How To Become A Non-Destructive Testing Inspector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a non-destructive testing inspector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a non-destructive testing inspector. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.06 an hour? That's $45,881 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -17,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreNon-Destructive Testing InspectorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,881

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.79%

Asian 7.78%

Black or African American 9.78%

Hispanic or Latino 19.32%

Unknown 4.53%

White 57.80%

Gender

female 14.29%

male 85.71%

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

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a non-destructive testing inspector

Explore non-destructive testing inspector education requirements

Most common non-destructive testing inspector degrees

Associate

39.8 %

Bachelor's

29.5 %

High School Diploma

18.2 %

Start to develop specific non-destructive testing inspector skills

Skills	Percentages
NDT	16.60%
Magnetic Particle	12.72%
Destructive Testing	11.59%
Test Results	9.44%
Test Equipment	8.35%

Complete relevant non-destructive testing inspector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New non-destructive testing inspectors 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 non-destructive testing inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real non-destructive testing inspector resumes.

Research non-destructive testing inspector duties and responsibilities

Motivate and lead team in inspections to accomplish NDT goals set by the company.
Verify material certifications for compliance to AWS standards.
Conduct flight line and back shop support of NDI inspections.
Identify and locate structural defects of aircraft with ultrasound and x-ray methods.

Prepare your non-destructive testing inspector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your non-destructive testing inspector 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 a non-destructive testing inspector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable non-destructive testing inspector resume templates

Build a professional non-destructive testing inspector 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 non-destructive testing inspector resume.