Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between assistant to the directors and assistant directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant to the director, becoming an assistant director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an assistant director has an average salary of $63,063, which is higher than the $59,753 average annual salary of an assistant to the director.
The top three skills for an assistant to the director include financial reports, payroll and CPR. The most important skills for an assistant director are customer service, CPR, and child care.
| Assistant To The Director | Assistant Director | |
| Yearly salary | $59,753 | $63,063 |
| Hourly rate | $28.73 | $30.32 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 10,369 | 25,087 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 49 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
An Assistant To The Director's duty, not to be confused with an Assistant Director, varies on the line of work or industry. In Film and Television, their responsibility will focus on the production operations and the workforce involved. When it comes to a corporate setting, an Assistant To The Director is responsible for clerical duties, such as handling different forms of correspondence, responding to calls and inquiries, communicating and coordinating with staff and other departments, arranging reports, appointments, schedules, and any necessary documentation.
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.
Assistant to the directors and assistant directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant To The Director | Assistant Director | |
| Average salary | $59,753 | $63,063 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $99,000 | Between $37,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | Mayer Brown |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an assistant to the director and an assistant director in terms of educational background:
| Assistant To The Director | Assistant Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between assistant to the directors' and assistant directors' demographics:
| Assistant To The Director | Assistant Director | |
| Average age | 49 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 14% |