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Job outlook for speech instructors in the United States
Are speech instructor jobs in demand?
Speech instructor job and salary trends over time
Speech instructor jobs over time
Speech instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,571 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,635 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,674 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,673 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,654 | 0.00% |
Average speech instructor salary over time
Speech instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $69,875 | $33.59 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | $69,482 | $33.40 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $67,790 | $32.59 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | $65,429 | $31.46 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $64,573 | $31.04 | +3.5% |
Speech instructor jobs by state
Most common states for speech instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,657 | 136 | 22% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 280 | 21% |
| 3 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 278 | 15% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 142 | 15% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 867 | 13% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 701 | 13% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,050 | 12% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 608 | 12% |
| 9 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 367 | 12% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 68 | 12% |
| 11 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,013 | 10% |
| 12 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,007 | 10% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 579 | 10% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 412 | 10% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 102 | 10% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 76 | 10% |
| 17 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,417 | 9% |
| 18 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 270 | 9% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 96 | 9% |
| 20 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 76 | 9% |
Most common cities for speech instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moline | 1 | 2% | $85,220 |
| 2 | Alhambra | 1 | 1% | $100,647 |
| 3 | West Palm Beach | 1 | 1% | $56,552 |
| 4 | Anaheim | 1 | 0% | $100,091 |
| 5 | Riverside | 1 | 0% | $99,923 |
Speech Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of speech instructor experts
Tiffin University
College of the Marshall Islands
SUNY Buffalo State
Texas Wesleyan University
Wilson College
Wayne State University
Bowling Green State University
Belmont University
Concordia University
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Villanova University
Western Oregon University
Troy University
Loyola University Chicago
Shippensburg University
Grambling State University
College of Charleston
Portland State University
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Indianapolis
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What will help Speech Instructors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
What general advice would you give to a Speech Instructor?
Alexander Velasquez: My general advice to any graduate beginning their career in their field is to continue to learn and be a student of your craft. Be open to learning new things because you never know how they will improve your skills and qualifications. For example, I am currently learning video editing. I never thought I would bother to learn video editing, but it makes me a more versatile instructor being able to give students the option of doing video projects, combining and editing them, and having a digital record of what students have learned in the classroom. And given the rise of online learning, it's important nowadays to be an effective instructor both in the traditional in-person format and within the digital landscape.
Dr. Mark Fulk Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorSUNY Buffalo State
Department of English
What hard/technical skills are most important for Speech Instructors?
Dr. Mark Fulk Ph.D.: Most of these have to do with their ability to write and think. Their critical thinking skills and self-motivation make them valuable contributors to the workplaces they join. Because they are trained to be self-motivated, they tend to need less oversight to ensure the success of the project(s) they are completing, making for less direct administrative need. They have been trained to break apart a problem and see (and solve) the problem's component parts through the process of critical thinking. Trained in a meta-discourse, they do not become outdated when one formal system in their field becomes obsolete, but they see beyond systems to larger issues.
Dr. Kay Colley
Faculty Assembly Chair, Department Chair, ProfessorTexas Wesleyan University
Mass Communication Department
What skills stand out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Dr. Kay Colley: For recent graduates, skills that stand out are curiosity, listening, writing, multimedia editing, website design, and analytics, as well as social media storytelling. Attention to detail is also a very important skill. For faculty---data analytics, multimedia storytelling, social media storytelling and analytics, attention to detail.
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.
Professor of English, Program Director MAHUMWilson College
English Department
What skills stand out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.: In the academy, we often talk about English majors teaching students vital skills in critical thinking, communication, research, and analysis. An English major can be handed a project and know how to research the necessary components, compile them together in a clear and consistent format, and present that material to a client or supervisor with confidence. And I think the skill that really unites all of these aspects of the English major is independence. In our field, we ask students to articulate the rudiments of pragmatics, identify the meaning inherent to a seventeenth-century poem, and punch back at the masterpieces of the canon. No student can tackle such a diverse learning platform without a streak of independence that teaches them that, yes, scholars have been analyzing and deconstructing Shakespeare for 500 years, but no one has quite seen the text the way you have, and that's why you need to write about it. Heck, in a national conversation about higher education that strongly suggests that any major without a specific job title in its name should not even be considered, it takes someone who is a bit of a maverick to choose a major in English. But that independent streak serves our students really well in their careers and lives beyond college.
On a resume, I look for independence in that projection completion mode: acting as editor for student media; presenting a paper at a conference; writing a theatrical work; publishing; internships; etc. Anything that shows me that the applicant can tackle a project and get it done is what I am looking for.
What skills will help Speech Instructors earn the most?
Perry Farrell: Doing as many skills as possible: print, TV, radio, in front of the camera, behind the camera, Print writing, and radio.
Ellen Gorsevski Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorBowling Green State University
School of Media & Communication
What skills stand out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Ellen Gorsevski Ph.D.: The colleagues who truly shine have plenty of scholarly academic publications to their name and grants successes, but they also need to have a rich variety of broader media publications (i.e., beyond the Ivory Tower) that have a wider reach to audiences laypersons. Also, ideally, they'd have some real-world experience from working in the ever-evolving area of multiplatform media today, including social media.
What skills will help Speech Instructors earn the most?
Ellen Gorsevski Ph.D.: Typically branding, marketing, doing high profile speaking engagements such as at major conferences, writing books, and getting exposure and marketability across multiple media channels.
Chase Neely
Adjunct Professor, Co-Founder and President of Leverage Creative GroupBelmont University
School of Law
What skills stand out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Chase Neely: The most important skills start with the resume itself. Is the instructor a good writer? At our company, we post many writing jobs, and you'd be surprised how often the resumes sent in have typographical errors and spelling mistakes in them.
What soft skills should all Speech Instructors possess?
Chase Neely: As an instructor, you must be able to relate to the student. Express genuine care for what they're experiencing and for how they learn. That genuine care will also help you relate to the professors in your academic area.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Speech Instructors?
Chase Neely: Attention to detail and time management is crucial to being a successful professor.
What skills will help Speech Instructors earn the most?
Chase Neely: Advancement at a university is based on your ability to connect with your students, teach them well, and become a valuable member of the academic community. You must write about the craft that you're teaching. You have to participate in surveys like this one - not for your own notoriety, but out of genuine care for the discipline. And maybe I'm a bit naive, but you have to want to help. Adam Grant explains that the world is no longer made for those who take from others in his work on the topic. The world needs people who give - generously and without expectation of return. It's those people who advance further and earn more, especially when they make their desires for advancement known.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Speech Instructor job market given the pandemic?
John Norton Ph.D.: A need to communicate clearly and creatively through different medium
What Speech Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: Most important advice: Take initiative and be productive.
Find practical ways to use skills even if unpaid. Volunteer work is good. Use language skills. Technology skills. Exploit technology skills around the area of interest. If you want to be a teacher find out what software they are using today; what research skills are they utilize. Make sure you log your activities during the gap year especially those that relate to the area in which you want to work. If you want to go into finance, and you're working at a lawn service, understand and learn the business model and the accounting. If you're working at Starbucks (or in any commercial environment), get a chance to do inventories, learn about the ordering process and sources and suppliers for those orders; and how people are scheduled for work. All of that is relevant experience for business.
The CFO and recruiter for Keystone Staffing Solutions emphasized having evidence in your resume of of being productive during the gap time, no matter if it's one, two or three years. Evidence of being productive is what recruiters want to see on your resume: He stresses: "What did you do to expand your knowledge and skills not only in your selected area but beyond. BEING PRODUCTIVE for yourself proves to be an indicator of how productive you will be for me."
Still on gap year. How to go about it? Use teachers, friends, family, anyone in the field or related to it to provide guidance, insight, suggestions. This can lead to projects or experience that will help in learning and growth.
Michael Bradley
Assistant Teaching ProfessorVillanova University
Communication Department
What type of skills will young Speech Instructors need?
Michael Bradley: As graduates enter the workplace, they will need several specific skills. The ability to communicate - through the written and spoken word - will be ever more important, and having a facility with presenting ideas through a variety of social media platforms will also be vital. The workplace will also emphasize the ability to complete assignments away from the office, as more and more businesses move to a model with a central location and employees who have a hybrid home-office profile.
What Speech Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dana Schowalter Ph.D.: First of all, it is likely that many graduates will experience a period where they are unable to find work, especially in their field of choice. I think it is important that graduates know this is a systemic issue, and one that is not personal. Not having a job during a global pandemic is NOT a sign of your worth as a person, and it is not a commentary on whether or not you will be successful in your life (however you define that). Additionally, we've seen a number of articles about how to emerge from this time with a thick resume, new skills, extra publications, and the like. There are people who experience privilege that will allow them to master new skills. But for most people, we are trying to survive and just don't have the time, energy, and resources available to take on new projects. It is okay to emerge from this time without new skills. Just emerging from this time is an accomplishment that we should all feel proud of, and when we do emerge we'll adjust to the job market in whatever form it takes at that time.
That said, if you do have the time and resources to focus on adding new skills, internships are a great way to take time away from the formal job market but still engage in skill development that will pad your resume. I've seen many internship opportunities fade away due to the pandemic and the difficulty in managing interns in a remote environment. I encourage students to contact companies where they would like to intern and make a pitch that focuses on how the company could benefit from your skills and time. What can you do for them that would make the stress of managing an intern worthwhile?
The number of home-based businesses is also on the rise, and chances are we all know someone who has one. It might be worth partnering with someone whose business could benefit from skills you can bring to the table and creating a portfolio of examples of ways you aided that business.
What general advice would you give to a Speech Instructor?
Dana Schowalter Ph.D.: Be flexible. This is almost certainly not how you thought your graduation and job search would look. Take advantage of opportunities that come your way, even if they weren't the perfect opportunity you envisioned. If you're lucky, you will find something you really like. At the very least, you'll learn which jobs you don't want to do, and that is a surprisingly helpful lesson.
Try your very best not to take the ups and downs of the job market personally. There is a huge tendency to blame individuals who do not have a job - that happens through discrimination against people who are unemployed as they apply for jobs and it happens when we engage in negative self-talk about what it means to not have the job we wanted. We are in a global pandemic and unemployment and underemployment are common. I would encourage people not to personalize this, and to know that things will pick up again when the economy opens up. By that time, things may look very different from a market perspective, and it is also possible that your personal interests will change in no small part due to the experiences you've had in the last year. Be easy on yourself and trust your own instincts.
Stefanie East
Lecturer of Journalism and Communication StudiesTroy University
Hall School of Journalism and Communication
What Speech Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Stefanie East: Make connections whenever you can! You never when someone you just met might be looking for a person with the exact skills that you may have. Also, find ways to market yourself - whether it's through social media or some other means. It's okay to be your own cheerleader! In addition, don't be afraid to try new things. You may have your mind set on one particular career field, but by broadening your horizons and exploring different areas, you may find something that you are even more passionate about.
David Kamerer Ph.D.
Program Director, MS in Global Strategic Communication, Associate ProfessorLoyola University Chicago
School of Communication
What Speech Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
David Kamerer Ph.D.: It's crucial to keep working, to keep climbing. If you're not working, you should continue to network, offer your services to a non-profit organization, and develop your skills. This is a good time to earn certifications, particularly in digital. I particularly recommend the Google Analytics Individual Qualification, the certification for Google Ads, and Facebook Blueprint. All these certifications offer excellent and free online preparation materials. At Loyola we've had record enrollment in our graduate program in Global Strategic Communication and in Digital Media and Storytelling. Many of these students will continue to seek employment as they work on their degrees.
What skills stand out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Dr. Dhiman Chattopadhyay Ph.D.: There are two aspects to this. On the one hand, more and more organizations will search for communication specialists who are good with technology and effective story-telling techniques. This will translate to potential employees who can tailor content for the web and social media; who have excellent video scripting, editing, and uploading skills; and who can create effective content for multiple target audiences over different web-based platforms. These are relatively newer skills. Students who take courses in, for example, social media data analysis, promotional publication design, strategic communication techniques, digital storytelling, and video production will have a shoe in the door.
As organizations resize and more entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups dot the media landscape, employers will expect newer employees to take on greater responsibility and even leadership roles and to communicate to and with a diverse, global audience. Media schools traditionally do not teach leadership or media management classes. Some, like Shippensburg, do. Students who take courses in subjects around media management, media diversity, or global strategic communication will be seen as more employable.
Having said that, traditional qualities such as news and feature writing skills, good grammar, good public relations and network building abilities, and being able to deliver perfect news releases will always be much valued skills on any resume.
What Speech Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Training to be essential is critical. Increasing skills in using technology are necessary. Keeping students engaged and actively learning through technology is a crucial tool that will be extremely important to a teacher, whether teaching in person or virtually. Additionally, the gap year should be used to identify an area of interest for work. Once the site is specified, the graduate should build professional relationships and learn the site's culture.
What experience really stands out on Speech Instructor resumes?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The experience that most stands out on resumés, to my mind, is definitely internships or anything where the applicant has had to show initiative and exercise independent thought.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Speech Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Jeffrey Robinson: Even before the pandemic, organizations valued the ability to manage, motivate, and inspire small groups or teams. More than ever, during the pandemic, organizations are looking for candidates with the necessary skills in leadership, effective public presentation, and interpersonal sensitivity.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Speech Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jeffrey Robinson: Students with a Communication degree should feel confident that their skills are generally applicable across all job sectors. Virtually every organization has positions available involving communication in-reach or outreach, including public relations, marketing, quality control, etc. At least according to statistics, to increase their salary potential, many students will go on to pursue some advanced degree after their BA/BS, such as a 2- or 4-year degree (and there are many types of grants, scholarships, and awards that make this financially possible for students across the socioeconomic spectrum). Students should keep this in mind as they graduate to set themselves up for success in the future.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Speech Instructors?
Staci Kuntzman: I think that the pandemic will leave a lasting impression on all of us, including recent or soon-to-be graduates. While I'm not sure if you'd like a follow-up to that answer, as an encouragement to our graduates, they should take comfort in knowing that they have learned the skills needed to be successful, at life and at finding a job, and having "survived" the pandemic, both literally and metaphorically, they have learned many skills they may not have learned otherwise.
Whitney Tipton Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Indianapolis
Department of Communication
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Speech Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Whitney Tipton Ph.D.: We can certainly expect Zoom and Google Meet to hang around and additional competitors to enter this space. For job applicants in the communication field, an understanding of SEO and content management tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite will be critical. I encourage current students and those in the job market to take advantage of the many free opportunities for relevant certifications, such as online project management, Google analytics, and Adobe Creative Cloud apps.