How To Become A Karate Teacher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a karate teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Sarah Donovan

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a karate teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.23 an hour? That's $46,240 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 20% and produce 48,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a karate teacher?

Dr. Sarah Donovan

Assistant Professor of Secondary Education English, Oklahoma State University

A career in education begins during an accredited teacher preparation program as you cultivate a network of colleagues among peers, professors, and state and national professional organizations. Becoming a teacher is about building content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, so accredited programs offer opportunities to observe and practice teacher in classrooms with the support of qualified, experienced mentors and faculty members.
The first year on the job, it is essential to keep open lines of communication with the colleagues and faculty with whom you've developed professional relationships so that they can offer you support and critical conversations as you navigate the new teaching context. This is also when your connections to professional networks will be vital as you will have many sites, people, and resources to draw on to support your practice.

ScoreKarate TeacherUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,240

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.22%

Asian 4.69%

Black or African American 6.29%

Hispanic or Latino 9.60%

Unknown 5.76%

White 73.44%

Gender

female 37.84%

male 62.16%

Age - 34

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 - 34

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a karate teacher

Explore karate teacher education requirements

Most common karate teacher degrees

Bachelor's

63.2 %

High School Diploma

15.8 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific karate teacher skills

Skills	Percentages
Karate	100.00%

Complete relevant karate teacher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New karate teachers 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 a karate teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real karate teacher resumes.

Research karate teacher duties and responsibilities

Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
Develop and implement age-appropriate curriculum for toddler program, ensuring that appropriate opportunities are provided in order to maximize learning potential.
Create a child centered, developmentally appropriate kindergarten and nursery curriculum using NAEYC guidelines.

Apply for karate teacher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a karate teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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