💡 Why it matters: Hearing loss affects people of every age, and many go undiagnosed because there are too few specialists. Audiologists test hearing, fit hearing aids and help children and adults communicate.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: There are very few audiology programmes, so many students study abroad or begin in speech therapy or ENT (ear, nose and throat) clinics.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.5M – ₦3M
- Mid-career
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Senior
- ₦7M – ₦14M
≈ ₦250k – ₦583k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank shows no national median.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Test hearing in babies, children and adults
- Find out why someone has hearing or balance problems
- Fit and adjust hearing aids
- Help people use devices such as cochlear implants
- Give advice to protect hearing from loud noise
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Patience
- Communication
- Attention to detail
- Using technology
- Empathy
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Begin in speech therapy or ENT (ear, nose and throat) clinics
- Many students study abroad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Healthcare science practitioner degree apprenticeship
- Foundation degree in hearing aid dispensing for private-sector work
🇺🇸 United States
- Hearing aid specialist licence for some roles (varies by state)
🇨🇦 Canada
- Hearing instrument practitioner diploma for some roles (varies by province)
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Biology, Physics and English at school
- 2Complete a degree in audiology or a related science
- 3Do supervised placements in hearing clinics
- 4Pass the registration or licence requirements
- 5Work in a hospital, clinic or school and choose a specialty
⏰ A day in the life
You welcome a toddler and play a game with soft sounds to see how well she hears. After that, you fit a hearing aid for an older man and watch him smile when he hears his grandchildren clearly. In the afternoon you look at test results with an ear doctor.