Interior Designer - Pay and progression
Kaitātai o-Roto
Pay
Pay for interior designers depends on where they work, and how much experience they have. A 2009 Hays Recruitment salary survey found:
- Graduate interior designers earn between $30,000 and $45,000 a year, depending on the region. Interior designers in the Auckland area tend to earn from $5,000 to $15,000 more a year than interior designers in other parts of New Zealand.
- Interior designers with two to five years' experience can expect to earn between $40,000 and $55,000.
- Senior interior designers with five to 10 years' experience can expect to earn between $50,000 and $90,000.
Self-employed interior designers may earn more than this.
According to the 2006 Census, interior designers earned an average of $39,700 a year and worked an average of 35 hours per week. This includes full and part-time workers.
This information is provided as a guide only
Career Progression
Graduate interior designers usually spend their first two to three years of work doing projects led by senior designers. Larger organisations may have structured mentoring programmes.
With three to five years' experience, interior designers may work on larger projects and specialise in design for specific industries, such as hospitality, healthcare or residential design.
At the senior level, with 10 or more years' experience, interior designers with project and people management skills may become principals or partners in design practices, or may start their own businesses.
Updated
September 2009
