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The differences between directors and assistant directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director and an assistant director. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $63,063 average annual salary of an assistant director.
The top three skills for a director include healthcare, customer service and oversight. The most important skills for an assistant director are customer service, CPR, and child care.
| Director | Assistant Director | |
| Yearly salary | $113,489 | $63,063 |
| Hourly rate | $54.56 | $30.32 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 230,711 | 25,087 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.
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.
Directors and assistant directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director | Assistant Director | |
| Average salary | $113,489 | $63,063 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $192,000 | Between $37,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Mayer Brown |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a director and an assistant director in terms of educational background:
| Director | Assistant Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between directors' and assistant directors' demographics:
| Director | Assistant Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 14% | 14% |