An academic instructor is a teacher who instructs students on various subjects, depending upon the instructor's focus and expertise. These professionals prepare lectures and lesson plans and evaluate the progress of student knowledge with quizzes, exams, and papers. Academic instructors assess, record, and establish goals for student progress and work to ensure that each student understands the material and succeeds academically.

Academic instructors work in a variety of classroom settings, from elementary schools to universities, and typically work during normal school hours. They teach according to the educational needs and abilities of each student, assign work, grade papers, tests, and assignments, and offer advice to students on educational and career goals.

Academic instructors possess excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational, and public speaking skills and should be comfortable with various forms of instructional media, including computers and video equipment.

Most academic instructors have a bachelor's in the area in which they teach, such as education, chemistry, or early childhood education, and in the US must have a teaching license if working in a K-12 school. However, for those individuals who have comparable knowledge or experience, alternative licensing is available.

Depending on the subject and the school, academic instructors can make up to $49,000 a year, but the career field in the US is expected to drop 10% by 2028.

What Does an Academic Instructor Do

There are certain skills that many academic instructors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed cultural sensitivity, communication skills and resourcefulness.

Learn more about what an Academic Instructor does

How To Become an Academic Instructor

If you're interested in becoming an academic instructor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 61.2% of academic instructors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 23.2% of academic instructors have master's degrees. Even though most academic instructors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Academic Instructor Career Paths

Average Salary for an Academic Instructor

Academic Instructors in America make an average salary of $48,371 per year or $23 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $69,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $33,000 per year.
Average Academic Instructor Salary
$48,371 Yearly
$23.26 hourly

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Roles and Types of Academic Instructor

There are several types of academic instructor, including:

Instructor

Role:

Instructors are knowledgable about a topic and work to pass that knowledge off to their students. Whether you work in a gym or a school, instructors are super important to the students' success.

There are lots of possibilities for you as an instructor. You could work at a health club or a gym or you could work for a school and instruct math. There are so many different instructors out there, basically any topic you can think of probably needs an instructor.

Your hours will vary depending on what industry you decide to go with. You may find some jobs require you to work nights and weekends, like if you were to become a fitness instructor, while school instructors only work during school hours. Your schedule really depends on what you're passionate and knowledgable about and when people want to learn it.

  • Average Salary: $53,426
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Adjunct Instructor

Role:

As an adjunct instructor, your goal is to impart your wisdom onto students. While also being in charge of coming up with a syllabus for your class, holding office hours and grading their papers. We should note that adjunct instructors aren't full-time. And you probably shouldn't expect the same benefits that are accosted to professors.

Adjunct Instructors are hired on a contractual basis, meaning it's a nice way to make a little extra money but probably shouldn't be your only gig. If your goal is to become a full-time professor in the future, then this is definitely the right stepping stone on that path. If nothing else, you'll at least be able to work on your public speaking. We don't have to tell you how handy that can come in.
  • Average Salary: $52,030
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Long Term Substitute Teacher

Role:

A long term substitute teacher is a qualified individual who steps into a classroom and takes over a teaching position for a prolonged period of time. Some duties include lesson planning, communication with parents, handling disciplinary issues, assessing students, grading assignments, and reporting those grades.

Their responsibilities also include fostering a safe and productive work environment and encouraging students to overcome their limitations and strive for more. They also need to teach interactive lessons, take all necessary actions to protect students, and assist those with special needs. Substitute teachers should keep contact with other staff members as well.

Long term substitute teachers are expected to have excellent communication and organizational skills and to be able to engage students, learn their strengths, weaknesses, and interests, and win their trust. They should also be able to plan engaging classroom activities and form relationships with their students since they are going to be with them longer than an average substitute teacher would.

Long term substitute teachers earn an average salary of $40,284 a year. This translates to $19.37 an hour. This career is expected to grow by 3% in between the years 2018 and 2028, creating 53,100 new jobs across the country.

  • Average Salary: $42,808
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Academic Instructor Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active academic instructor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where academic instructors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Academic Instructor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California3,548$61,647
2Texas2,133$43,290
3Florida1,972$40,551
4Illinois1,486$45,054
5New York1,479$63,433
6Virginia1,333$42,598
7New Jersey1,245$48,071
8North Carolina1,230$43,896
9Michigan1,179$39,691
10Colorado1,160$36,391
11Georgia1,154$37,561
12Pennsylvania1,071$53,931
13Arizona985$43,825
14Maryland958$53,889
15Massachusetts889$51,306
16Ohio884$44,612
17Minnesota739$47,620
18Washington677$54,701
19South Carolina651$47,265
20Connecticut542$42,531
21Tennessee541$35,566
22Missouri537$34,849
23Oregon522$45,694
24Indiana518$48,689
25Nevada505$40,059
26Wisconsin448$46,976
27Iowa425$40,169
28Alabama367$45,259
29Louisiana351$46,953
30Kentucky341$39,090
31Oklahoma325$32,066
32Kansas323$46,709
33Utah284$36,607
34New Mexico283$37,299
35New Hampshire272$41,873
36Mississippi252$35,259
37Nebraska240$34,841
38Idaho237$50,097
39Montana227$48,152
40Delaware198$41,614
41Arkansas191$35,166
42West Virginia173$41,709
43Maine167$56,207
44Vermont143$40,847
45Rhode Island135$42,567
46Wyoming128$45,169
47Alaska126$43,594
48Hawaii119$52,055
49South Dakota111$46,908
50North Dakota101$53,814

Academic Instructor Education

Academic Instructor Majors

11.8 %
11.0 %

Academic Instructor Degrees

Bachelors

61.2 %

Masters

23.2 %

Associate

10.4 %

Top Colleges for Academic Instructors

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Nursing
Communication
History

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Communication
General Education, Specific Areas
Psychology

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Psychology
History

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Biology
History
Political Science

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Communication
Psychology
Nursing

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Elementary Education

8. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Communication
Education
English

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Education
General Education, Specific Areas
English

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Communication
Nursing
Elementary Education

Top Skills For an Academic Instructor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.0% of academic instructors listed mathematics on their resume, but soft skills such as cultural sensitivity and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Academic Instructor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Academic Instructor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Academic Instructor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Academic Instructor Resume
Academic Instructor Resume
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Academic Instructor Demographics

Academic Instructor Gender Distribution

Female
Female
53%
Male
Male
47%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among academic instructors, 53.2% of them are women, while 46.8% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among academic instructors is White, which makes up 60.1% of all academic instructors.

  • The most common foreign language among academic instructors is Spanish at 59.0%.

Online Courses For Academic Instructor That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate

coursera

The English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate non-credit course is for students with a (minimum) high-intermediate level of English. This certificate course is designed to help domestic and international students develop the academic skills necessary for success in undergraduate studies at an American university while strengthening their English proficiency. Ideally, prospective students have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to...

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2. Academic Skills for University Success

coursera

Develop skills in information & digital literacy, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication.\n\nThis Specialization is a high-level academic skills course designed to increase your level of academic preparedness prior to commencement of your studies in an English-medium university. The course equips you for full participation and engagement with your studies by building awareness and understanding of the core values and expectations of academic culture...

See More on Coursera

3. Academic English: Writing

coursera

The skills taught in this Specialization will empower you to succeed in any college-level course or professional field. You’ll learn to conduct rigorous academic research and to express your ideas clearly in an academic format. In the final Capstone Project, all the knowledge that you’ve gained over the span of these courses will culminate into an academic research paper on an issue of your choice...

See More on Coursera
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Best States For an Academic Instructor

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an academic instructor. The best states for people in this position are New York, California, Maine, and Washington. Academic instructors make the most in New York with an average salary of $63,433. Whereas in California and Maine, they would average $61,647 and $56,207, respectively. While academic instructors would only make an average of $54,701 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Maine

Total Academic Instructor Jobs: 167
Highest 10% Earn:
$81,000
Location Quotient:
1.06

2. New York

Total Academic Instructor Jobs: 1,479
Highest 10% Earn:
$94,000
Location Quotient:
0.97

3. California

Total Academic Instructor Jobs: 3,548
Highest 10% Earn:
$90,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Full List Of Best States For Academic Instructors

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Top Academic Instructor Employers

Most Common Employers For Academic Instructor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Kean University$61,521$29.588
2Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets$59,674$28.6912
3China Construction America$58,685$28.2113
4Culver City Unified School District$53,427$25.696
5Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association$50,259$24.167
6Georgia State University$49,739$23.916
7USAF Police Alumni Association$48,594$23.3611
8United States Marine Corps$48,494$23.3112
9Job Corps$48,195$23.1719
10US Air Conditioning Distributors$47,813$22.9920