Teachers Salaries In South Africa (2024)

Teaching is a vital profession in any society: their salaries are well justified. Teachers are world builders; they are the foundation upon which all other professions in society depend to grow. Therefore, when teachers are happy and motivated, every facet of society; the economy, healthcare, law enforcement, and the political landscape benefits through the ripple effect. 

Thankfully, going by the average teachers salary in South Africa, the country has recognized the value of teachers, and the government now compensates them accordingly. If you are a young person researching the earning potential in the teaching profession, you may find the information in this post very exciting.

Teachers’ reward is no longer in heaven; teachers are now paid enough money to live comfortable lives and enjoy the good things that come with it. Teaching is a profession that people look forward to as against the way it was a few years ago.

Teachers Salaries In South Africa

How Much do Teachers Make in South Africa?

Research shows that Teachers in South Africa earn typically 33,000 ZAR per month, which amounts to 396,000 ZAR per year. However, salaries usually range from 15,800 ZAR (lowest average) to 60,200 ZAR on average, although the actual highest salary is significantly higher.

These cited salaries are the average monthly salaries including housing, transport, and other benefits. You must also note that salaries can vary drastically between different careers; certain subjects are much more highly in demand than others, and that determines the salary scale. Furthermore, the level of experience you have is also a factor in determining how much you can earn as a teacher.

How much do Grade R Teachers make as Salary In South Africa?

According to research, the average salary for grade R teachers in South Africa is R7 411 per month or R89212 per year.  These are some of the lowest earners in the whole teaching profession in South Africa, although these figures are just the available average according to research, many teachers can and often do earn above the average, depending mostly on the experience they have, and the number of years they have been in the field.

Grade R teachers play an important role in the early development of children. Grade R teachers don’t formally teach language, mathematics, and life skills, but they teach through music and play. 

Preschool Teachers Salary in South Africa

The average salary for a Preschool Teacher in South Africa is about R6698 per month, which amounts to about R80,383 per year. Of course, experience is a factor determining how much a Preschool teacher earns, as is the school he is employed.

Private School Teacher Salary In South Africa

Private School Teachers in South Africa typically earn about R26,463 per month, which translates to about R317,588 a year. Some private school teachers earn as high as R52689 per month, or R632,275 a year.  

Much depends on the particular private school that one finds him or herself in. Some private schools are open to everyone and do not pay up to the average salary for teachers, while other private schools are quite exclusive, and cater to the educational needs of children from upper-class families. 

Since these latter private schools charge huge amounts as fees from the students, one can reasonably expect that the teachers are well paid. Such schools often go to great lengths to ensure that they hire top teaching talent, promising to make it worth their while.

Substitute Teacher Salary In South Africa

The average pay for a Substitute Teacher is R9886 per month, or 118,632 a year. 

Of course very few (if any) wish to remain as substitute teachers all their lives. Most view this as a transitional position between whatever they presently do and becoming full-time teachers. In some cases, the teachers have applied for teaching positions, but because there are no current openings, they are only called up to fill in for teachers that are unavoidably absent. 

In other arrangements, however, some professionals who are engaged in other activities decide to take up teaching in a substitute capacity so as to allow them to give their time and effort to other passions or pursuits. 

Correctional Teachers Salary In Salary South Africa

Teachers who work in correctional institutions are actually employed by the Department of Corrections, therefore, they earn according to the pay scale of the Department of Corrections. The average salary for a Correctional Teacher in South Africa is R16,430 per month or R197,170 per year. The pay is greatly influenced by the years of service, and experience on the job.

Correctional Teachers are not just teachers; they are correctional workers. They must therefore expect to be given a hard time by the students they teach, most of whom are juvenile delinquents, and street children who have landed in correctional facilities as a result of violence, gang-related crime, and petty theft. This may be one of the most unpleasant facets of the teaching profession.

High School Teachers Salaries In South Africa

High School Teachers are the yardstick by which the teaching profession is often measured as regards the pay. High School Teachers typically earn about R33,000  per month, which amounts to R396,000 per year. This is just an average figure, some of the more experienced teachers earn far above the average.

Primary School Teacher Salaries In South Africa

Primary School Teachers in South Africa typically earn around R25,200  per month, which amounts to R302,400 per year. This is just an average figure; the salaries actually range from R11,600 (lowest average) to R40,100 per month, which is the highest figure presently recorded.

Primary school teachers are very important in the education sector because they play an important role in the early development of children. Primary school children help children settle into an academic routine, and help nourish the children’s love for learning. Primary school teachers also socialize the children; helping them make friends, and learn to tolerate close contact with other children. Some primary schools pay teachers handsomely for their work. 

Government Teachers Salaries In South Africa

A person working in the Teaching / Education sector in South Africa would typically expect to earn around 33,000 ZAR per month. This is just an average figure; in truth, the figures would range from R15,800 (lowest average) to R 60,200 ZAR which is the average of the highest, most experienced earners. These figures provided actually include housing, transport, and other benefits.

Government teachers are the flag-bearers of the teaching profession in South Africa. Government teachers enjoy the highest salaries in the education sector; they earn higher than some other equally important sector workers in South Africa. apart from their earning potential, government teachers enjoy very good working conditions, including job security and employee benefits.

The public education system is heavily unionized in South Africa, and so it is almost impossible for a Government teacher to feel threatened or cheated because they are well protected by their unions.  

Mathematics Teachers Salaries In South Africa

The average mathematics teacher salary in South Africa is about R24,000 per month or R288 000 per year. Entry-level positions start at R17,500 per month on average or R210 000 per year. This is just an average figure; mathematics teachers can earn far above the average salaries.

Mathematics teachers are highly sought after, especially as their subject is very important and quite difficult to master. 

Mathematics teachers can sometimes be among some of the highest earners in education. Aside from the good earning potential associated with this particular subject, there is a lot of job security, and the probability of getting hired as soon as you meet the required qualification is high.

What Other Factors Influence Teacher Salary Scale

Gender: Though gender should not influence teachers’ salaries, the truth is that it does. The question, therefore, is ‘who gets the higher pay: men or women?’ The answer: Male teachers in South Africa earn 8% more than their female counterparts on average. Male teachers earn an average of R34,100, while Female teachers earn an average salary of R31,600. 

Qualification: It is well known that a higher qualification usually equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? Is it worth the pursuit to gain a higher qualification with the hopes of higher pay?

Teachers with a certificate or diploma earn 17% more on average than their peers who only reached the high school level. Teachers who earned a Bachelor’s Degree earn 24% more than those who have a certificate or diploma, while those with Master’s Degrees are rake in salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor’s Degree.

Finally, Ph.D. holders earn an average of 23% more than what Master’s Degree holders make on average while doing the same job.

Experience: The experience level is the most important factor when it comes to salary. The more years of experience the higher the wage. Typically, when a teacher has two to five years of experience they earn on average 32% more than people who just joined the profession.

When they have more than five years of experience they make 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience. The salaries continue to increase every few years, and it is possible to make a 100% increase in salary after about 20 years on the job.

Related:

• Civil Engineer Salary In South Africa
• Safety Officer Salary In Eskom

Conclusion:

As you might have seen in this post; teachers’ salaries in South Africa vary differently. High school teachers are some of the highest earners in the education sector, with an average salary of R33,000 which can potentially rise to over R60,000 per month. Teachers employed by the government seem to have the better deal; on average, they earn about R4000 per month above the salaries of teachers of private schools.

The significant difference is the correctional teachers who earn somewhere around R16,430 per month, although they are not paid according to the available rates in the Department of Education, rather they are paid as Correctional Workers.  

Preschool teachers earn the least, with their average salary standing at around R7,000 per month. Most of the preschool teachers are employed in the private sector, and as the name implies, the setups are sometimes hardly formal because the children are not yet of school age.

Armed with this information you can now proceed to make a selection on the role you want to play in education. Another important factor to consider is the demand for teachers which increases with the technicality of the subject in question. Yes, teaching is a lucrative job which offers job security not obtainable in many other sectors, but you stand a greater chance to earn a good salary as a teacher of some technical subject such as mathematics, physics and so on.