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Teacher vs instructor

The differences between teachers and instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructor has an average salary of $53,426, which is higher than the $47,989 average annual salary of a teacher.

The top three skills for a teacher include ESL, handle scheduling and kids. The most important skills for an instructor are customer service, CPR, and course curriculum.

Teacher vs instructor overview

TeacherInstructor
Yearly salary$47,989$53,426
Hourly rate$23.07$25.69
Growth rate4%12%
Number of jobs71,91839,273
Job satisfaction4.144
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age4242
Years of experience--

What does a teacher do?

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.

What does an instructor do?

Instructors are responsible for imparting knowledge to students. They are well-versed in different topics related to their area of teaching. They prepare lessons, create presentation materials and other collaterals, and present these to the students. They manage the classroom and ensure that students are attentive. Instructors are also responsible for creating ways to check the students' knowledge retention through schoolwork and examinations. They also evaluate their teaching style as well to further improve their skills for the next batch of students. Instructors should be patient, creative, and well-versed in classroom management.

Teacher vs instructor salary

Teachers and instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

TeacherInstructor
Average salary$47,989$53,426
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $70,000Between $30,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MDNew York, NY
Highest paying stateMarylandConnecticut
Best paying companyKing Low Heywood ThomasKern Community College District
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between teacher and instructor education

There are a few differences between a teacher and an instructor in terms of educational background:

TeacherInstructor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorElementary EducationBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Teacher vs instructor demographics

Here are the differences between teachers' and instructors' demographics:

TeacherInstructor
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 25.7% Female, 74.3%Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage9%11%

Differences between teacher and instructor duties and responsibilities

Teacher example responsibilities.

  • Work closely with co-teacher to manage and co-teach curriculum to a large group.
  • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Develop social studies and geography curriculum.
  • Provide kindergarten readiness in approaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and introductory math skills.
  • Attend and participate in ESL professional development activities, conferences/workshops, curriculum/program planning, & special events and activities.
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Instructor example responsibilities.

  • Discipline kids when necessary, and manage lifeguarding duties during swimming portions of the camp.
  • Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
  • Instruct all areas of massage therapy program including anatomy, physiology, pathology, contraindications and ethics.
  • Teach a broad range of ESL classes, such as pronunciation, grammar, and conversation classes.
  • Develop curricula for college-level philosophy and ethics courses with clear expectations and objectives in mind.
  • Plan and provide human anatomy and physiology course instruction and laboratory activities for students in the nursing program.
  • Show more

Teacher vs instructor skills

Common teacher skills
  • ESL, 17%
  • Handle Scheduling, 15%
  • Kids, 12%
  • Classroom Management, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Curriculum Development, 4%
Common instructor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • CPR, 11%
  • Course Curriculum, 8%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Classroom Management, 5%
  • Student Learning, 4%

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