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Associate vs assistant director

The differences between associates and assistant directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $63,063 average annual salary of an assistant director.

The top three skills for an associate include customer service, sales floor and patients. The most important skills for an assistant director are customer service, CPR, and child care.

Associate vs assistant director overview

AssociateAssistant Director
Yearly salary$69,556$63,063
Hourly rate$33.44$30.32
Growth rate-8%
Number of jobs569,04125,087
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4140
Years of experience-6

What does an associate do?

Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.

What does an assistant director do?

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.

Associate vs assistant director salary

Associates and assistant directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

AssociateAssistant Director
Average salary$69,556$63,063
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $140,000Between $37,000 And $105,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companySimpson Thacher & BartlettMayer Brown
Best paying industry--

Differences between associate and assistant director education

There are a few differences between an associate and an assistant director in terms of educational background:

AssociateAssistant Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Stanford University

Associate vs assistant director demographics

Here are the differences between associates' and assistant directors' demographics:

AssociateAssistant Director
Average age4140
Gender ratioMale, 50.4% Female, 49.6%Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%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 Percentage7%14%

Differences between associate and assistant director duties and responsibilities

Associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage the sale of smoothies at different educational institutes while interacting with hundreds of students and ensuring their happiness and satisfaction.
  • Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
  • Lead the team by exemplify reliability through punctuality and personal integrity.
  • Help drive sales by providing excellent customer service in gourmet cheese, wine, beer, and coffee departments.
  • Utilize teamwork, communication, customer service, responsibility, and organizational skills.
  • Work according to ISO standards.
  • Show more

Assistant director example responsibilities.

  • Manage purchasing, A/P, A/R and budget management.
  • Manage care for k-5 kids before and after school.
  • Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
  • Manage delivery of quality early childhood education programs by establishing an environment of learning and maintaining the integrity of the programs.
  • Coordinate new student Facebook group and create twitter handle to increase applicant and prospective student awareness for admissions news and events.
  • Direct oversight of airport security programs and operations and responsible for business management functions including human resources, finance and procurement.
  • Show more

Associate vs assistant director skills

Common associate skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Cleanliness, 8%
  • Windows, 4%
  • HR, 4%
Common assistant director skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Child Care, 7%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Alumni, 5%