Cookie Policy

About This Policy

This Cookie Policy is effective from 13 April 2026 and applies to all TeachSA Connect websites and web applications, including the seeker portal, poster portal, admin portal, and marketing website.

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, provide information to website owners, and improve the user experience.

This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA). For full details on how we process your personal information, see our POPIA Compliance notice and Privacy Policy.

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small data files stored on your browser or device when you visit a website. They allow the website to remember your actions and preferences over a period of time.

Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. They are used for things like keeping you logged in during a single visit.

Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. They are used to remember preferences and recognise you on return visits.

First party cookies are set by TeachSA Connect directly. Third party cookies are set by external services we integrate with (such as payment processors or analytics providers). We only use third party cookies where necessary for platform functionality.

Essential Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for the platform to function. They enable core features such as security, authentication, and session management. These cookies cannot be disabled, the platform cannot operate without them.

• Authentication token (httpOnly refresh token): A secure, httpOnly cookie containing a JWT refresh token used to maintain your authenticated session. Duration: 7 days. This cookie is not accessible to JavaScript and is transmitted only over HTTPS.
• CSRF protection token: A token used to protect against Cross Site Request Forgery attacks. It ensures that form submissions and API requests originate from TeachSA Connect and not from malicious third party sites.
• Session management: Cookies that track your active session, ensuring you remain logged in as you navigate between pages and portals.
• Security cookies (rate limiting): Used to detect and prevent abuse such as brute force login attempts, excessive API requests, and automated scraping.
• Language and locale preferences: Stores your preferred language and regional format settings (e.g., en-ZA date and currency formatting).

Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how the platform is used and how we can improve it. They collect information about page views, navigation patterns, error rates, and performance metrics.

• Platform usage analytics: Anonymous, aggregated data on which pages are visited, how long users spend on each page, and common navigation paths.
• Error tracking: When errors occur, we capture diagnostic information to identify and fix issues quickly.
• Performance monitoring: Page load times, API response times, and resource loading metrics to ensure the platform remains fast and responsive.

Purpose: To improve the user experience, identify problems, and optimise platform performance.

These cookies can be disabled through your browser settings or our cookie preferences (where available). Disabling them will not affect core platform functionality but will limit our ability to improve the service.

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies enhance your experience by remembering choices you've made and providing personalised features. They are not strictly necessary but make the platform more convenient to use.

• User preferences: Display settings such as sidebar state, table column preferences, and dashboard layout choices.
• Last search parameters: Remembering your most recent search filters (location, subject, job type) so you can quickly repeat searches.
• Notification preferences: Your choices about which notifications to display in app versus suppress.

Disabling functional cookies will not prevent you from using the platform, but you may need to re enter preferences on each visit.

Third Party Cookies

We integrate with a limited number of third party services that may set their own cookies on your device:

Paystack (Payment Processing)

• Purpose: Secure processing of subscription payments and billing transactions.
• Data collected: Transaction identifiers, payment session tokens, fraud detection signals.
• Retention: Session duration plus up to 12 months for fraud prevention.
• Privacy policy: Available at paystack.com/privacy

Firebase (Push Notifications)

• Purpose: Delivering push notifications to mobile and web applications.
• Data collected: Device tokens, notification delivery status, messaging identifiers.
• Retention: Until you unregister from notifications or remove the app.
• Privacy policy: Available at firebase.google.com/support/privacy

We review our third party integrations regularly and only partner with providers that maintain adequate data protection standards as required by POPIA Section 72.

Cookie Table

The following table provides a summary of the cookies and similar technologies used on TeachSA Connect:

How to Manage Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Below are instructions for the most common browsers:

• Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data. You can block third party cookies, clear cookies on exit, or manage exceptions per site.
• Mozilla Firefox:Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data. Firefox offers Standard, Strict, and Custom tracking protection levels.
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data. Safari blocks cross site tracking by default through Intelligent Tracking Prevention.
• Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies and site data. Edge offers Basic, Balanced, and Strict tracking prevention.
• Mobile browsers:On iOS and Android, cookie settings are typically found under the browser's Settings → Privacy or Site Settings section.

Important: If you disable essential cookies, you will not be able to log in to or use the TeachSA Connect platform. Authentication and security features depend on these cookies to function.

Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) setting that sends a signal to websites requesting that they do not track the user's browsing activity.

There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. TeachSA Connect does not currently alter its data collection and processing practices in response to DNT signals. However, you can control cookies and tracking through the browser settings described above and in our Privacy Policy.

Local Storage and Similar Technologies

In addition to cookies, TeachSA Connect uses other browser storage technologies:

• localStorage, Access token: Your short lived JWT access token is stored in localStorage for API authentication. This token expires after 15 minutes and is automatically refreshed using the httpOnly refresh token cookie.
• localStorage, CSRF token: The CSRF token is stored in localStorage and sent as a header with each request to protect against cross site request forgery.
• sessionStorage: Used for temporary UI state such as form progress, unsaved input, and navigation context. Cleared when the browser tab is closed.
• WebSocket connections: Used for real time features such as notification delivery. WebSocket connections are authenticated using your access token and do not persist data on your device.

These technologies are subject to the same controls and purposes described in this policy. You can clear localStorage and sessionStorage through your browser's developer tools or by clearing site data in your browser settings.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our technology, legal requirements, or the cookies we use.

• Advance notice: We will provide at least 30 days' advance notice before material changes take effect.
• Email notification: For material changes, we will notify registered users by email.
• Continued use: Your continued use of TeachSA Connect after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last updated.

Contact

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies and similar technologies, please contact us:

• Email: privacy@teachsaconnect.co.za
• Subject line: "Cookie Policy Enquiry"

For broader data protection questions, see our POPIA Compliance notice or Privacy Policy. You may also contact the Information Regulator of South Africa if you have concerns about how your personal information is handled.