Social Worker Salary in South African Rands

Social work is quite an intriguing field for anyone who wants to serve humanity and work in the management of disasters. An average social worker in South Africa earns anywhere around R8 940. And if you would like to know more about an average social worker’s salary in South Africa, dive right into this guide.

Social Worker Salary in South Africa

Typically, a social worker in South Africa earns anywhere between R5 110 and R15 000, based on their expertise and education in the field. Here is a breakdown of how the average social work salary package is decided in the country.

Bonus and Incentives

Sadly, there aren’t many bonuses and incentives for social workers in South Africa. According to the latest surveys, only 24% of the total staff in senior positions receive bonuses, that too ranging between 1 and 3%. Similarly, if you are not working in a remote location, the company may not provide you with health insurance, transportation, or rent allowance.

Payscale Percentile

We can use the social salary distribution chart to determine the 25th and 75th percentiles of social workers based in this country. According to this, 25% of the staff in beginners’ positions earn less than R7 420, whereas this number is R10 100 for the other 75% as mid-career professionals.

Professional Responsibilities of a Social Worker

Social workers are required to identify people in communities that are in need of help and assistance. Here is a list of all the professional responsibilities a social worker is supposed to take on.

• Assess people’s needs, weaknesses, and strengths, and help them accordingly
• Identify support networks for communities in need
• Research and champion the community resources
• Respond to crisis situation and emergencies
• Maintain the record of disaster management on their posting station
• Provide psychological therapy to victims of a disaster

Factors that Influence Social Worker Salary in South Africa

A number of things are considered when deciding your salary as a social worker across the globe, let alone in South Africa. It can be anything from your gender to the duty station, level of education, and expertise in the field. Here is how companies determine your salary package as a social worker based in South Africa.

Level of Experience

The first thing that makes a huge difference in determining your salary is your expertise and skill set in a particular field. Candidates with more years of experience will earn at a high-paying scale, and so on. Here is a breakdown of how much you will earn with different years of experience as a social worker in South Africa.

Level of Experience	Salary (Per Month)	Increase (Percentage)
0-2 years of experience	R5 810	0%
2-5 years of experience	R7 800	34%
5-10 years of experience	R10 100	30%
10-15 years of experience	R12 300	21%
15-20 years of experience	R13 400	9%
Over 20 years of experience	R14 100	5%

Education

Many people ask whether your education can affect your monthly pay as a social worker. The answer to this question is a simple yes, it can make some sort of difference as to how much you get paid. For instance, a candidate with a Master’s degree will earn more than one with a Bachelor’s degree, and here is how.

Level of Education/ Qualification	Salary Per Month	Increase (Percentage)
High School Diploma	R6 900	0%
Bachelor’s Degree	R9 880	43%
Masters Degree	R13 700	38%

City of Employment

Your station of employment is yet another factor that can contribute to how much you get paid as a social worker in this country. This is partially because most social organizations are based in metro cities. Following is a breakdown of how different social organizations across the country get paid.

City	Salary (Per Month)
Pretoria, Gauteng	R10 100
Durban, KwaZulu Natal	R10 500
Johannesburg, Gauteng	R10 200
Cape Town, Western Cape	R10 900
Bloemfontein	R8 990
Port Elizabeth	R9 920

Gender

Last but not least, gender plays a vital role in getting you a job and deciding your salary as a social worker. There is almost a 7% increase in the monthly salary of men, as compared to their women counterparts. And here is the average salary for both genders.

Male Pilots	R9 520
Female Pilots	R10 300

Though social work is not the best in the monetary sense, it is on the priority list for people who want to work toward crisis management and emergency situations. And if you are someone like this and want to know about the finances of this field, I hope this guide has been helpful.