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The differences between assistant directors and site directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an assistant director, becoming a site director takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant director has an average salary of $63,063, which is higher than the $43,762 average annual salary of a site director.
The top three skills for an assistant director include customer service, CPR and child care. The most important skills for a site director are customer service, child care, and CPR.
| Assistant Director | Site Director | |
| Yearly salary | $63,063 | $43,762 |
| Hourly rate | $30.32 | $21.04 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 25,087 | 21,166 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Assistant directors are employees in show business who directly support directors. They may be working on a film, television show, or theatre production. Assistant directors are the second-in-command on the set. They take over for the director when he/she or she is unable to work. Assistant directors should be familiar with the script and the scenes. They are usually heavily involved in the conception of the production. They ensure that the plans are executed well by assisting in the selection of the cast and crew, production sets, and other set providers. They also make sure that shoot days or performance days go without a hitch by ironing out all the details in advance and preparing alternatives.
A site director is in charge of delegating tasks to supervisors, and overseeing all construction operations, implementing all safety policies and regulations to ensure a safe and productive work environment for all employees. They are also primarily responsible for coordinating with architects and clients, reporting progress or any issues to them, negotiating contracts, and even deciding on workforce and suppliers. Furthermore, it is crucial to monitor all operations and ensure that everything is within the allotted budget and deadline.
Assistant directors and site directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Director | Site Director | |
| Average salary | $63,063 | $43,762 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $105,000 | Between $22,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Mayer Brown | Okta |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an assistant director and a site director in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Director | Site Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between assistant directors' and site directors' demographics:
| Assistant Director | Site Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% | Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 16% |