Average Guidance Counselor Salary in Cambodia for 2026
A guidance counselor in Cambodia earns about 50,398,300 KHR a year. That's 27% above the national average of 39,718,900 KHR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Cambodia sit around 23,159,200 KHR a year, while the very top stretches to 80,040,700 KHR. Everything on this page is in Cambodian riel (KHR, symbol ៛), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Cambodia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a guidance counselor make in Cambodia?
A typical guidance counselor working in Cambodia brings home around 4,199,858 KHR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 23,159,200 KHR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 80,040,700 KHR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior guidance counselor working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How guidance counselor pay ranges in Cambodia
A good way to think about salary in Cambodia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all guidance counselors in Cambodia earn less than 54,358,300 KHR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 34,919,600 KHR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 72,601,900 KHR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of guidance counselors sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 23,159,200 KHR. The highest stretch to 80,040,700 KHR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Guidance counselor pay by experience in Cambodia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a guidance counselor in Cambodia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical guidance counselor salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years26,280,300 KHR
- 2-5 Years+34% from previous35,159,900 KHR
- 5-10 Years+48% from previous51,959,300 KHR
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous63,241,900 KHR
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous69,001,000 KHR
- 20+ Years+8% from previous74,639,200 KHR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a guidance counselor typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Guidance counselor pay by education in Cambodia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving guidance counselor pay in Cambodia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average guidance counselor salary in Cambodia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree30,001,600 KHR
- Master's Degree+57% from previous47,038,300 KHR
- PhD+68% from previous78,960,300 KHR
Guidance counselor gender pay gap in Cambodia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Cambodia is no exception. Male guidance counselors in Cambodia earn an average of 46,560,900 KHR a year, while female guidance counselors earn around 54,118,500 KHR. That works out to a 14% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Guidance Counselor gender pay gap
14%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Cambodia.
Pay raises for a guidance counselor in Cambodia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Cambodia sees a raise of about 9% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 4% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Cambodia, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Cambodia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Guidance counselor bonus rates in Cambodia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
42% of guidance counselors in Cambodia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a guidance counselor a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 58% of guidance counselors reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Cambodia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Guidance counselor: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Cambodia is about 25% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
20%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Cambodia on average.
Guidance counselor salary by city in Cambodia
Guidance counselor pay is not even across Cambodia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Phnom Penh
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phnom Penh | City | 53,040,100 KHR | 57,239,200 KHR | 24,359,000-84,238,600 KHR |
Guidance Counselor in Cambodia: FAQs
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How much does a guidance counselor make per month in Cambodia?
A guidance counselor in Cambodia earns about 4,199,858 KHR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 50,398,300 KHR.
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What's the salary range for a guidance counselor in Cambodia?
Entry-level guidance counselors in Cambodia start near 23,159,200 KHR. Top-end pay reaches around 80,040,700 KHR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 34,919,600 and 72,601,900 KHR.
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Is the median guidance counselor salary in Cambodia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 54,358,300 KHR, higher than the average of 50,398,300 KHR. Half of guidance counselors in Cambodia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for guidance counselors in Cambodia?
Men working as a guidance counselor in Cambodia earn around 14% less than women on average (46,560,900 vs 54,118,500 KHR a year).
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Do guidance counselors in Cambodia get bonuses?
About 42% of guidance counselors in Cambodia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.
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Do guidance counselors earn more in the public or private sector in Cambodia?
In Cambodia, the public sector pays a guidance counselor about 25% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do guidance counselors in Cambodia get a pay raise?
A guidance counselor in Cambodia sees a raise of around 9% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 4% a year.