Quantity Surveyor Salary in South African Rands
If you want to know everything about the quantity surveyor salary, then you have landed on the right page because below, you will find all the relevant information in one piece. I will not only tell you about the salary of a quantity surveyor in South Africa but also give you a comparative analysis of their salaries in the United States. In addition to that, I will also explain the responsibilities of a quantity surveyor for your benefit.
So, it will be a thoroughly exciting and informative read for you all. So, make sure you keep reading through to the end to avoid missing out on any points. And with that being said, let’s get down to details, shall we?
Quantity Surveyor Salary
Being a quantity surveyor, you may earn an average salary of about R 28,766 per month while living and serving in South Africa. The salary figure greatly depends upon the years of experience, level of expertise, and particular skill set.
So, you could earn way more or less than the average base figure I just stated. The average salary is to give you a fair idea of what kind of salary to expect being a quantity surveyor in South Africa.
On the other hand, the average base rate salary of a quantity surveyor living and serving in the United States is about $ 3,499. This sum amounts to 65,938 South African rands. So, it means that the same quantity surveyor with the exact same expertise and skills will earn about R 37,172 more than in South Africa.
This huge difference in the salaries of quantity surveyors living in South Africa and the United States pertains to a lot of reasons. For instance, the USA is a fully developed country with a higher GDP and better employment facilities.
Hence, the employers there are willing and able to pay more to their employees than those living in South Africa. And since South Africa is an underdeveloped country, this all makes sense.
Another reason why the wage rate in the USA is higher than in South Africa is because of inflation. The inflation rate is much higher and more volatile in South Africa, whereas the inflation rate is somewhat stable in the USA. Hence, the people in the USA benefit from better working and living conditions than those in South Africa.
Apart from that, the salaries of all quantity surveyors vary drastically depending upon many things. For instance, a fresh surveyor who does not have a lot of practical exposure will earn a lot less compared to a highly experienced and skilled surveyor.
It also depends upon the company you are working for. If you are working at a multinational corporation or a well-established company with huge revenues, you will get a higher pay than someone working at a small company.
Professional Responsibilities Of A Quantity Surveyor
Reviewing Construction Plans
One of the responsibilities of a quantity surveyor is to review the construction plans prepared by the company. They will check the plans for any flaws and review the judgments and estimates used. Not only that, but the quantity surveyor will also provide his suggestions and alternatives to any faulty factors used in the plan.
Scrutinize Costs
A quantity surveyor will also minutely scrutinize and compute the costs of a project. These include material costs, labor costs, variable overhead, and fixed overheads. He will also strive to devise strategies that will lower the project’s costs without compromising quality.
Provide Consultation To All Relevant Parties
A quantity surveyor acts as a mediator between all the parties involved in the project. He will strive to get all the parties to reconcile their differences and work towards the ulterior motive which is the completion of the project and generate profits. These parties may include the clients, contractors, subcontractors, managers, and so on.
Prepare Reports And Inspect Documents
A quantity surveyor is also supposed to make reports for the ease and benefit of the directors and managers. This will give them a fair idea of how much work has been done and how long it will take for the project to be completed. It will also give them a fair idea of the expenses incurred and to be further incurred in the near future.
Apart from that, he will also create forecasts, budget analyses, and risk assessments for the feasibility and reliability of the completion of the project. Not only that, he will also keep updating these reports and analyses with time as things evolve and events unfold. A quantity surveyor is also responsible for checking out and inspecting any documents relating to the undergoing project.
Keep The Material In Check
It is also the responsibility of the quantity surveyors to keep a very strict check on all the incoming and outgoing materials. He will ensure that all the material is used up efficiently and effectively with minimum to no normal loss and very little abnormal loss. He will also be responsible for placing material orders with vendors when there is a risk of a stockout.
Visit The Construction Site
The quantity surveyor will also make periodic visits to the construction site so as to ensure that all the material ordered is used up properly and efficiently. He will also ensure that the lower laborers and employees are not misappropriating the materials or using inferior quality materials instead of the materials provided by the company.
What Does The Salary Of Quantity Surveyor Depend Upon?
Years of Experience And Education
The salary of a quantity surveyor directly depends upon the years of experience and education level. Let’s explore these two derivatives in the following paragraphs.
So, the fact that the years of experience affect your salary package is no joke. The greater the years of experience you have the higher your pay will be. This is because you will have the exposure to deal with various kinds of situations and be able to provide ingenious solutions to novel situations based on your own past experiences.
On the other hand, the more education you have, it means the more knowledgeable you are. So, you will be promoted very quickly, given that you also have the required skill set for the position. Hence the higher salary package you will be offered.
Do quantity surveyors get paid well?
Yes, quantity surveyors get paid handsomely for their critical services. They are greatly valued in South Africa and have flourishing career prospects. Besides, the higher your education and years of experience, the more handsomely you will get paid.
Is the job of quantity surveyor difficult?
Yes, the job of a quantity surveyor is very hard and competitive. You will have to be constantly on the edge and provide the latest up-to-date information to your superiors. You will constantly have to create reports based on estimates and judgments that might end up inaccurate. Besides that, you will have to play the mediator, inspector, and analyst all at the same time.
What is the scope of a quantity surveyor in South Africa?
There is great scope for a quantity surveyor in South Africa. In fact, it is one of the most rapidly increasing professions since it is a developing country with lots of ongoing construction projects all across the country.
So, this was all from my side, and I hope you all enjoyed reading through this highly informative article. I tried my best to provide you with all the relevant information relating to the quantity surveyors and their professional Responsibilities. Besides that, I also compared the salaries earned by the quantity surveyors working in South Africa to those working in the United States.
So, to conclude this entire article, I would like to summarize all the information that I provided above. Quantity Surveyor is undoubtedly a very rewarding yet challenging career but pays relatively less in South Africa than in the States. Besides, you can only be a successful quantity surveyor if you have an active mind and can manage to control a lot of things simultaneously.
