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How to hire a dental assisting instructor

Dental assisting instructor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring dental assisting instructors in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a dental assisting 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 dental assisting instructor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a dental assisting instructor, step by step

To hire a dental assisting instructor, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a dental assisting instructor:

Here's a step-by-step dental assisting 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 dental assisting instructor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dental assisting instructor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a dental assisting instructor do?

A Dental Assisting Instructor helps the program director in creating coursework for students. They provide classroom and laboratory instructions as well as create reports and maintain records, such as student grades, attendance rolls, and training activity details.

Learn more about the specifics of what a dental assisting instructor does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The dental assisting 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?

    A dental assisting instructor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, dental assisting instructors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    Here's a comparison of dental assisting instructor salaries for various roles:

    Type of Dental Assisting InstructorDescriptionHourly rate
    Dental Assisting InstructorPostsecondary teachers instruct students in a wide variety of academic and career and technical subjects beyond the high school level. They also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.$14-36
    Faculty MemberA faculty member is responsible for teaching students a wide range of both vocational and academic subjects. As a faculty member, you will teach and impart knowledge to your students and help them with the learning process and knowledge application... Show more$27-88
    Adjunct Faculty MemberAn adjunct faculty member teaches part-time at learning institutions, usually on a contractual basis. Although their duties depend on their position or area of expertise, it usually includes preparing lessons and coursework plans, administering examinations, producing learning materials, grading tests and quizzes, and assisting students as necessary... Show more$17-47
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • CPR
    • RDA
    • DANB
    • Classroom Management
    • Student Learning
    • BLS
    • PowerPoint
    • Chair Side
    • Student Attendance
    • CDA
    • Dentrix
    • Classroom Environment
    • Exam
    • Curriculum Development
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Utilize nursing process and critical thinking skill and manage flight medic activities in combat deployment environment.
    • Train students and ensure CPR, OSHA, HIPAA and RDA certification.
    • Facilitate learning through PowerPoint presentations, guest speakers, field trips, and hands-on class activities.
    • Lecture courses in basic anatomy and physiology.
    • Provide theoretical and clinical instruction, including phlebotomy, electrocardiogram, vital signs, pharmacology, and medication administration to students.
    • Maintain professional standards and ethics.
    More dental assisting instructor duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your dental assisting instructor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A dental assisting instructor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a dental assisting instructor in Tennessee may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level dental assisting instructor usually earns less than a senior-level dental assisting instructor. Additionally, a dental assisting instructor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average dental assisting instructor salary

    $48,268yearly

    $23.21 hourly rate

    Entry-level dental assisting instructor salary
    $30,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average dental assisting instructor salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$74,876$36
    2New Jersey$66,168$32
    3California$65,534$32
    4Maryland$64,313$31
    5Washington$62,405$30
    6Louisiana$58,547$28
    7Oregon$57,449$28
    8New Mexico$52,866$25
    9North Carolina$50,875$24
    10Texas$48,334$23
    11Indiana$47,515$23
    12Colorado$47,399$23
    13Georgia$45,981$22
    14Arizona$45,914$22
    15Oklahoma$45,748$22
    16Illinois$42,611$20
    17Michigan$40,951$20
    18Alabama$39,323$19
    19Tennessee$37,056$18
    20Arkansas$36,062$17

    Average dental assisting instructor salary by company

  4. Writing a dental assisting instructor job description

    A dental assisting 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 dental assisting instructor job description:

    Dental assisting instructor job description example

    *This position will be OPEN until filled.

    The Instructor/Program Director will be responsible for day-to-day activities for the Dental Assisting Program. Development and responsibilities to maintain CODA accreditation compliance and documentation.

    The PD must be available or provide alternative responsibility arrangements when off campus. The PD will work closely with faculty and students to ensure the program is meeting the needs of the students, college, and community. In addition, teach a minimum of 15 instructional units per semester of Dental Assisting courses, including on-line and in-class lectures, skills labs, and clinicals/practicums. Keep regular ofce hours, maintain licensure, certications, and health documents. Participate in the development of curriculum, syllabi, and course materials; evaluate mastery of skills and competencies that are required by the learning department, school, and college-wide committees, and participate in meetings and activities. Other duties as assigned.

    This position requires the ability to pass background checks, drug screens, and provide all vaccinations/titers as required by the Dental Assisting Program and/or healthcare facilities.

    Required Qualifications
    • Bachelors Degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
    • Must be a Certied Dental Assistant or Dentist licensed in the State of Nevada.
    • Must have occupational experience with fourhanded dentistry principles.
    • Must have experience with CODA accreditation and documentation requirements.
    • Must have instruction experience in educational theory and methodology, e.g., curriculum development, educational psychology, test construction, measurement, and evaluation.


    Preferred Qualifications
    • Previous teaching experience in multiple Dental Assisting topics/subjects.
    • Experience working with diverse/multi-cultural student populations.
    • Budget preparation/Fiscal administration.
    • Supervisory and evaluation of faculty experience.


    Starting Salary Range

    Initial salary placement is based on educational level and total years of full-time equivalent teaching experience. For example, for an instructor with a Masters degree the salary range would be $46,691 to $58,364 annually. The entire salary range is up to $70,038 annually with a Doctorate and 10 years experience. A maximum of 10 years of experience will be considered for the initial salary placement purposes. *

    CSN offers a generous benefit package comprised of excellent health insurance including medical, dental, vison, pharmacy, basic life insurance, and supplemental options (long term care, short term disability, and legal). Comprehensive retirement plans, employee assistance program, tuition discounts at the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) institutions. As well as tuition discounts for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. Perks encompassing on campus employee discounts, professional and personal development opportunities; and statewide employee purchase programs. Join a dynamic team investing in our future, Students First.

    Required Attachment(s)

    To be considered for this position, please upload the following documents to your application:
    • Resume/CV
    • Cover Letter
    • Contact information for three professional references (Name, email and phone number)
    • Unofficial Academic Transcripts (Applicants who have earned their degrees outside of the United States must have their educational transcripts evaluated by an approved evaluator if their college or university is not listed in the most recent edition of the Higher Education Directory, published by Higher Education Publications, Inc. If you have any questions regarding this, please reach out to the Human Resources, Talent Acquisition & Classification team)


    Local Search

    Out of Area/State Candidates are not offered travel reimbursement.

    Bargaining unit Faculty members hired are eligible for relocation expenses reimbursement in accordance with the College of Southern Nevada Faculty Contract CSN-NFA Contract 2020-22.

    Exempt
    Yes

    Full-Time Equivalent
    100.0%

    Required Attachment(s)

    Posting Close Date

    Note to Applicant

    Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications. The search committee will use this information during the initial review of application materials.

    All document(s) must be received by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to the closing date posted on the job announcement.

    This position may require that a criminal background check be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

    As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

    Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

    CSN is responsive to serving the educational needs of a diverse and ever-changing community. CSN employs only U.S. citizens and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. CSN does not sponsor aliens applying for faculty, professional staff, or management positions (H-1B Visas) in the absence of exceptional circumstances as defined by the USCIS.

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  5. Post your job

    To find dental assisting 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 dental assisting instructors they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level dental assisting 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.
    To find dental assisting instructor candidates, you can consider the following options:
    • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
    • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
    • Post your job on free job posting websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with dental assisting instructor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 dental assisting instructor

    Once you've decided on a perfect dental assisting instructor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new dental assisting instructor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a dental assisting instructor?

Recruiting dental assisting instructors involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $48,268 per year for a dental assisting instructor, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for dental assisting instructors in the US typically range between $14 and $36 an hour.

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