (this is a reasonable cancellation charge under section 17 of the CPA):

8.3.1. To be clear: the R300 booking fee is not part of the percentages — it is always kept first, and the refund is then taken from the R500 balance. So a cancellation more than 48 hours out (outside the cooling-off) means we keep R300 plus half the balance (R250), and you get R250 back.

8.4. Rescheduling. You may reschedule your session once, free of charge, as long as you give us at least 48 hours' notice before your booked time. You cannot reschedule on the day of your session or with less than 48 hours' notice — that is treated as a cancellation under clause 8.3, and you'll need to book and pay again to attend on another date.

8.5. Once you've attended — no refund. Once your session has taken place, the service has been delivered and the fee is non-refundable, whatever the outcome. In particular, your profile not receiving the Verified mark for a given skill is not a reason for a refund — the fee pays for the verification service, not for a particular result.

8.6. The one exception. Nothing here removes your right under the CPA to a remedy if the service is not actually provided, or is carried out so poorly that it falls below the standard of a reasonably competent verification. That is different from simply not receiving the mark.

8.7. How & when. Approved refunds are paid to your original payment method within 30 days of cancellation.

9 Your Verified mark

9.1. The Verified mark remains our property and reflects a check carried out at a point in time. It does not certify ongoing skill, guarantee Client satisfaction, or guarantee work.

9.2. We may suspend or remove the Verified mark if we reasonably believe it was obtained through misrepresentation, if credible concerns about your conduct or skills arise, or if you breach these Terms. Where practical, we'll tell you why and let you respond.

9.3. You may display the mark only as we permit, only while it's valid, and only for yourself. Don't alter it, share it, or use it in a misleading way.

9.4. We may set a validity period or ask for re-verification from time to time. Any re-verification may carry its own fee, disclosed in advance.

10 Future & optional paid services

10.1. Membership and matching are, and will remain, free to Candidates. We may, however, choose to offer optional paid add-on services in future — for example, profile boosting, featured or priority visibility, or similar enhancements.

10.2. Any such service will be entirely optional, with its own price and terms shown to you before you buy. Choosing not to buy them will never affect your free membership or your ability to be matched.

10.3. We may introduce, change, or withdraw optional paid services, and adjust their pricing, from time to time. Changes won't affect a service you've already paid for during the period it covers.

11 Your responsibilities & promises

You confirm that:

• 11.1. Everything you tell us — in your Application, profile, Verification intake, and to Clients — is true, accurate, current, and not misleading.
• 11.2. You hold the skills and experience you claim, you've stated your work-authorisation status honestly, and you'll only accept work you are lawfully allowed to do. You understand that overstating your skills may lead to your profile being adjusted or removed.
• 11.3. You own, or have permission to use, any portfolio images or work samples you upload, and they don't infringe anyone else's rights.
• 11.4. If you give us references or anyone else's contact details, you have their permission for us to contact them.
• 11.5. You won't impersonate anyone, create fake or duplicate accounts, or misrepresent your link to Sew & Grow or any Client.
• 11.6. You'll comply with all applicable laws and with the house rules in clause 12.

12 House rules & conduct

To keep the Network safe, fair, and professional, you agree to:

• 12.1. Treat our team, assessors, Clients, and fellow members with respect.
• 12.2. Communicate honestly and reply to opportunities in good time.
• 12.3. Honour the commitments you make to Clients, and give reasonable notice if you can't.
• 12.4. Avoid any harassment, discrimination, abuse, dishonesty, or unlawful behaviour.
• 12.5. Not use the Network to spam, scrape data, advertise unrelated goods or services, or poach members or Clients for outside purposes.
• 12.6. Not bring the Network or Sew & Grow into disrepute.
• 12.7. Keep all contact private. Never share your own contact details — phone number, email, address, or social media handles — directly with a Client. Every introduction happens through the Network, and a Client receives your details only after they have paid the platform to work with you. This is how we keep introductions fair and safe for everyone.
• 12.8. This includes hidden details. The no-contact rule also covers contact details tucked into photos, watermarks, captions, file names, or messages. You're very welcome to show off your work — just not your contact details or handles.
• 12.9. Don't route around the platform. Trying to share or obtain contact details to work around the Network, or soliciting a Client off-platform before an introduction is made, may lead to your profile being flagged, suspended, or removed.
• 12.10. Respond promptly. When a Client reaches out through the Network, reply in good time and professionally.

We may treat a breach of these rules as a breach of these Terms (see clause 18).

13 Dealing with clients

13.1. We may share your profile, work samples, and relevant details with Clients so you can be considered for Briefs (see clause 15).

13.2. We don't control Clients and can't vouch for them. We're not responsible for a Client's conduct, accuracy, solvency, payment, or compliance with the law.

13.3. Any agreement you reach with a Client is yours to manage — rates, scope, timelines, payment, and any dispute are between you and the Client. We're not your representative in those dealings, though we may try to help informally at our discretion. We strongly recommend putting your arrangement with a Client in writing.

14 Intellectual property

14.1. The Network, its content, and the "Sew & Grow" and "Sew & Grow Vetted" names, marks, and designs belong to or are licensed to Sew & Grow. Please don't copy or use them except as these Terms allow.

14.2. You keep ownership of the content and work samples you upload, but you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host and display them and to share them with Clients while you're a member (and to keep archival copies for a reasonable period afterwards). You can ask us to remove specific content.

15 Privacy & your data (POPIA)

15.1. Who is responsible. Sew and Grow Sewing School (Pty) Ltd is the responsible party (data controller) for the Personal Information we collect through the Network. You can contact us about your information at any time at candidates@sewandgrow.network.

15.2. What we collect. We collect: your contact details (name, email, phone, location); your work-authorisation status, as you choose to share it; your skills, experience, qualifications, and availability; your portfolio and work samples; your Skills Verification details and results; references you give us; payment information you submit when booking (handled by our payment provider — we don't store card numbers); and basic technical data such as your IP address, device, and how you use the Network.

15.3. Why we use it. We use your information to: create and manage your account; review your Application; carry out Skills Verification; match you to and refer you to Clients; process payments; communicate with you about the Network; keep the Network safe and prevent misuse; and meet our legal obligations.

15.4. Our legal grounds (POPIA). We process your information on one or more of these bases: your consent; because it's necessary to provide the Network to you (performance of our agreement); our legitimate interests in running and improving the Network; and compliance with the law.

15.5. Sharing with Clients. The heart of the Network is connecting you with Clients, so by using it you consent to us sharing relevant parts of your profile — such as your skills, experience, portfolio, availability, and Verification status — with Clients so you can be considered for Briefs. Your direct contact details are shared with a Client only as part of an introduction made through the Network (see clause 12).

15.6. Other people we share with. We share information with trusted service providers who help us run the Network — for example, payment processors, hosting and email providers — who are required to protect it and use it only for the services they provide to us. We may also share information where the law requires it, or to protect our rights. We do not sell your Personal Information.

15.7. Members under 18. If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must consent to us collecting and processing your information, as POPIA requires. We rely on that consent and may ask you to confirm it.

15.8. Sending information outside South Africa. Some of our service providers may store or process information outside South Africa. Where that happens, we take reasonable steps to make sure your information stays protected to a standard comparable with POPIA.

15.9. How long we keep it. We keep your information only as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as long as the law requires, and then delete or anonymise it.

15.10. Keeping it safe. We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. No online system is ever completely secure, but we work to keep yours safe.

15.11. Your rights. You have the right to: access the information we hold about you; ask us to correct or delete it; object to or ask us to restrict certain processing; withdraw consent (which may mean we can no longer offer you Network services); and lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa). To exercise any of these, email support@sewandgrow.network.

15.12. Cookies. Our website uses cookies and similar tools to make the site work, remember your preferences, and understand how it's used. You can manage cookies through your browser settings.

15.13. Updates. We may update this privacy section from time to time; the current version always lives here as part of these Terms.

16 Limitation of liability

16.1. The Network and Verification are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we give no warranties of any kind (express or implied) beyond those the law requires, and we do not warrant that the Network will be available, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that it will result in any Brief, engagement, introduction, or income.

16.2. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sew & Grow (and its owners, staff, and assessors) will not be liable to you — whether in contract, delict (including negligence), statute, or otherwise — for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential loss, or for any loss of profit, income, work, opportunity, savings, goodwill, reputation, or data, however it arises, even if we were warned the loss was possible. This includes loss arising from any introduction, any Client's acts or omissions (including non-payment), any failure to be matched or verified, or any downtime, error, or security incident affecting the Network.

16.3. What we never exclude. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that the law does not allow us to exclude — including for death or personal injury caused by our conduct, for loss caused by our gross negligence, or for fraud — and nothing limits the rights the CPA, ECTA, or POPIA give you that cannot be contracted out of. The exclusions above apply to everything else.

17 Indemnity

17.1. You indemnify and hold harmless Sew & Grow (and its owners, staff, and assessors) against any claim, demand, liability, loss, damage, fine, or cost — including legal costs on an attorney-and-own-client scale — that arises out of or is connected to: (a) your breach of these Terms; (b) any inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or fraudulent information you provide, or any overstatement of your skills; (c) your conduct toward, or any engagement or dispute with, a Client; (d) any content or work samples you upload; or (e) your breach of any law or of any third party's rights.

17.2. We may, at your cost, take sole control of the defence and settlement of any claim covered by this indemnity, and you agree to co-operate with us. Settling a claim does not reduce your obligations under this clause.

17.3. This indemnity does not apply to the extent a loss was caused by our own gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or fraud, or to the extent the law does not permit it. It survives the ending of your membership.

18 Flagging, suspension & removal

18.1. You can leave the Network at any time by closing your account or contacting us.

18.2. What can get you flagged, suspended, or removed. We may flag your profile, suspend your access, withhold or remove your Verified mark, or remove you from the Network entirely — at our discretion, acting reasonably — if you do any of the following:

• 18.2.1. Give false, misleading, or fraudulent information, or overstate your skills or experience.
• 18.2.2. Fail to attend confirmed Briefs or sessions, repeatedly cancel at short notice, or abandon work you've agreed to do.
• 18.2.3. Behave dishonestly, abusively, or unprofessionally toward our team, assessors, Clients, or other members.
• 18.2.4. Harass, threaten, or discriminate against anyone, or act unlawfully on a Client's premises or through the Network.
• 18.2.5. Try to bypass the Network to avoid fees we're owed, or solicit our Clients or members for purposes outside the Network.
• 18.2.6. Misuse the Verified mark, impersonate someone, or create fake or duplicate accounts.
• 18.2.7. Receive credible or repeated complaints from Clients about your conduct, reliability, or the quality of your work.
• 18.2.8. Use the Network to spam, scrape data, or post unlawful, infringing, or harmful content.
• 18.2.9. Otherwise breach these Terms or bring Sew & Grow or the Network into disrepute.

18.3. How we'll act. Depending on how serious the issue is, we may start by flagging or warning you and giving you a chance to put it right, or — for serious or repeated conduct, or where the law requires — suspend or remove you immediately. We may also report unlawful conduct to the relevant authorities.

18.4. Ending your membership doesn't entitle you to a refund for a Verification session already delivered, and doesn't affect rights or obligations that already existed.

19 Changes to these terms

19.1. We may update these Terms from time to time. We'll post the updated version with a new effective date, and for material changes we'll take reasonable steps to let you know (for example, by a notice on your dashboard or by email).

19.2. If you keep using the Network after a change takes effect, you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree with a change, your remedy is to stop using the Network and close your account. Changes do not apply retrospectively to a Verification session you have already paid for.

20 Disputes & arbitration

20.1. Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

20.2. Talk to us first. If you have a dispute, you agree to first raise it with us in writing at support@sewandgrow.network and to give us 15 business days to resolve it in good faith before taking any further step.

20.3. Private arbitration. If we can't resolve it, the dispute will be finally settled by confidential arbitration, seated in Johannesburg, under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), before a single arbitrator. The arbitration is private and its outcome confidential. This is the agreed route for resolving disputes to the fullest extent the law permits.

20.4. Individual basis only. Disputes are dealt with on an individual basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree not to bring or join any class, group, or representative action against us, and an arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims.

20.5. Our right to go to court. Despite the above, Sew & Grow may approach any competent court for an urgent interdict, to protect or enforce its intellectual property, or to recover any amount you owe us. We consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate's Court for this purpose, even where the amount exceeds its normal limits.

20.6. Your statutory rights. Nothing in this clause takes away any right you have that the law does not allow to be contracted out of.

21 General

21.1. Severability. If any term is found invalid, the rest still apply, and that term is read down or removed only as far as needed.

21.2. No waiver. If we don't enforce a term, we can still enforce it later.

21.3. Whole agreement. These Terms — including the privacy section (clause 15) — together with any fee details shown to you at booking, are the whole agreement between us about the Network.

21.4. Plain language. We've aimed to write these in plain, understandable language, as the CPA asks. If anything's unclear, ask us before you agree.

21.5. Survival. Clauses that by their nature should continue — including 6 (your status), 14 (intellectual property), 16 (liability), 17 (indemnity), and 20 (disputes) — survive the ending of your membership.

21.6. Your acceptance. By ticking to accept these Terms, or by using the Network, you confirm that you have read and understood them, that the clauses flagged for your attention were brought to your notice, and that you agree to be bound by them.

21.7. Cession. We may cede or transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another party (for example, on a sale or restructure of the business). You may not transfer yours without our written consent.