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What is an instructor, adjunct faculty and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Rodney Foster

An adjunct faculty instructor is an educator hired on a contractual, part-time basis, often teaching fundamental undergraduate or preparatory curricula semester-by-semester throughout an academic year. Approximately ninety percent of adjunct faculty instructors work under non-tenure-track, holding other permanent career professional positions elsewhere.

Ordinarily, you spend most of your time with students, so you must be flexible to fulfill several responsibilities. Your responsibilities would vary, but it wouldn't be required you publish papers, conduct research, or even attend staff meetings.

Generally, to be considered for this job, you need a master's or doctoral degree. However, some community schools or technical colleges hiring for these faculty positions may only require a bachelor's degree and relevant work experience. And if you're a successful candidate, you can expect to earn $38,368 or even more.

What general advice would you give to an instructor, adjunct faculty?

Rodney FosterRodney Foster LinkedIn profile

Instructor - Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor - Airframe & Powerplant Technology, Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College (OCC) teaches Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) and Avionics. Although the Government has dampened air travel by putting up restrictions to prevent a Covid-19 spread, there is still a certified mechanic/skilled labor shortage. I believe all our students will have permanent jobs within a six-month search. OCC AMT is listed as an essential workforce by the state of California and is back in classes full-time, Face-to-face labs, and online lectures. Our next semester registration maximum filled in two days and still has over 35 additional students per class on the waiting list.
ScoreInstructor, Adjunct FacultyUS Average
Salary
4.1

Avg. Salary $52,225

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.9

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.2
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.33%

Black or African American 7.03%

Hispanic or Latino 10.03%

Unknown 4.91%

White 66.43%

Gender

female 56.92%

male 43.08%

Age - 46
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46
Stress level
6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Instructor, adjunct faculty career paths

Key steps to become an instructor, adjunct faculty

  1. Explore instructor, adjunct faculty education requirements

    Most common instructor, adjunct faculty degrees

    Bachelor's

    49.0 %

    Master's

    30.6 %

    Associate

    12.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific instructor, adjunct faculty skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Syllabus12.46%
    Student Learning8.91%
    Course Syllabus7.23%
    Course Curriculum7.22%
    Learning Outcomes6.56%
  3. Complete relevant instructor, adjunct faculty training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New instructors, adjunct faculty learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an instructor, adjunct faculty based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real instructor, adjunct faculty resumes.
  4. Research instructor, adjunct faculty duties and responsibilities

    • Lead early childhood program initiatives.
    • Design course content, and present lectures using PowerPoint and other multimedia resources
    • Inform students about course requirements, evaluation procedures and class participation and attendance requirements according to the course syllabus.
    • Incorporate real-world and professional experiences with classroom discussion in health care management, leadership, healthcare sustainability, and healthcare economics.
  5. Prepare your instructor, adjunct faculty resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your instructor, adjunct faculty resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an instructor, adjunct faculty resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable instructor, adjunct faculty resume templates

    Build a professional instructor, adjunct faculty resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your instructor, adjunct faculty resume.
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
    Instructor, Adjunct Faculty Resume
  6. Apply for instructor, adjunct faculty jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an instructor, adjunct faculty job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first instructor, adjunct faculty job

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Average instructor, adjunct faculty salary

The average instructor, adjunct faculty salary in the United States is $52,225 per year or $25 per hour. Instructor, adjunct faculty salaries range between $33,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average instructor, adjunct faculty salary
$52,225 Yearly
$25.11 hourly

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How do instructors, adjunct faculty rate their job?

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Instructor, adjunct faculty reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023
Pros

The transfer of knowledge and the joy on the student's face when they understand

Cons

The low pay which is often offered


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021
Cons

The pay is low for taking on many responsibilities. Handling and abiding by state-board laws and rules should add value to salary. We have many more rules to abide by almost like 2 classes opposed to 1.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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