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The differences between instructional designers and teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructional designer has an average salary of $57,534, which is higher than the $47,989 average annual salary of a teacher.
The top three skills for an instructional designer include instructional design, subject matter experts and project management. The most important skills for a teacher are ESL, handle scheduling, and kids.
| Instructional Designer | Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $57,534 | $47,989 |
| Hourly rate | $27.66 | $23.07 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 50,321 | 71,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
An instructional designer focuses on devising learning materials and content to aid every students' learning difficulties. These can include videos, books, and presentations. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis to identify the needs of students, crafting learning strategies in collaboration with experts. They are also responsible for developing tools and materials to help assess every students' progress, such as quizzes and examinations. Furthermore, an instructional designer needs to coordinate with all personnel involved with the project to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world. Every teacher is unique and has their own teaching styles and methods depending on the subject they teach and the age of their students. Oftentimes they also function as a parent, counselor, coach, friend, and even a lawmaker. There is essentially no limit to the roles a teacher portrays.
Instructional designers and teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Designer | Teacher | |
| Average salary | $57,534 | $47,989 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $32,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Maryland |
| Best paying company | King Low Heywood Thomas | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Education |
There are a few differences between an instructional designer and a teacher in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Designer | Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Elementary Education |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between instructional designers' and teachers' demographics:
| Instructional Designer | Teacher | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 9% |