Average Sound Engineering Technician Salary in South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Sound Engineering Technician salary for 2024 in South Africa and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the South African rand. To keep things simple, we are using the ZAR currency code instead of the currency symbol R.

How Much Does a Sound Engineering Technician Make in South Africa?

A Sound Engineering Technician working in South Africa will typically earn around 187,300 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 96,520 ZAR to the highest average salary of 288,100 ZAR.

Average Annual Salary
187,300 ZAR
Average Monthly Salary
15,608 ZAR

Lowest Annual Salary
96,520 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
8,043 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
288,100 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
24,008 ZAR

These are average salaries for a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Sound Engineering Technician to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Sound Engineering Technician salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Sound Engineering Technician Salaries in South Africa

So we've looked at the average salaries a Sound Engineering Technician will earn in South Africa. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Sound Engineering Technician can earn between 96,520 ZAR and 288,100 ZAR on average in South Africa. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa is 180,500 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 180,500 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 180,500 ZAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Sound Engineering Technician salary in South Africa, 25% of the population are earning less than 124,400 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 124,400 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 221,500 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 221,500 ZAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Sound Engineering Technician Salary by Experience Level in South Africa

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average sound engineering technician salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 109,720 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Sound Engineering Technician salary would increase to 150,000 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Sound Engineering Technician, the average salary would be 191,600 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 232,400 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Sound Engineering Technician with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 254,800 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Sound Engineering Technician with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 268,900 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
109,720 ZAR
2-5 Years +34%
150,000 ZAR
5-10 Years +30%
191,600 ZAR
10-15 Years +21%
232,400 ZAR
15-20 Years +9%
254,800 ZAR
20+ Years +5%
268,900 ZAR

Sound Engineering Technician Salary by Education Level in South Africa

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa with a high school education can earn an average salary of 128,900 ZAR.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 189,300 ZAR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 259,100 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
128,900 ZAR
Certificate or Diploma +43%
189,300 ZAR
Bachelor's Degree +38%
259,100 ZAR

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in South Africa is around 156,000 to 467,000 ZAR and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Sound Engineering Technician Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In South Africa, a male sound engineering technician will earn an average of 196,800 ZAR, while a female sound engineering technician will earn around 181,600 ZAR.

This means that a male sound engineering technician earns approximately 8% more than a female sound engineering technician for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in South Africa

Male
196,800 ZAR
Female -8%
181,600 ZAR

Sound Engineering Technician Average Pay Raise in South Africa

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in South Africa is around 8% every 18 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in South Africa for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in South Africa.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Sound Engineering Technician Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Sound Engineering Technician is a moderate bonus based job, with 51% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

49% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus
51%
No Bonus
49%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in South Africa earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
386,400 ZAR
Private Sector -7%
361,500 ZAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Sound Engineering Technician

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Sound Engineering Technician in South Africa.

Job Title Category Salary
3D Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 359,900 ZAR
3D Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 340,000 ZAR
3D Generalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 282,300 ZAR
3D Visualization Specialist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 340,400 ZAR
Acrobatic Rigger Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 237,400 ZAR
Actor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 466,300 ZAR
Art Administrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 375,200 ZAR
Art Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 459,300 ZAR
Art Lead Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 467,700 ZAR
Associate Media Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 396,300 ZAR
Associate Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 522,700 ZAR
Broadcast and Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 308,300 ZAR
Broadcast Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 258,400 ZAR
Broadcast News Analyst Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 361,500 ZAR
Broadcast Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 214,000 ZAR
Broadcasting Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 442,300 ZAR
Broadcasting Presenter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 466,900 ZAR
Camera Equipment Repairer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 246,200 ZAR
Camera Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 215,100 ZAR
Cartoonist / Animator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 335,100 ZAR
CAS Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 371,100 ZAR
Censorship Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 407,100 ZAR
Choreographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 313,700 ZAR
Colorist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 183,700 ZAR
Communications Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 514,800 ZAR
Correspondent Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 394,300 ZAR
Dance Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 369,300 ZAR
Dancer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 330,700 ZAR
Director of Photography Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 385,300 ZAR
Disc Jockey Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 232,400 ZAR
Editorial Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 204,000 ZAR
Events Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 361,600 ZAR
Graphic Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 252,300 ZAR
Illustrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 282,500 ZAR
Industrial Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 238,900 ZAR
Instructional Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 216,800 ZAR
Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 459,300 ZAR
Makeup Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 233,600 ZAR
Media Design Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 625,000 ZAR
Media Equipment Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 204,000 ZAR
Media Operations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 487,600 ZAR
Media Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 332,100 ZAR
Media Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 455,400 ZAR
Media Product Development Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 615,300 ZAR
Media Production Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 602,700 ZAR
Media Program Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 677,100 ZAR
Media Relation Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 693,100 ZAR
Media Relations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 639,100 ZAR
Media Sales Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 702,800 ZAR
Movement and Dance Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 357,300 ZAR
Multimedia Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 246,500 ZAR
Multimedia Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 246,500 ZAR
Music Consultant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 311,700 ZAR
Musician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 263,100 ZAR
News Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 325,600 ZAR
News Reporter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 430,000 ZAR
Post Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 212,500 ZAR
Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 595,300 ZAR
Product Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 245,300 ZAR
Product Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 322,600 ZAR
Production Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 327,300 ZAR
Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 225,700 ZAR
Production Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 518,300 ZAR
Production Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 212,500 ZAR
Program Researcher Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 407,100 ZAR
Promotion Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 301,600 ZAR
Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 311,700 ZAR
Stage Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 190,500 ZAR
Sub Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 231,000 ZAR
Television Executive Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 714,300 ZAR
Transmission Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 327,800 ZAR
Video Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 266,000 ZAR
Video Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 345,700 ZAR
Videographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 325,900 ZAR
Visual Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 327,800 ZAR

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in South Africa, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Bloemfontein 161,300 ZAR
Cape Town 207,700 ZAR
Durban 194,600 ZAR
Johannesburg 183,700 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 163,800 ZAR
Pretoria 175,900 ZAR

Link To or Reference This Page

We spend a lot of time collecting, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site to be as useful to you as possible.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference World Salaries as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Average Sound Engineering Technician Salary in South Africa for 2024". World Salaries. Accessed on March 28, 2024. https://worldsalaries.com/average-sound-engineering-technician-salary-in-south-africa/.

  • "Average Sound Engineering Technician Salary in South Africa for 2024". World Salaries, https://worldsalaries.com/average-sound-engineering-technician-salary-in-south-africa/. Accessed 28 March, 2024

  • Average Sound Engineering Technician Salary in South Africa for 2024. World Salaries. Retrieved from https://worldsalaries.com/average-sound-engineering-technician-salary-in-south-africa/.