Archaeologists study past human activity by excavating, dating, and interpreting objects and sites of historical interest. They implement excavation projects, informally known as digs, preserve archaeological remains and collect data that informs their understanding of the past.
Below are salaries earned by An Archaeologist In South Africa
A person working as an Archeologist in South Africa typically earns around 41,700 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 19,200 ZAR (lowest) to 66,300 ZAR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Archeologist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Archeologist Salary Distribution in South Africa
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
Salary Range
Archeologist salaries in South Africa range from 19,200 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 66,300 ZAR per month (maximum salary).
Median Salary
The median salary is 45,000 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Archeologists (s) are earning less than 45,000 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 45,000 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Percentiles
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of archeologists (s) are earning less than 28,900 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 28,900 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of archeologists (s) are earning less than 60,100 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 60,100 ZAR.
Archeologist Salary Comparison by Years of Experience
How do experience and age affect your pay?
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Archeologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
An Archeologist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 21,800 ZAR per month.
While someone with an experience level of between two and five years is expected to earn 29,100 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two years of experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 42,900 ZAR per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Archeologist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 52,400 ZAR per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 57,100 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 61,800 ZAR per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Archeologists’ average salary changes by experience in South Africa
| 0 – 2 Years | 21,800 ZAR | |
| 2 – 5 Years | +34% | 29,100 ZAR |
| 5 – 10 Years | +48% | 42,900 ZAR |
| 10 – 15 Years | +22% | 52,400 ZAR |
| 15 – 20 Years | +9% | 57,100 ZAR |
| 20+ Years | +8% | 61,800 ZAR |
Archeologist Salary Comparison By Education
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Archeologist salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of an Archeologist is 24,800 ZAR per month.
While someone with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 38,900 ZAR per month, 57% more than someone having a Bachelor’s Degree degree.
A Ph.D. gets its holder an average salary of 65,300 ZAR per month, 68% more than someone with a Master’s Degree.
Archeologists’ average salary difference by education level in South Africa
| Bachelor’s Degree | 24,800 ZAR | |
| Master’s Degree | +57% | 38,900 ZAR |
| PhD | +68% | 65,300 ZAR |
Archeologist Salary Comparison By Gender
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Archeologist employees in South Africa earn 12% more than their female counterparts on average.
| Male | 44,000 ZAR | |
| Female | -11% | 39,400 ZAR |
Archeologist Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa
How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for archeologists (s)?
How often do employees get salary raises?
Archeologist
Archeologists (s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.
An Archeologist is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
41% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 59% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 2% to 7% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus
59%
No Bonus
41%
Archeologist Average Hourly Wage in South Africa
The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 240 ZAR. This means that the average Archeologist in South Africa earns approximately 240 ZAR for every worked hour.
How much do archaeologists make in South Africa?
Salary Recap
The average pay for an Archaeologist is ZAR 548,014 a year and ZAR 263 an hour in Cape Town, South Africa. The average salary range for an Archaeologist is between ZAR 393,613 and ZAR 683,763. On average, a Bachelor’s Degree is the highest level of education for an Archaeologist.
Are archaeologists in demand in South Africa?
What job opportunities are there for archaeologists in South Africa? The number of archaeologists is expanding in southern Africa, particularly in the heritage and resource management sector.
How long does it take to become an archaeologist in South Africa?
An archeologist requires a master’s degree or Ph.D. in archeology. They would normally do field work for 12-30 months while obtaining a Ph.D. and many master’s degrees may also require field work hours as well. Experience in some form of archaeological fieldwork is usually expected, by employers.
What subjects are needed to become an archaeologist in South Africa?
Degree: BA or BSc, with Archaeology as a major, e.g. UCT, UP, Wits, UNISA, plus an honors degree in Archaeology, UNISA. Other recommended degree subjects are Anthropology, Cultural History, History of Art, Geography, Zoology, Botany, Palaeontology, and Languages – UNISA, UP, UZ.
Is it hard to get a job in archeology in South Africa?
Being an archaeologist isn’t easy. No career path is. There is no painless pathway you can take to success. Being a cultural resource management archaeologist is a personal choice.
What do archaeologists wear in South Africa?
So what exactly does a field archaeologist look like? For most people, the term “archaeologist” conjures up the image of a stubbly man wearing a button-down shirt with pockets, chinos, a leather jacket, a wide-brimmed hat, a saddle bag, a bull-whip, and a holster with the revolver.