What is the average pay for a peer educator?

It depends on the type of funding and the amount of funding available for peer salaries. At WORLD, a peer advocate’s pay starts at $15-$17 per hour (based on Northern California cost of living). This is a little higher than current local minimum wage. At Harlem Hospital, on average peer workers are paid $10-$12/ hour for a ten-hour work week. This pay rate is maintained so as to not conflict with benefits provided by public assistance agencies.

Salaries, stipends, or other monetary compensation paid to HIV-positive peers might, in some cases, affect or risk their benefits/entitlements. During the hiring process, supervisors or program directors have a responsibility to raise peers’ awareness of this risk and provide information and referrals to legal and other services where they can receive training or individualized guidance regarding their benefits.

More information:

• Read more: Benefits questions to discuss with peers in the Recruiting, Hiring and Orienting Peerssection of the Building Blocks to Peer Program Success toolkit for developing HIV peer programs

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