Career profile · Creative
Influencer
Career summary
An influencer builds an audience on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube by sharing videos, photos or posts that people want to follow. Some influencers focus on fashion or food. Others share comedy, gaming, fitness or advice. When brands see that your followers trust you, they may pay you, or give you free products, to talk about what they sell.
In South Africa, we found no degree or licence you must have, and no professional register for influencers to join. You can learn by doing: filming, editing and posting often. You can also study digital marketing to learn the skills behind the work. A certificate can teach you skills, but you still have to build your own audience.
Being an influencer is like running a small business where you are the product. Pay is not fixed, so some months are good and some are empty. SARS says free products, services and trips count as income, so tax is your job. Industry rules say sponsored posts must be labelled. A public profile can also bring rude comments.
A Day in the Life
No two days look the same, and most of the work happens off camera. This is a typical day pieced together from what South African creators say about their work.
08:00
Planning the week — You look at your content calendar, check what is trending and decide what to post. Creators say consistency matters, so you plan ahead, even on days when you do not feel inspired.
09:30
Filming — You film in the best light you can find. You often shoot the same idea several times, so that you end up with one clip you are happy to post.
12:00
Editing and captions — You cut the video, add sound and captions, and write the post text. Some creators do all of their own filming, editing and admin, at least in the early years.
14:00
Brand work — You answer emails from brands and agree on what you will post and by when. You label sponsored posts, for example with #Ad, and keep a record of what you earn, because it is taxable.
16:00
Replying and learning — You reply to comments and messages, and check which posts did well. Some comments are kind. Others are rude or cruel, and you have to decide how to deal with them.
19:00
Events and late posts — Events, brand launches and trends do not follow office hours, so you may be filming or posting at night, on weekends or on public holidays.
Choose this career if…
- You do not wait to be told
- You push through when it gets hard
- You keep your cool when someone is rude to you
- You do what you said you would do
- You are fine working nights, weekends and public holidays
- You find new ways of doing things
Salary
There is no pay scale
We found no published pay scale or reliable income survey for South African influencers. Per-post prices exist, but they are not a salary, and they do not show how often creators get paid work. Treat any headline about how much influencers earn with care.
Mathematics or Maths Literacy?
Worth knowingGrade 10 and 11 · still reversible
You take Mathematics
- No route on this page asks for Mathematics, so taking it does not change your way into this career.
- Mathematics keeps other careers open if you change your mind later.
- It helps with pricing your work, tracking what you earn and doing your tax.
You take Mathematical Literacy
- The two study routes on this page do not ask for Mathematics at entry on their SAQA records, so Maths Literacy does not close them.
- We found no law or register that asks influencers for a qualification, so your maths choice does not stop you starting.
- Maths Literacy can close university degrees that ask for Mathematics.
Best School Subjects
Strongly recommended
- English · Writing captions and scripts, and speaking clearly to a camera. Home Language or First Additional Language both help.
- Computer Applications Technology · Covers social networking, online communities and the legal and ethical issues of using digital tools.
- Business Studies · Creators run a small business: marketing, entrepreneurship and planning.
Also useful
- Visual Arts · Colour, composition and design help your content look good.
- Dramatic Arts · Helps you perform and speak in front of a camera or an audience.
Alternative careers
Related careers. Each has its own entry requirements — check every one separately.
Journalist
Also tells stories to an audience, but works for a newsroom and follows news ethics.
Career Ladder
- Hobby or part-time creator · No qualification needed; you build an audience while at school or in another job
- Paid creator · A growing audience and a portfolio of past work; brands pay you per post or campaign
- Full-time creator · Several income streams, such as brand deals, platform payouts and your own products
- Social media manager · A job running a company's social media accounts
- Talent manager · Represents other creators and handles deals with brands for them
Full-time work is not guaranteed
We found no published South African figure for how many creators earn a full-time living, so we cannot say how likely it is. A job in social media or marketing is another way to use the same skills.
Last reviewed October 2026. We work hard to keep this information accurate, but details can change — always verify before making a career decision. Tell us something is out of date.
