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How to hire a building trades instructor

Building trades instructor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring building trades instructors in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a building trades instructor is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new building trades instructor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a building trades instructor, step by step

To hire a building trades instructor, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a building trades instructor:

Here's a step-by-step building trades instructor hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a building trades instructor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new building trades instructor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The building trades instructor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect building trades instructor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    The following list breaks down different types of building trades instructors and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Building Trades InstructorDescriptionHourly rate
    Building Trades InstructorCareer and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts. They teach academic and technical content to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter an occupation.$14-29
    Teacher-In-TrainingA teacher-in-training is a teaching professional who offers technical teaching assistance to teachers in developing effective behavior management and instructional strategies to support student learning. The teacher must collaborate with principals while employing diverse techniques to increase the effectiveness of student learning... Show more$11-26
    Adjunct FacultyAdjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract... Show more$21-73
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Role Model
    • CPR
    • Plumbing
    • HVAC
    • Curriculum Development
    • Course Materials
    • Skill Building
    • Food Preparation
    • Developmental Disabilities
    • Kitchen Equipment
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage all HVAC and boiler upgrades.
    • Utilize blackboard management system to encourage online discussions and manage grades.
    • Initiate and administer computer base testing for the GED.
    • Document progress of the individuals PCP on a daily basis.
    • Schedule GED testing for students attending classes in academic school.
    • Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your building trades instructor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A building trades instructor salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, building trades instructors' average salary in idaho is 44% less than in massachusetts.
    • Seniority. Entry-level building trades instructors earn 49% less than senior-level building trades instructors.
    • Certifications. A building trades instructor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a building trades instructor's salary.

    Average building trades instructor salary

    $43,579yearly

    $20.95 hourly rate

    Entry-level building trades instructor salary
    $31,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 23, 2026
  4. Writing a building trades instructor job description

    A building trades instructor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a building trades instructor job description:

    Building trades instructor job description example

    Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) provides research, consulting, and advisory services to improve commercial, residential, and multifamily built environments for private and public-sector clients. We specialize in energy, sustainability, and accessibility consulting as well as certification, research & development, and compliance services. Our team of professionals has led the way since 1972 in the development of best practices to achieve high performance buildings.

    For further information on Steven Winter Associates, please visit www.swinter.com.

    About the Role:

    SWA is on the search for a Building Systems Instructor (Senior Level) with a strong passion for improving the built environment to be part of our Building Operations, Decarbonization, and Efficiency (BODE) group, which provides commissioning, energy auditing, and retrofit implementation services and policy development for multifamily, commercial, institutional and community buildings in New York City and beyond.

    The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to complete the following tasks with the technical and interpersonal skills outlined below that will help them excel at SWA.

    Primary Responsibilities:

    1. Complete technical project work for Operations & Management training.
    2. Provide and/or facilitate technical training for other building industry professionals
    3. Work with internal stakeholders including project managers, service coordinators, service leads, etc.
    4. Assume primary responsibility for projects including project financials.
    5. Train and support junior staff members.
    6. The primary responsibility for this position will be conducting training as the lead trainer for the building operator training program (50%+ of the time). Additional responsibilities are available depending on this skills and interest of the successful candidate.

    Duties, responsibilities, and activities will likely change, but changes to the role will be discussed as they are desired/needed.

    SWA encourages professional growth and development and the BODE team offers opportunities to further explore its other service offerings.

    **This position will be classified as a Senior Building Systems Engineer.

    How to Apply:

    To be considered for this position, candidates must submit a cover letter with their application.

    Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    If you have 75% of the required skills and experience with a willingness to learn, we encourage you to apply and to share more about yourself in your cover letter!

    YOUR QUALIFICATIONS:

    • Bachelor's Degree.
    • 5-8+ years of relevant and consecutive work experience. Work experience relevant to this position must include experience with HVAC systems in large multifamily or commercial buildings.
    • Experience conducting trainings for building staff.
    • Experience conducting field inspections related to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment.
    • Thorough understanding of energy audits, retro-commissioning, and retrofit services.?
    • Proficiency in MS Office365 Suite:
      • Advanced: Teams, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint

    Preferred Knowledge / Bonus Skills:

    • Hosting virtual training sessions and able to engage all participants.
    • Familiarity with NYC Local Laws related to energy and climate (Local Laws 84, 87, 95 and 97).
    • Energy Code and / or ASHRAE standards.
    • Familiarity with steam systems, electrification and deep energy retrofit concepts.
    • Multi-lingual in Spanish preferred. Other languages welcome.

    Personal Qualities:

    • Excellent communicator and engaging presenter able to explain complex concepts to a variety of stakeholders.
    • Strong oral and written communication skills.
    • Highly communicative and comfortable interacting with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders daily.
    • Ability to take ownership of tasks and initiatives and moved them forward to completion.
    • Organizational and time management skills, ability to prioritize the most critical tasks and deliverables.
    • Well-developed interpersonal skills, maturity, credibility, and confidence.
    • Collaborative with strong focus on teamwork.
    • Passionate about optimizing MEP systems and improving the built environment.

    Travel Required:

    No overnight travel is anticipated for this position. Local day travel may be required.

    Physical Demands:

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee will primarily be based in the office and will be regularly required to sit while performing office-based tasks, using computer-based software. The employee is frequently required to walk; use hands to type and and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand.

    When in the field the employee must frequently lift or move objects up to 20 pounds; must be able to climb stairs and endure typical construction site conditions.

    Working Environment:

    Most of the duties are performed in an office environment or in the field.

    Performance Standards:

    Performance will be evaluated against this job description, competencies for this level, and mutually agreed goals.

    Agencies:

    Steven Winter Associates, Inc., is not partnering with agencies nor accepts unsolicited resumes and will not be responsible for any fees or expenses related to such unsolicited resumes and/or applicants.

    SWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer – all qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, or marital status.

  5. Post your job

    To find building trades instructors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any building trades instructors they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level building trades instructors with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your building trades instructor job on Zippia to find and attract quality building trades instructor candidates.
    • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit building trades instructors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new building trades instructor

    Once you've selected the best building trades instructor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a building trades instructor?

Hiring a building trades instructor comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting building trades instructors involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of building trades instructor recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

The median annual salary for building trades instructors is $43,579 in the US. However, the cost of building trades instructor hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a building trades instructor for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $14 and $29 an hour.

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