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The differences between continuing education instructors and program instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a continuing education instructor and a program instructor. Additionally, a continuing education instructor has an average salary of $56,156, which is higher than the $42,380 average annual salary of a program instructor.
The top three skills for a continuing education instructor include professional development, course content and curriculum development. The most important skills for a program instructor are patients, K-12, and math.
| Continuing Education Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $56,156 | $42,380 |
| Hourly rate | $27.00 | $20.38 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,955 | 92,369 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Continuing education instructors teach courses according to the outlines designed to assist their students in achieving the objectives. They conduct field trips and study tours to give their students a chance to learn and gain new experiences to help them achieve their goals. These instructors proctor examinations to track the progress of each student in the course and discuss the results. Providing community groups and individuals information about their programs and courses is also part of their job.
A program instructor is responsible for facilitating indoor and outdoor programs with various goals and objectives catering to different participants. Program instructors must have excellent communication skills, especially on gaining the participants' attention and engaging them to join the activities prepared for the day. They also maintain a safe and creative learning environment for everyone, observing each participant's behavior and interests, developing group cooperation, and fostering personal development. A program instructor reiterates safety procedures and regulations during the program for everyone's strict compliance and immediately addresses conflicts soon as they arise.
Continuing education instructors and program instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Continuing Education Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Average salary | $56,156 | $42,380 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $90,000 | Between $29,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a continuing education instructor and a program instructor in terms of educational background:
| Continuing Education Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between continuing education instructors' and program instructors' demographics:
| Continuing Education Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7% | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |