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Job outlook for continuing education instructors in the United States
Are continuing education instructor jobs in demand?
Continuing education instructor job and salary trends over time
Continuing education instructor jobs over time
Continuing education instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,426 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,431 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,517 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,493 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,542 | 0.00% |
Average continuing education instructor salary over time
Continuing education instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $56,156 | $27.00 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $55,146 | $26.51 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $53,632 | $25.78 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $52,097 | $25.05 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $51,148 | $24.59 | +2.4% |
Continuing education instructor jobs by state
Most common states for continuing education instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 210 | 30% |
| 2 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 936 | 17% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 157 | 15% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 102 | 14% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 73 | 13% |
| 6 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 986 | 12% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 113 | 12% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 73 | 12% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 148 | 11% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 886 | 10% |
| 11 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 676 | 10% |
| 12 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 484 | 10% |
| 13 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 413 | 10% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 344 | 10% |
| 15 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 310 | 10% |
| 16 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 307 | 10% |
| 17 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,131 | 9% |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 563 | 9% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 491 | 9% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 197 | 9% |
Most common cities for continuing education instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cedar Rapids | 4 | 3% | $59,773 |
| 2 | Iowa City | 1 | 1% | $59,768 |
| 3 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $56,279 |
Continuing Education Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of continuing education instructor experts
Mercy College
Grambling State University
Shaw University
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Clemson University
Elmhurst University
Wright State University
Washington University in St Louis
Franklin and Marshall College
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Florida International University
The University of North Carolina Greensboro
Texas State University
University of Minnesota Crookston
Northwestern University
Youngstown State University
New York University
Chicago State University
University of Kansas
Elmira College
Dr. Eric Martone
Interim Dean of the School of Education, Associate Professor, History/Social Studies Education, Editor, Global Education ReviewMercy College
School of Education
What skills will help Continuing Education Instructors earn the most?
Dr. Eric Martone: Educators who are compassionate, with strong leadership skills, willing to make take chances to make a difference.
What Continuing Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Training to be essential is critical. Increasing skills in using technology are necessary. Keeping students engaged and actively learning through technology is a crucial tool that will be extremely important to a teacher, whether teaching in person or virtually. Additionally, the gap year should be used to identify an area of interest for work. Once the site is specified, the graduate should build professional relationships and learn the site's culture.
What type of skills will young Continuing Education Instructors need?
TaVshea Smith: As a professor of education, I have noticed that there are a variety of skills that young graduates will need to enter the workforce. Young graduates should collaborate with others by building collaborative relationships that represent diverse cultures, lifestyles, races, genders, religions, and viewpoints. It is essential for young graduates, who enter the teaching profession, to be able to work in a team structure and know-how to manage conflict. The pandemic has shown us that technology is critical in education. As teachers, young graduates should know existing digital technologies and demonstrate significant adaptability to new technologies to integrate into their design of lessons and curriculum content. Young graduates must have a strong work ethic, demonstrate personal accountability, and establish effective work habits.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Continuing Education Instructors to find work opportunities?
TaVshea Smith: As an educator, graduates should be able to find many work opportunities to teach. The pandemic has highlighted the need for educators to share their immense talent with students and key stakeholders.
What Continuing Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Suzanne Kemp Ph.D.: They need to stay engaged in some level of working with people with disabilities. If they do something that isn't relevant to the field, they won't be as marketable as a new graduate.
Bo Clements
Lecturer of American Sign LanguageClemson University
Department of Languages
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Continuing Education Instructors?
Bo Clements: Pandemic during life after Graduation is very obviously tricky. Look at the unemployment rates. Millions of job positions are in a freeze. No jobs out there. A positive note that a student has a degree in American Sign Language with specialization in Interpretation Education & Training, Wireless Technology, or Development & Innovative of Social Media allows working from home to create thousands of online jobs - Teaching, Marketing, Engineering, Spectrum of Technology, and many more.
We cannot remove our masks, making it so difficult to communicate, as it's hard to read people's lips. That is the number 1 communication barrier for all of us. We cannot be close or touch each other in a public place, even at work, to communicate in person. That makes it so difficult to find jobs.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Continuing Education Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Tim Engstrom: The pandemic has shifted consumer purchasing to eCommerce, increasing the labor demand in distribution and delivery. The current capacity to handle this shift is constrained, impacting the flow of goods and cost structures. Businesses diligently transform their traditional businesses to support this shift while analyzing if they will stay in the long term or convert back to conventional norms.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Continuing Education Instructors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Karla Huebner Ph.D.: Salaries are generally low, but now and then, artists and art historians can make good incomes--don't expect to.
What type of skills will young Continuing Education Instructors need?
Catherine Dunkin: A public relations career offers challenge, variety, and a unique chance to combine strategy and creativity to accomplish business objectives. Some critical competencies include:
Communication Skills:
- Writing
- Speaking and oral presentations
- Research
- Traditional and social media
- Active listening
- Relationship-building
- Speaking and oral presentations
Business Acumen:
- Critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making
- Time management and ability to prioritize/meet deadlines
- Adaptability
- Data gathering and analysis
- Strategic planning
- Awareness of the global impact
- Entrepreneurial and consulting approaches
Creativity and Design Skills:
- Graphic design and data visualization
- Ability to produce useful materials from documents to presentations to online blogs, newsletters, websites, etc.
What general advice would you give to a Continuing Education Instructor?
David McMahan Ph.D.: Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Continuing Education Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Allison Butler Ph.D.: Anything that allows for mobility and flexibility. Many of us are craving being back in our offices for the human connection, while we also see that the work can get done in a variety of different locations. I think a blend of human connection and digital flexibility will be a primary focus over the next few years.
David Chang
Chairperson, Frost Professor of ArtFlorida International University
Department of Art and Art History
What type of skills will young Continuing Education Instructors need?
David Chang: Young graduates should possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to function professionally in today's society. Our students go through rigorous studio training along with cutting-edge theories that inform their practices.
April Dawkins Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorThe University of North Carolina Greensboro
Library & Information Science Department
What experience really stands out on Continuing Education Instructor resumes?
April Dawkins Ph.D.: Across the United States, most school librarians are required to have a graduate degree in either education or library and information science with licensure as a school librarian (school library media coordinator). The most likely experience to benefit them in their job search is a previous experience as a classroom teacher. Teaching is one of the significant roles that school librarians play in schools, through direct and indirect instruction with students, and professional development for classroom teachers.
What Continuing Education Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
April Dawkins Ph.D.: Our graduates are likely to be already employed, both during their studies and immediately after graduation. Many school librarians transition from the classroom to the library setting, while they are completing their tasks. Suppose a graduate wanted to take an additional year before seeking employment as a school librarian. In that case, they might focus on improving teaching skills, their knowledge about children's and young adult literature, and picking up new technology skills. They could work on these skills by using a bookstore or public library, volunteering with after-school programs or community groups that do outreach with children, and exploring new technology trends.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Continuing Education Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.: There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom
LecturerUniversity of Minnesota Crookston
Agriculture and Natural Resources Department
What experience really stands out on Continuing Education Instructor resumes?
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom: I take this from the skill sets that experiences provide, rather than a particular job a student may have had. Experiences where you have to deal with people, will stand out. Those experiences could be where you are a member of a team where your contributions helped contribute to the group's success.
Experiences working with customers or clients is also a big plus. People who have good communication skills and interpersonal skills are valuable employees in an organization. This skill set allows you to represent your organization professionally.
For many of my students, these people skills are developed in their part-time jobs while they are students and during their internships required to complete their Bachelor of Science degree. The internships allow students to develop their people skills and apply their knowledge from their courses in the real world.
Another experience that stands out on resume is studies abroad. In the Pre-Covid time, I highly encouraged my students to take part in a study abroad experience. That could be anything from studying abroad over spring break to a semester-long study abroad at another University. This experience shows a person who is willing to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. From an employer's perspective, it is good to have people willing to try new things. The study abroad allows students to experience something different, to see things through different lenses or perspectives.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Continuing Education Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom: I am not very good at predicting technology. Things change so fast in agriculture and other fields when it comes to new technology. I prefer to focus on being able to learn new technologies. That means being curious about the technologies we have now and experimenting with what it can and cannot do. When I have students work with apps like spreadsheets or mapping, they ask, "what will happen if I push this button?" I tell them, "Try it and see." That is part of learning what the technology can do. Don't be afraid of new technology. I don't know what will be coming in the next 3-5 years, but I am betting it will be cold, and we will have to learn what it can do. We can't know about it if we don't experiment or play around with it.
What experience really stands out on Continuing Education Instructor resumes?
Helen Callus: It depends on what kinds of position you are applying for, and for performance students, it's going to be playing or teaching mostly. I recommend that students tailor their resumes to suit the positions, so teaching should be prioritized, and the outline should lead to that. I encourage them to put together their overview and then look at gaps - teaching experience, perhaps some administrative experiences that are always helpful.
If they don't have those things, actively search for them to add that line to their resumes. It can be a terrific way to develop the document in ways that can lead to better job success. A range of skills is most likely to appeal to a broader set of jobs. Doing multiple things (things we don't even realize we do, as musicians, daily) can be helpful. The student is then willing to be creative and open to start out doing things that are related but perhaps not their first choice.
What experience really stands out on Continuing Education Instructor resumes?
Dragana Crnjak: Real-life - outside of the classroom - experiences always stand out, such as exhibitions, internships, museum assistantships, public art projects, community projects, etc. We encourage students to participate in many different activities throughout their college years with a range of experiences provided from exhibiting independently, in group exhibits, working on collaborative projects, community public art projects (such as the mural class this semester where students were involved in all stages of decision-making, from sketching and ideation, communication, site preparation, and painting, writing art proposals, etc.), internships, etc. Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are essential to all art projects and processes, and these skills not only contribute well to so many professions and fields, but they are also life-lasting skills that develop creative, engaged, and open-minded thinkers and citizens.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Continuing Education Instructors?
Dragana Crnjak: This year brought many challenges, many drastically changing the ways artists and art institutions operate. The biggest challenge, perhaps, is that we don't know what are the long-term impacts, yet. Interesting is that on the one hand, the restrictions have opened potentials in expanded and vibrant global communication and online collaborations among artists. On the other hand, with these connections more available, I believe, artists are starting to build even stronger relationships with their neighborhoods, communities, regions, and, I hope, we start investing ourselves more fully to this self-sustainable kind of thinking, to create opportunities that will sustain and expand the quality of life and culture locally. We have already seen artists adapting and finding new ways to communicate and do work. I am sincerely optimistic that artists, with the skills I mentioned previously, will keep leading discoveries and finding innovative ways to stay creative.
Marlene McCarty
Clinical Professor of Visual ArtsNew York University
Department of Art and Art Professions
What type of skills will young Continuing Education Instructors need?
Marlene McCarty: Creative and entrepreneurial thinking will be the cornerstone of what is needed for the future. As we look to an ever more uncertain future, the ability to imagine the not-yet-imagined will be of utmost importance. The ability to envision something wholly new, paired with the competence to make that thing manifest in the world, will be highly sought-after. Luckily, for art students, understanding how to make something not-yet-imagined forms the foundation of creative practice. The other attribute that will be increasingly regarded as an advantage will be a healthy curiosity and openness paired with nuanced inclusion (not appropriation) of varied and rich cultures outside one's own. As a bridge across cultures, visual art is transformational to our understanding of difficulty and times of crisis, representing independent thinking at the heart of democracy.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Continuing Education Instructors to find work opportunities?
Alvin Daniels: Because of the World Wide Web, everywhere is a great place for an opportunity to find you. Many companies will have their workers working from home for a while, so if you have talent, you can be found and work from anywhere.
Wallace Meyer
Lecturer and Entrepreneurship Program DirectorUniversity of Kansas
School of Business
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Continuing Education Instructors?
Wallace Meyer: Yes, severalfold:
All reports od COVID will not be disappearing, so a COVID environment will impact graduates during at least the first 2-3 years post-graduation.
The virus has made immutable changes in our behavior, and it's highly unlikely that we'll return to pre-COVID lifestyles. From the mundane (no/fewer handshakes)to the economic (a majority of small businesses will have failed before allowed to reopen fully) to the demographic (population migrations from big cities to suburbs, exurbs, and even rural counties), to organizational (companies have discovered higher productivity rates of their employees working remotely than in the office) there will be significant and enduring shifts in our lifestyles.
How do you envision technology impacting Continuing Education Instructors in the next 5 years?
Wallace Meyer: Remotely located teams will require increasingly sophisticated project management, connectivity, and product builder software. Government-sponsored or industry-initiated technological solutions to climate change will be demanded (power distribution and storage, alternative energy sources, ocean flooding, weather, and fire protection) and technologies to overcome our currently suboptimally effective remote learning will be needed to expand our base of educable students.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Continuing Education Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Rebecca Sarver: The use of remote and virtual meetings will continue even after COVID-19. Face to face meetings may still be the preferred method of contact, but the reality is that many clients who need to access services do not have reliable and consistent transportation to get to the services. Phones and computers enable more convenient meetings that are less costly in terms of time and travel. Some clients may prefer not to leave their homes.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Continuing Education Instructors?
Rebecca Sarver: Yes, coronavirus pushed many disciplines, including human services, into virtual service provision. Some clients and some staff may prefer to work remotely. I have read that some organizations found their employees to be more productive when working from home. Conducting some work from home and having virtual meetings with other service providers even while at the job site can be a real time saver and money saver for all parties involved.